DOHA, QATAR, June 27, 2014 — The Accreditation Department at the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) is making continuing medical education and professional development (CME/CPD) mandatory for all healthcare practitioners, thus ensuring they continuously upgrade their skills by 2016. Once implemented, a CME/CPD accreditation would be required for issuance and renewal of a healthcare practitioner license. “The mandatory CME/CPD participation policy will be implemented for all healthcare practitioners in early 2016 for licensing and renewal (of licenses),” QCHP representatives said in a statement to The Peninsula, Qatar’s English newspaper. “This output ensures that the training and professional development for healthcare professionals in Qatar is of the highest level.”
Qatar Making Continuing Medical Education, Professional Development Accreditation Mandatory
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Upside Learning Releases Whitepaper on Blended Learning
PUNE, INDIA, July 1, 2014 – Upside Learning, a leading provider of learning technology solutions, recently released a whitepaper titled, “Blended Learning – The way ahead for an ‘always learning’ organization.”
Based on the recent trends in learning such as enterprise mobility, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and next generation cloud computing, the whitepaper gives e-learning professionals a solid understanding on how the scope of blended learning has been redefined and how they can leverage it to the optimum in the workplace.
In the wake of global technological advancements, an organization must leverage the power of new learning channels and concepts such as social learning, micro learning and gamification to create an impactful learning experience for users. This can be effectively brought about by implementing Blended Learning as it combines powerful content, effective teaching methodologies and dissemination channels. And when backed by a state-of-the-art Learning Management System, it delivers a high quality and an engaging learning experience that drives more results than the other traditional methods.
Some of the key topics covered in this whitepaper include:
Redefining Blended Learning
Enhancement of Training Modules within Blended Learning
Leveraging Blended Learning for Gen C workforce
Measuring effectiveness of Blended Learning Program
Amit Garg, Director and co-founder of Upside Learning, said that blended learning is the way ahead for organizations.
“With technology as the backbone and a range of channels to disseminate the content, employees can truly experience quality and flexibility in learning,” he said. “Our whitepaper is based on this belief and also on our experience in implementing Blended Learning programs for numerous clients all over the globe. I believe this whitepaper will act as a guide for companies to steer their blended learning programs with the help of an LMS.”
The free whitepaper can be downloaded from here.
About Upside Learning
A globally recognized leader in training outsourcing, Upside Learning is one of the leading names in Custom eLearning, Learning Management System and Mobile Learning Solutions. For over seven years, the company’s award-winning solutions and services have enabled 150+ clients from a diverse set of industries and countries manage their learning easily and effectively.
The company’s solutions and services portfolio ranges from Custom eLearning to Catalog Courses, Mobile Learning Solutions to Learning Management System and Technical support services tailor-made to an organization be it an Enterprise, a SMB or a Training Company.
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Totara LMS Earns U.S. Army Certificate of Networthiness
BEND, OR, June 20, 2014 – Totara LMS has received the U.S. Army’s Certificate of Networthiness, enabling the learning management system software to be used with Army systems.
Totara, a custom distribution learning management software designed to deliver the benefits and cost savings of open source software to government and corporate clients, will work with ASM Research, an Accenture Federal Services Company, on implementation for federal clients.
ASM Research was selected to help develop Totara’s Solution Partner Network within the federal government, providing technical support for enterprise-wide installation and hosting infrastructure. Totara partners are selected based on their ability to deliver end-to-end solutions and ongoing customer support.
“Our entire team is excited to be working with ASM Research to provide Totara LMS solutions to the federal government,” said Willem Boom, vice president, partner solutions, Totara Learning, Inc. “Adding Totara to the Army’s Certification of Networthiness list is a great development that helps affirm the future of open source software.”
The Army’s Networthiness Certification Program manages specific risks associated with information systems by identifying, measuring, controlling, and minimizing security risks and impacts in IT systems. This certification is required of all organizations providing systems support to the Army.
“ASM Research has a long history of integrating new functionality into existing systems and enterprises,” said John Fraser, executive vice president and COO of ASM Research. “The Certificate of Networthiness reassures government and commercial clients that they can have confidence in choosing a Totara solution and partner with ASM, an experienced integrator.”
ASM provides both complete customized and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based learning and training solutions that include consulting, programming, hosting, system design, implementation and integration, course development and customer support services.
About Totara
Totara Learning Solutions, backed by Kineo, Kineo Pacific and Catalyst IT, is a global alliance dedicated to fundamentally changing the nature of the LMS software market. Totara is a packaged distribution of the open source platform, Moodle, and is available on a subscription basis which provides on-going support and enhancements. Totara can reduce a corporate enterprise's learning management costs significantly whilst providing some of the most advanced learning management functionality. Some organizations have made savings of more than 80 percent compared to proprietary systems.
From a simple concept; that open source software, developed with an active community, can deliver real benefits in learning and development for corporate organizations, comes a big vision; to transform corporate learning.
