Atlanta, GA – June 7, 2016 − Innovaacom, a leading provider of medical education and training for health care professionals worldwide, announced the results of a ground-breaking study that shows 85 percent of doctors believe professional development education is just as important or even more important as clinical education in post-graduate career growth. The study was conducted in April and polled nearly 1,000 physicians in central Europe, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Asia.
The questionnaire, which gauged how effectively Innovaacom education programs are helping health care professionals reach their career goals, is an important validation of the company’s mission and vision. Founder and President Ornella Vincenzino developed Innovaacom’s unique business model after identifying a need for continuing education programs that not only teach doctors the latest science but help them improve leadership skills and core competencies in medical writing and presenting. “Our curriculum offers physicians, pharmacists and nurses the communications tools to overcome cultural and language barriers and the confidence to share their research and shape best practices in every region of the world,” said Vincenzino.
Innovaacom provides top-tier scientific and communications programs for health care professionals in any language anywhere in the world and is a preferred education partner for some of the largest international pharmaceutical companies. Innovaacom’s continuing medical education courses teach best practices in grant writing, medical presentations and medical manuscript and abstract writing. In addition, the survey found that nearly half of all Innovaacom program attendees report an increased rate of acceptance and publication of their medical manuscripts and abstracts in their given fields following the course.
Known as an education company with a global reach and a local touch, Innovaacom operates strategic hubs in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand. To date nearly 11,000 physicians, pharmacists and nurses in more than 60 countries from across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, China and the Middle East have benefited from Innovaacom’s programs that advance health care careers and positively impact clinical practice and public health policy.
About Innovaacom
Founded in 2007, Innovaacom is a global agency that provides medical education and training for health care professionals worldwide. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, Innovaacom also operates strategic hubs in the U.K., U.S., U.A.E and New Zealand and delivers programs in any language anywhere in the world. A preferred medical education provider to some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Innovaacom’s training combines science with leadership and communications skills training. Program design and delivery includes CME and non-CME training programs for physicians, community pharmacists, and nurses that enhance the quality of scientific exchange to advance science and medicine.
New Study Finds Professional Education Just as Important as Clinical Education in Physician Career Advancement
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GP Strategies to Manage Global Learning Services for National Grid
Columbia, MD − June 7, 2016 − Global performance improvement solutions provider GP Strategies Corporation announced that it has been selected by National Grid, an electricity and gas supplier in the UK and northeastern US, as its Managed Services Integrator to provide global learning services. Under the initial three-year agreement, GP Strategies will support National Grid's transition to a new learning operating model in order to help meet the requirements of the UK Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) controls under their Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs (RIIO) model.
The RIIO requirement (valid 2013–2021) offers network companies incentives for securing investment and driving innovation to ensure the delivery of sustainable energy networks for current and future customers at the lowest cost. As a strategic partner, GP Strategies will help National Grid drive global consistency, efficiencies and cost-effective ways of working, enabling the learning function to deliver improved performance and achieve business outcomes.
"GP Strategies continues to develop its unique platform to differentiate itself from its competitors when it is critical to provide learning services to organizations on a global basis,” said Scott Greenberg, chief executive officer of GP Strategies. “When fully implemented, we anticipate that National Grid will be one of our largest customers in the global electricity and gas transmission and distribution sector and will add to our already large customer base in the power generation and liquefied natural gas utilities markets."
About National Grid (UK) National Grid is an international electricity and gas company and one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the world. It is the largest utility in the UK and the second largest utility in the US, with a focus on delivering energy safely, reliably and efficiently. National Grid also has interests in related markets, including metering services, liquefied natural gas facilities and property in the UK, as well as electricity and gas interconnectors in the UK and US. Its principal interests in the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas are regulated and monitored closely in terms of investment, operating costs, service quality and safety.
About GP Strategies Corporation GP Strategies is a global performance improvement solutions provider of training, eLearning solutions, management consulting and engineering services. GP Strategies' solutions improve the effectiveness of organizations by delivering innovative and superior engineering, training, consulting and business improvement services customized to meet the specific needs of its clients. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, manufacturing, process and energy industries, and other commercial and government customers.
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IBM Invests in R Programming Language for Data Science Joins R Consortium
San Francisco, CA − June 07, 2016 − The R Consortium, an open source foundation to support the R user community and a Linux Foundation project, is announcing IBM is becoming a Platinum member of the project, which demonstrates a significant investment in the open source R programming language to simplify data analysis and statistical computing.
By 2020, an estimated 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second for every human being on the planet (see: IDC study, Worldwide Big Data Technology and Services Forecast, 2015-2019). However, less than one percent of this data is ever analyzed for meaningful applications. Data scientists, for example, spend up to 70 percent of their time integrating and organizing data before analyzing and applying it toward critical applications like weather modeling or cancer research.