Totara users come from a wide variety of sectors, including finance, retail, energy, health, government and not-for-profit organizations. Customers range from small enterprises to large multi-national corporations with over 200,000 employees - a testament to Totara's robust versatility and scalability. Organizations throughout the world have chosen Totara as their eLearning platform. For more information visit: www.totaralms.com.
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Skillsoft’s 2014 Impact Analysis Reveals Insights into Learning’s Value
NASHUA, N.H., Jun 24, 2014 – Skillsoft announced the findings of its bi-annual Impact Analysis survey that measures the value of organizations’ learning investments. The Impact Analysis is a low-burden, estimate-based, rapid analysis designed to collect data related to three key areas for learning programs: operational efficiency, content effectiveness and business outcomes. The process delivers both quantitative and qualitative insights into the effectiveness of learning programs and provides a baseline from which to evaluate their impact moving forward. A core service available to existing Skillsoft customers, the Impact Analysis fills a critical evaluation gap for many organizations worldwide.
The comprehensive findings from the meta-analysis reflect 58,800 individual end users from across the world. The latest round of research, conducted over a 24-month period spanning 2012 and 2013, offers fresh perspective on end users’ experiences with Skillsoft learning solutions:
Learners cited better work quality and increased employee satisfaction as the leading outcomes of applying what they learned.
Learners achieved an average improvement in skill of 17 percent, which aligned to an average 44 percent of employees’ current job roles.
Learners indicated career development and continued professional development as the top motivations for engaging with the learning program.
“It’s important for learning programs to be properly monitored and measured to ensure they are aligned with employees’ needs, organizations’ business goals and their original objectives,” said Wendy Duffy, Senior Director, Consulting Services, North America. “Many learning and development teams are already stretched and likely do not have the resources to dedicate to the evaluation of their learning investments. The Impact Analysis gives them a great baseline for thinking about their programs in context of many others like them. It also helps teams package the insights for key stakeholders who are invested in the programs’ success.”
The Impact Analysis findings allow learning and development (L&D) teams to quickly and easily evaluate their current programs, to communicate outcomes internally to other stakeholders, and to create an action plan for achieving even more value in the future. Following the initial analysis, Skillsoft Learning Consultants work with L&D teams to identify the strengths and opportunities for improvement in terms of engagement, alignment, adoption and value, which Skillsoft has identified as the four building blocks of a healthy learning program.
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a pioneer in the field of learning with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses. Skillsoft's customer support teams draw on a wealth of in-house experience, flexible delivery platforms and a comprehensive learning e-library to develop off-the-shelf and custom learning programs tailored to cost-effectively meet customer needs. Skillsoft's courses, books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning experts to ensure that they maximize business skills, performance, and talent development.
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Upside Learning Releases Whitepaper on Blended Learning
PUNE, INDIA, July 1, 2014 – Upside Learning, a leading provider of learning technology solutions, recently released a whitepaper titled, “Blended Learning – The way ahead for an ‘always learning’ organization.”
Based on the recent trends in learning such as enterprise mobility, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and next generation cloud computing, the whitepaper gives e-learning professionals a solid understanding on how the scope of blended learning has been redefined and how they can leverage it to the optimum in the workplace.
In the wake of global technological advancements, an organization must leverage the power of new learning channels and concepts such as social learning, micro learning and gamification to create an impactful learning experience for users. This can be effectively brought about by implementing Blended Learning as it combines powerful content, effective teaching methodologies and dissemination channels. And when backed by a state-of-the-art Learning Management System, it delivers a high quality and an engaging learning experience that drives more results than the other traditional methods.
Some of the key topics covered in this whitepaper include:
Redefining Blended Learning
Enhancement of Training Modules within Blended Learning
Leveraging Blended Learning for Gen C workforce
Measuring effectiveness of Blended Learning Program
Amit Garg, Director and co-founder of Upside Learning, said that blended learning is the way ahead for organizations.
“With technology as the backbone and a range of channels to disseminate the content, employees can truly experience quality and flexibility in learning,” he said. “Our whitepaper is based on this belief and also on our experience in implementing Blended Learning programs for numerous clients all over the globe. I believe this whitepaper will act as a guide for companies to steer their blended learning programs with the help of an LMS.”
The free whitepaper can be downloaded from here.
About Upside Learning
A globally recognized leader in training outsourcing, Upside Learning is one of the leading names in Custom eLearning, Learning Management System and Mobile Learning Solutions. For over seven years, the company’s award-winning solutions and services have enabled 150+ clients from a diverse set of industries and countries manage their learning easily and effectively.
The company’s solutions and services portfolio ranges from Custom eLearning to Catalog Courses, Mobile Learning Solutions to Learning Management System and Technical support services tailor-made to an organization be it an Enterprise, a SMB or a Training Company.
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Skillsoft launches Health and Safety Courses for UK Businesses
NASHUA, N.H., July 8, 2014 – Skillsoft, the international learning solutions provider, has launched a range of brand new health and safety courses for UK businesses. The courses cover a broad range of topics designed to help prevent accidents and ensure employees remain compliant with the law.
Ensuring occupational health and safety (OHS) is not only a legal requirement, but is also good for business. OHS compliance is essential not only for protecting the health and well-being of your workforce, but also promotes employee engagement, leading to increased productivity and improved standards of quality and customer service.
Health and safety executive statistics state that each year, 27 million days are lost to work-related ill health or injury, costing the British economy an estimated $23 billion, 20 percent of which was borne directly by employers. Nearly half of all newly-reported cases of work-related illness or injury related to musculoskeletal disorders, with slips, trips and falls and poor ergonomics being the most common causes.
Skillsoft enables businesses to combat these common issues with new compliance courses in slips, trips and falls, first aid awareness and ergonomics in the Workplace. With 13,000 work-related deaths a year, many relating to illnesses caused by inadequate respiratory protection or a lack of awareness of defensive driving skills, the new set of health and safety courses also include courses in defensive driving fundamentals and respiratory protection.
“We have worked hard to produce a dynamic range of elearning courses in order to help businesses reduce accidents at work and maintain the highest possible business productivity,” said Mike Newton, Skillsoft’s UK Director of Compliance. “Our learning solutions also enable clients to offer their staff access to compliance courses through tablet devices as well as PCs, which addresses the needs of mobile work forces and makes health and safety courses more accessible.”
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a pioneer in the field of learning with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses. Skillsoft's customer support teams draw on a wealth of in-house experience and a comprehensive learning e-library to develop off-the-shelf and custom learning programs tailored to cost-effectively meet customer needs. Skillsoft's courses, books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning experts to ensure that they maximize business skills, performance, and talent development.
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Global Training Solutions Offering Infrared Thermography Courses Online
ONTARIO, CANADA, July 9, 2014 – Global Training Solutions Inc. recently announced the availability of Infrared Thermography e-learning training courses and certification for Thermographers and NDT professionals.
Courses are divided into narrated one-hour lecture units designed to build upon the previous units for advanced learning. Course content has been prepared and written by a subject matter experts team comprising Level 3 Certified Infrared Thermographers, each having over 20 years of professional experience.
All courses are compliant with latest industry standards including ASTM, ANSI, ASNT, NETA and ISO. Courses and reference manuals are constantly updated with the latest applications, practices and standards based on research by a team of subject matter experts, graduates and other key personnel in the industry.
About Global Training Solutions, Inc.
Global Training Solutions Inc. provides compliance, workforce training programs and classroom instruction aimed at the development, training and safety of employees in many diverse industries worldwide. As a global performance improvement company, our objective is to ensure that we provide content required to enhance knowledge and skills, comply with industry and government mandates, and assist organizations and professionals best manage career, compliance and certification requirements. Our unique solutions assist in enhancing business performance, reduce costs and expand organizational capabilities.
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GMAT Exam Creator’s Guide Make Studying Even More Convenient
RESTON, VA., July 9, 2014 – The Graduate Management Admission Council, in partnership with Wiley, is making studying for the GMAT exam easier and more convenient.
The best-selling Official Guide for GMAT® Review series is adding online content, videos and a study tool, allowing business school applicants to access hundreds of real, retired GMAT questions both in book form and online to customize their own question sets.
The best-selling Official Guides are being released as an annual series, starting this month with the Official Guide for GMAT® Review 2015 and supplemental guides for the Quantitative and Verbal sections. The Guides are released by the Graduate Management Admission Council, which creates and administers the GMAT exam on behalf of graduate business and management programs worldwide.
“The Official Guide for GMAT Review has been a consistently popular trade publication since the first edition was published in 1978,” said Ashok Sarathy, GMAC vice president, product management. “We are now making studying for the GMAT exam easier and more flexible, as people can both annotate the book and customize question sets with the new, online component.”
The 2015 series contains the same content as the Official Guide for GMAT Review, 13th Edition, and the Official Guide for Quantitative Review, Second Edition, and the Official Guide for Verbal Review, Second Edition, along with access to exclusive online content including videos and a study tool that allows users to customize practice sets by question format and difficulty level.
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Top 20 Workforce Development Companies List Announced
CARY, NC, July 10, 2014 – TrainingIndustry.com has announced its Top 20 Workforce Development Companies List, as part of its mission to continually monitor the training marketplace for the best providers of training services and technologies.
View the 2014 Top 20 Workforce Development Companies
Selection to this year's Top 20 Workforce Development Companies List was based on the following criteria:
Industry visibility, innovation and impact
Capability to develop and deliver customized corporate training services
Company size and growth potential
Depth and breadth of subject matter expertise
Organization size and growth potential
Quality of clients
Geographic reach
“Workforce development continues to be a key focus for corporations in many markets globally.” said Ken Taylor, Training Industry’s Chief Operating Officer. “We saw growth in companies providing services in geographies outside of their HQ locations.”
“The 2014 Top 20 Workforce Development providers include some of the strongest companies in the industry,” said Doug Harward, Chief Executive Officer, Training Industry, Inc. “These companies provide the broadest portfolio of services with a particular focus on consulting and curriculum development.”
Email info@trainingindustry.com for thoughts or feedback regarding the list.
View the 2014 Top 20 Workforce Development Companies
About Training Industry, Inc.
TrainingIndustry.com spotlights the latest news, articles, case studies and best practices within the training industry. Our focus is on helping dedicated business and training professionals get the information, insight and tools needed to more effectively manage the business of learning.
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Survey Identifies Top Challenges for Learning and Development Teams
Washington, D.C. - July 10, 2014 - Learning specialist Hemsley Fraser has identified what it calls “the top business challenges” that the L&D profession needs to address, after questioning 200 L&D practitioners, across the public and private sectors.
The company claims that today’s training and talent practitioners must help their organizations to:
1. Deal with change. The number of organizational changes occurring - for example mergers & acquisitions and new hardware/software installations - is increasing and so is the speed of change. Individual employees will also need support if they are to develop the resilience to withstand changes in their own roles.
2. Serve global, virtual or geographically-dispersed diverse populations. For organizations, this presents direct challenges such as developing the ability to deliver learning virtually or in multiple languages, as well as indirect challenges such as developing a communal sense of unity, whether that’s across different countries or even across different locations in the same city.
3. Do more with less. This challenge can stem from internal constraints - such as lower staff numbers or reduced budgets - or from external constraints, such as the demand from customers for increasingly low-cost options.
4. Get the buy-in for learning from leaders. When leaders have to make tough decisions on mission-related activities, training and talent professionals need to ensure that learning remains a top priority and that the organization continues to invest in its learning infrastructure.
5. Deliver ‘bite-sized’ learning. Learners don’t want lengthy training sessions and managers are increasingly reluctant to sanction time away from the workplace for their teams. Fundamental changes therefore need to be made to the way that learning is designed and delivered.
6. Engage employees. Training and talent professionals not only have to ensure that learners have the appetite to attend training, amidst competing priorities, they also need to keep learners thoroughly engaged through all aspects of the learning experience.
7. Develop leaders. The challenges here are to help leaders understand the need for their own development and also to instill effective leadership behavior.
8. Support business development. Provide the breadth and depth of skills needed to help the organization survive and grow.
Todd Turner, Chief Executive Officer of Hemsley Fraser said training and talent professionals will be able to make a strategic impact if they can effectively respond to these eight business challenges.
“These are the areas where organizations need support, so best practice is to allocate the necessary time and resources to tackle these priorities,” he said.
About Hemsley Fraser
Founded in 1991, Hemsley Fraser is a market leading provider of in-company and customized learning programs, consulting services, open training courses and managed learning services. Recently ranked for the fourth consecutive year as one of the world's top 20 providers of leadership training, it delivers learning in 50 countries. Since 2008, it has been part of the Demos Group, a global provider of learning and development.
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Ascentis Acquires Leading Talent Management Solutions Provider
SAN MATEO, Calif., July 11, 2014 – Ascentis Corporation, a market leader in easy-to-use human resources software, online payroll services, and HCM (human capital management) solutions, announced the acquisition of Starfield, a leading provider of talent management software solutions. This acquisition introduces several new products to the Ascentis HCM suite of solutions including learning management, performance management, compensation management, succession planning, 360° assessment and a strong business intelligence layer with data warehouse reporting. Ascentis CEO DJ Chhabra said his company is dedicated to providing his client base and prospects with the most comprehensive HCM suite available in the market today.
“Even though our easy-to-use world-class HRIS and online payroll solutions continue to be the cornerstone of our success, we are also focused on adding new and complementary offerings to broaden and deepen the capabilities of the companies we serve,” he said. “With the acquisition of Starfield and their extremely rich talent management products, we are thrilled that we were able to respond so quickly to the needs of our market in providing a critical array of new solutions to effectively manage their most important asset, their employees.” The addition of these talent management products allows Ascentis to offer a broader suite of HCM solutions to the SMB marketplace. Ascentis' unique and flexible market strategy offers companies a comprehensive HCM solution suite or standalone modules that integrate with other systems, attracting organizations that are looking for a range of purchasing options designed to meet their specific needs. The addition of the talent management solutions follows that approach while offering clients and prospects a tightly coupled experience to the existing core HR and payroll products offered by Ascentis. About Ascentis
Ascentis Corporation, backed by Palm Ventures and Catalyst Investors, offers easy-to-use, human capital management HRIS, online payroll, recruiting and timekeeping solutions that support greater business efficiency and accuracy. Ascentis automates critical HR and payroll processes such as full-scale benefits management, compliance, online open enrollment, time and attendance, real-time payroll processing, tax filing, applicant tracking, employee and manager self-service and reporting. Ascentis' talent management solutions include learning management, performance management, succession planning, 360° assessment and compensation management. One point of data entry means employee information is accurate, up-to-date and reportable. Electronic submission of information to insurance carriers eliminates errors and supports a paperless open enrollment process.
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Survey Finds Only Half of Salespeople Feel Prepared to Create New Opportunities
LARKSPUR, Calif. – July 15, 2014 – Corporate Visions, Inc., the leading marketing and sales messaging, tools and training company, today announced survey results reflecting the responses of more than 700 business-to-business (B2B) marketers and salespeople from around the world regarding their level of confidence when it comes to having key customer conversations. The findings showed a disconnect between where salespeople feel pressure and how well their companies prepare them for these critical conversations.
In one example, nearly 40 percent of respondents identified “opportunity creation” conversations as having the highest impact on helping salespeople achieve quota, but only half feel adequately prepared to create new sales opportunities with the content and training provided to them by their organizations.
Ironically, salespeople say they feel the most adequately prepared for the conversations they value least:
Showcasing compelling product presentations – 63 percent feel prepared/13 percent value most
Achieving successful competitive differentiation – 54 percent feel prepared/14 percent value most
After the opportunity creation conversation, salespeople ranked having effective executive conversations as the next most integral factor to helping them achieve quota. The entire list of conversations rankings looked like this:
Creating opportunities from status quo – 38 percent
Having effective executive conversations – 16 percent
Achieving successful competitive differentiation – 14 percent
Showcasing compelling product presentations – 13 percent
Demonstrating financial justification – 10 percent
Mastering purchasing negotiations – 9 percent
When asked what causes the greatest amount of pressure for sales reps, they responded that they experienced the most tension during the following conversations:
Demonstrating financial justification – 26 percent
Mastering purchasing negotiations – 25 percent
Having effective executive conversations – 24 percent
“It’s no surprise that salespeople feel most confident in their product presentation skills, since that’s where the majority of companies focus their training initiatives. What is surprising, however, is how grossly unprepared reps are when it comes to having the three most critical conversations in the customer buying cycle,” said Tim Riesterer, chief strategy and marketing officer for Corporate Visions. “In order to be truly successful, companies need to provide their reps with the right messaging, tools and training skills so they can move prospects off the status quo, have effective executive-level conversations, provide financial justification for what they’re selling and negotiate a price that ensures maximum investment.”
About Corporate Visions, Inc.
Corporate Visions is a leading marketing and sales messaging, tools, and skills company that helps global B2B companies create more sales opportunities, win more deals and increase sales profitability by improving the conversations salespeople have with customers. Companies engage Corporate Visions to help in three key areas:
Developing compelling messages to break the status quo, differentiating their solution, justifying a purchase decision and protecting margins;
Deploying that message through tools and visual stories to enable salespeople to engage multiple decision-makers across the buying cycle; and
Delivering sales skills training that helps salespeople confidently use these messages and tools to create, elevate and capture more value in their customer conversations.
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SAVO Further Expands Integrated Solutions Suite With Sales Presentation Pro
CHICAGO – July 15, 2014 – SAVO Group, the market leader in sales productivity solutions, has launched Sales Presentation Pro, an application that seamlessly guides PowerPoint presentation assembly to expedite creation while maintaining brand consistency, messaging and regulatory compliance.
In the company’s Maturity Benchmark assessment of more than 300 customers, SAVO determined that only 38 percent of companies are effective at controlling sales content and messaging to ensure compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements. Without the ability to locate or manage the volume of information available to them today, many sales reps revert to their hard drives, or worse yet, create their own materials. As a result, brand and message accuracy suffer, and best practices are lost.
Sales Presentation Pro solves these challenges by allowing marketing and sales leaders to depend on a customized Q&A wizard designed around business logic, content and industry priorities to ensure that only relevant, recommended and approved presentation slides are included in final decks. The application is fully customizable and tailored to each individual’s role and document permissions. It is also accessible via mobile devices, enabling salespeople to create and update targeted, client-ready presentations wherever they may be.
About SAVO
Founded in 1999, SAVO enables its clients to drive sales productivity improvements through its on-demand sales enablement platform, which maximizes the sales team’s ability to communicate value and differentiation in clear, consistent and compelling ways. Combining proven sales and marketing best practices with award-winning technology, SAVO addresses all aspects of the sales enablement challenge — spanning people, process, insight and technology.
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Skillsoft Works with Sprint to Align Learning with Business Goals
NASHUA, N.H., Jul 15, 2014 — Skillsoft announced its continued success with Sprint resulting in measurable talent improvement efforts.
Throughout their long-standing relationship, Skillsoft and Sprint have been able to adapt and align targeted learning solutions to the changing business requirements of the world-class telecommunications firm of approximately 36,000 employees. Using elearning analytics platforms to then measure success against industry benchmarks, Sprint was able to realize a cost-benefit ratio with Skillsoft five times better than classroom training and an average annual rate of program improvement more than triple the industry rate of four percent.
Sprint partners with the business unit leaders and the front lines to identify performance gaps. Sprint University then defines solutions to close those gaps. As the University solves for those performance improvement opportunities, Sprint leverages their leading edge portfolio which includes Skillsoft’s elearning courses, targeted portals and online books. A priority for Skillsoft’s program with Sprint was the measurement of content effectiveness both for aligning and re-aligning program goals over time and for advising stakeholders on content performance. Sprint has received significant ROI from Skillsoft, realizing $90 in benefits for every $1 invested. Sprint recently received a 2014 BEST Award from the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) for demonstrating enterprise-wide success as a result of employee learning and development.
“Ensuring that learning is both tightly aligned to Sprint’s business and continually improving as the workforce evolves is a primary goal at Sprint University,” said Jeff Coppley, HRD Manager – Performance Support, Sprint University. “Skillsoft’s resources and its approach to elevating talent have made them a key partner in helping us realize our goals and measure the ROI of the program.”
Similarly, an evaluation of Skillsoft’s content year-over-year revealed a 14 percent average improvement in effectiveness – well above the industry average of four percent – when gauging several aspects of a learning program. Some of the areas measured included:
learners developing new knowledge from the Skillsoft solutions
learners applying skills they developed from the Skillsoft training to their jobs
Skillsoft training improving learner job performance
“Skillsoft’s work with Sprint over a number of years has clearly proved the theory that ‘what gets measured improves,’” said Kieran King, Global Vice President, Loyalty Strategy, Skillsoft. “We’re thrilled to see that the learning improvement for Sprint continues to beat the industry norm, and that the program can continually change and adapt to new learning goals while still beating industry standards.”
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a pioneer in the field of learning with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses. Skillsoft's customer support teams draw on a wealth of in-house experience, flexible delivery platforms and a comprehensive learning e-library to develop off-the-shelf and custom learning programs tailored to cost-effectively meet customer needs. Skillsoft's courses, books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning experts to ensure that they maximize business skills, performance, and talent development.
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The Training Associates Appoints New Regional Director
WESTBOROUGH, MA., July 17, 2014 — The Training Associates (TTA), the largest provider of training talent and solutions, announced the appointment of Rick Smith as its Midwest Regional Director. Smith’s concentration is to grow regional sales and develop tailored learning solutions for clients in the Midwest territory.
Smith joins TTA from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) in Northbrook, Illinois where he was a Senior Account Executive in their Training Division. Prior to UL, he was with Paradigm Learning in Chicago, Illinois where he was also a Senior Account Executive for nine years. His prior employment includes DHL Worldwide Express, DAVNET, Inc (a start-up company), Deloitte & Touche Consulting Group, and GE Capital. Smith has his MBA from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois and his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.
Maria Melfa, President of The Training Associates, said that Smith brings an optimal blend of consulting and sales capabilities to TTA.
“We’re thrilled to have him as a part of our team to help develop this market and craft learning programs that are tailored to our clients’ specific needs,” she said.
About The Training Associates
Founded in 1994, The Training Associates (TTA) is the largest provider of training talent and solutions. TTA’s stringent quality procedures, vast network of over 25,000 diversely skilled IT and professional skills training delivery and design consultants, and convenient training delivery administration services enable organizations to secure top‐notch training professionals, on demand. Importantly, they can accomplish this without the fixed overhead associated with a large training staff, or the delays, classification risks, and administrative burdens associated with recruiting training contractors directly. With unparalleled experience and expertise in all aspects of training delivery, TTA is best equipped to meet the unique requirements of each training initiative – regardless of size, scope, or location.
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d’Vinci Interactive Launches Virtual Hike Programs with National Park Service
HAGERSTOWN, MD, July 17, 2014 — The National Park Service recently launched two new iHike virtual trail programs to promote physical activity and National Parks to students. Created in partnership with d’Vinci Interactive, iHikes on the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail in Maryland and in Badlands National Park in South Dakota are now available. iHikes on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and in Acadia National Park in Maine, and Glacier National Park in Montana already exist.
The WebRangers iHike Virtual Trails website encourages children of all ages (and adults) to get out and walk. It is part of the Department of the Interior's Let's Move Outside initiative, designed to get children moving and to help them discover that exercise is not a chore, but part of fun exploration of the out of doors.
Steps taken in real life are logged on the iHike website and can be redeemed to hike any number of “virtual” National Park trails. The distance of each National Park trail was carefully calculated so users redeem their logged steps accurately.
In addition to hiking trails, users can set goals for the distance they’d like to achieve each day, and see how they are measuring up to that goal over time. Children can also share their progress on iHike with family, friends and teachers.
The system saves progress and allows users to resume their hike exactly where they left off. Secondary imagery from the real trail is displayed as people virtually walk along the route.
“The iHike programs are a great way to get people to increase their physical activity, said Mason Scuderi, d’Vinci Chief Operating Officer. “While people often think technology and games are partly to blame for our increasingly inactive society, here’s a perfect example of how an educational game can promote physical fitness.”
The iHike for Badlands National Park (4.5 miles or 10,608 steps) in S.D. features three trails that exist in the park: the Saddle Pass trail, the Castle Trail, and the Medicine Root trail. Users can get a taste of the variety of natural landscapes that the park has to offer including exotic rock formations and prairie plants and wildlife.
The Baltimore iHike (5.8 miles or 13,679 steps) is a slice of the longer Star-Spangled Banner Trail that stretches throughout the Chesapeake Bay Region in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C., and crosses a number of historical parks and sites. With Fort McHenry as the focus of this virtual trail, users can experience various cultural and historical sites in downtown Baltimore from the brick-laden walkways of Fells Point to the historic ships of the Inner Harbor to Federal Hill.
About d’Vinci Interactive
d’Vinci Interactive creates websites, web and mobile applications and eLearning experiences for educational and training purposes. d’Vinci’s clients include the American Board of Pediatrics, the National Institutes of Health, the National Park Service, the Center on Congress at Indiana University, and many others. Since 1994, d’Vinci has served leading businesses, national associations and government agencies. d’Vinci is a wholly owned subsidiary of JPL, a Pennsylvania-based agency that provides creative marketing, internal communications and learning solutions to regional, national and global brands.
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Skillsoft Publishes e-Book on Evaluating Cloud-based Learning Solutions
NASHUA, N.H., Jul 22, 2014 — Skillsoft has introduced a new resource, “Cloud-Based Learning Solutions: Making the Right Choice for Your Enterprise,” to help learning and development decision-makers fully understand cloud-based learning and how best to leverage it to achieve specific business goals. Including contributions from industry thought leaders, checklists, and case studies, the complimentary e-book is an all-encompassing guide that educates organizations on everything from selecting a cloud learning solution to realizing improved business outcomes.
Pam Boiros, Skillsoft’s Vice President of Corporate Marketing, said that learning investment decision-making is quickly becoming about ‘future-proofing’, and choosing resources and technologies that will remain valuable even as the ways learners consume learning change over time.
“It’s important for organizations to understand the benefits of partnering with the right provider so their programs can evolve along with the business and learning environments,” she said.
The e-book covers today’s complex learning and development ecosystem and the ways businesses can best leverage cloud-based learning content and platforms. It is intended for readers across human resources, IT and learning & development functions and walks them through the main considerations of making a decision around cloud learning solutions, including:
Why cloud-based learning? Explores the features, benefits and common myths surrounding cloud-based learning.
What cloud-based learning success looks like: Looks at the four building blocks of success—engagement, alignment, adoption and value—and how putting the right learning resources in place supports them.
Developing the business case for cloud-based learning: Addresses common barriers to adoption, and looks at best-practices for communicating the business case to stakeholders, for implementing a cloud-based learning solution.
Selecting the right cloud-based learning partner: Comprehensively assesses the criteria for choosing a cloud-based learning partner, including content, enabling technologies, service and experience.
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a pioneer in the field of learning with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses. Skillsoft's customer support teams draw on a wealth of in-house experience and a comprehensive learning e-library to develop off-the-shelf and custom learning programs tailored to cost-effectively meet customer needs. Skillsoft's courses, books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning experts to ensure that they maximize business skills, performance, and talent development.
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HealthcareSource Acquires Nursing Continuing Education Courses
WOBURN, MA, July 23, 2014 — HealthcareSource, the leading provider of talent management solutions for the healthcare industry, today announced the acquisition of 142 custom developed, continuing nursing education (CNE) approved courses from Bluedrop Learning Networks, a global leader in eLearning solutions. Through the addition of these 142 courses, the e-learning library offers more than 2,800 hours of pre-approved continuing education hours. Terms of the acquisition also allow Bluedrop Learning Networks to resell HealthcareSource proprietary content internationally through its distribution channels. The addition of these courses to the HealthcareSource eLearning Library℠ expands the HealthcareSource-owned library of CNEs to more than 200 courses, which are in addition to the several hundred other healthcare compliance and clinical education modules HealthcareSource owns.
Emad Rizkalla, founder and CEO of Bluedrop Learning Networks, said the timing of this sale is advantageous for both HealthcareSource and his company.
“As HealthcareSource is investing in deepening and expanding its eLearning Library, Bluedrop Learning Networks has decided to focus on other core business lines,” he said. “The reseller agreement allows us to leverage the value of the HealthcareSource brand to provide an expanded library of content to international markets." The e-learning courses included in the acquisition integrate medical and technical information with practical situations, stories from real world clinical experiences and the use of medical animations, interactivities, and 3D graphics. They cover a wide variety of high-demand and popular nursing-specific topics and include the most complete library for nursing leadership development available in the market. The eLearning Library, a part of the HealthcareSource Quality Talent Suite℠, contains more than 4,000 courses in clinical and non-clinical compliance, coding and reimbursement, continuing education, clinical reference, and other areas. In addition, the eLearning Library has partnerships with industry-leading organizations to provide users with access to award-winning, world-class, online education. About HealthcareSource With more than 2,300 healthcare clients, HealthcareSource is the leading provider of talent management solutions for the healthcare industry. The HealthcareSource Quality Talent Suite℠ helps healthcare organizations recruit, develop, and retain the best workforce possible in order to improve the patient and resident experience. The company's cloud-based talent management solutions include applicant tracking, behavioral assessments, reference checking, employee performance, compensation, competency and learning management, and eLearning courseware. A private company focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, HealthcareSource consistently earns high marks for client satisfaction and retention. KLAS Research recently named HealthcareSource a category leader for Talent Management for the third consecutive year, in addition to recognition in Healthcare Informatics 100, Modern Healthcare's "Healthcare's Hottest," Inc. 500|5000, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and Becker's "150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare" list. To learn more about HealthcareSource visit: www.healthcaresource.com. About Bluedrop Bluedrop Performance Learning (TSX-V: BPL) is an innovator in workplace training for individuals, corporations, military personnel and the public sector. Bluedrop recently created Bluedrop Learning Networks to offer simple, scalable training delivery. Launched in 2004, with five offices and more than 175 employees, Bluedrop is transforming the workplace by designing, developing and delivering practical, actionable and affordable training content that improves individual and overall performance of organizations. For more information, visit www.bluedrop.com.
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Mapa Research Adds Training to its Services
LONDON, U.K. July 23 2014 – Mapa Research, Europe’s leading provider of competitive intelligence to the retail banking industry, extended its services to include a corporate training course in creating and delivering mobile banking strategies.
The Mapa Training master class is the result of an exclusive partnership with Michael Nuciforo, previously head of mobile at RBS. With this unique blend of industry expertise and knowledge delegates will make use of lessons in the evolution of digital banking as well as gain special access to best-in-class mobile applications from around the world, through Mapa Research’s extensive global portfolio of real live bank accounts.
Whether at entry, management or strategic level, the course syllabus is adjusted to its attendees with timeframes that can be adapted from one to three days, depending on the needs of each client. This training course is designed to help steer financial institutions onto the path of success.
About Mapa Research
Mapa Research is a UK-headquartered research consultancy providing competitive intelligence on digital banking with offices in London, Stockholm, Melbourne and Edinburgh. Founded in 1986, Mapa Research have a unique portfolio of over 200 real bank accounts from over 20 countries so as to provide unrivalled insights for banks as they rise to meet the challenge of moving their businesses online. Clients of Mapa include the majority of high street banks in the UK, and some of the largest and most prestigious financial services institutions from around the world. For more information, visit www.maparesearch.com.
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MicroTek Launches Learning Experience Packages for Training Success
CHICAGO, IL. (July 23, 2014) - MicroTek, a global provider of on-demand business training and meeting solutions, announced the release of its new Learning Experience packages as part of its ongoing strategy to provide end-to-end training and event solutions to the marketplace.
CEO Don Slivensky said the packages were developed to maximize learning and value by allowing customers the ability customize training and event experiences that best meet their requirements and objectives.
“Our Learning Experience packages provide customers the flexibility to customize any learning event or meeting in order maximize knowledge transfer and better meet training goals,” he said.
In addition to flexibility, the MicroTek Learning Experience packages provide training and meeting managers with the ability to mix and match just the right technology, support and amenities to create the perfect environment for learners, while streamlining the selection and administrative process significantly.
“By providing our facilities and support services in customizable bundles, we take the guess work out of creating a successful training event or meeting, allowing the manager to focus on planned objectives,” said MicroTek President Hugh McCullen. “Our packages allow clients to choose the environment, technology, support and amenities that are most critical to meeting their objectives. We are providing environments where both our students and instructors succeed.”
The Learning Experience packages’ launch demonstrates MicroTek as a true end-to-end training solution provider who is invested in their client’s success in meeting planned objectives.
About MicroTek Since 1991, MicroTek has been the industry’s leading, single-source provider of training and meeting logistics. With 11 dedicated facilities nationwide and a network of 3,000 additional sites worldwide, MicroTek is equipped to manage and execute any sized training event—anywhere in the world. MicroTek’s end-to-end training and meeting solutions include virtual platforms, event management, courseware management, scheduling and project implementation.
To learn more about MicroTek’s Learning Experience packages, visit ww.mclabs.com or call 1.800.207.9620 to speak with a service representative.
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