The R language is a free and open source programming language used by statisticians, analysts and scientists to unlock the value from data. It provides an interactive environment for data analysis, modeling and visualization. The R Consortium aims to support the growing R user community and help ensure that the language evolves to meet new data challenges as they arise.
As a global leader in data analytics and management, IBM has invested in software and technology solutions designed to help enterprises gain powerful insights from data. The company has relied on R, among other data languages, to help create innovative solutions like IBM Watson, an open, cognitive computing technology platform that represents a new era in computing where systems understand the world like humans do: through senses, learning, and experience. As a member of the R Consortium, IBM will collaborate with the R user community and support the project's mission to identify, develop and implement infrastructure projects that drive standards and best practices for R code.
"We're pleased to welcome IBM to the R Consortium," said Hadley Wickham, Infrastructure Steering Committee Chair, R Consortium. "IBM is a longstanding contributor to open source software and has immense expertise in data analytics and computing. I very much look forward to their collaboration with the R community."
As a Platinum member of R Consortium, IBM will gain a seat on both the Board of Directors and Infrastructure Steering Committee (ISC), helping to provide support and technical guidance to the R community. Dinesh Nirmal, vice president of development for next generation analytics platform and big data solutions, will join the R Consortium Board of Directors.
"IBM is deeply invested in open source software for computing applications like data science,” said Dinesh Nirmal, IBM. “And as a long time member of The Linux Foundation, it's a natural fit for us to extend our commitment to collaborative development by joining the R Consortium. The R Consortium is the leading open source community to advance the R language for data analysis and modeling, and we are very eager to collaborate with the R user community."
IBM joins Platinum members Microsoft and RStudio and is also a Platinum member of The Linux Foundation.
Today's news furthers IBM's commitment to advance Spark as the analytics operating system for accelerating innovation and driving analytics across every business. IBM continues to partner with leading data science organizations including Galvanize, H2O, LightBend and RStudio to promote an integrated and unified data science ecosystem. Additionally, IBM is joining the R Consortium to help accelerate data science's readiness for the enterprise.
About The R Consortium The R Consortium is a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization and Linux Foundation Collaborative Project dedicated to the support and growth of the R user community. The R Consortium provides support to the R Foundation and to the greater R Community for projects that assist R package developers, provide documentation and training, facilitate the growth of the R Community and promote the use of the R language.
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Skillsoft and SumTotal to Reveal Innovative New Learning and Talent Management Technology at 2016 EMEA Perspectives
Camberley, UK – June 7, 2016 − Skillsoft, the global leader in e-learning, will host its annual customer conference, called EMEA Perspectives, on Thursday 16th June, at The Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London. With an impressive line-up of topics, this dynamic customer event will kick off with Skillsoft CEO Bill Donoghue sharing insights on the strategic direction of the organization, including exciting areas of innovation and investment across the Skillsoft and SumTotal solution offerings.
“The learning and talent industry has consistently lagged behind in terms of creating a digital experience that truly engages,” said Bill Donoghue, Skillsoft CEO. “We are addressing the changing demands of the modern workforce – by investing in beautiful technology and engaging content that are efficient, future proofed and fit for consumption by the millennial generation”
Perspectives includes both Skillsoft and SumTotal executive speakers, industry thought leaders and customers sharing real world experiences and strategies for optimizing the performance of people to achieve success in today’s workplace.
Lord Jim Knight will deliver the conference keynote speech and will discuss the role disruptive robotics technologies are playing within the development landscape. Lord Knight of Weymouth has been a member of the House of Lords since 2010 and served as a minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He is a visiting professor at the London Knowledge Lab of the Institute of Education.
Conference highlights include:
Executive Updates and Product News
Bill Donoghue will kick off the conference covering major innovations in content and content delivery platforms. John Ambrose, SumTotal General Manager, will talk about Winter 2016 and share news about the strategic direction of the SumTotal Suite.
What’s Trending in the Talent and Learning Industry
Kieran King, Skillsoft Vice President of Global Customer insight, will deliver an overview of the key L&D dynamics influencing today’s rapidly changing workplace.
Customer Showcase
Skillsoft and SumTotal customers will share the different ways they are transforming their business through learning and talent strategies, and discuss some of the approaches they are embracing to find success.
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is the global leader in e-learning. We train more professionals than any other company in the world. We are trusted by the world’s leading organizations, including 65 percent of the Fortune 500. At Skillsoft, we believe that knowledge is the fuel for innovation and innovation is the fuel for business growth.
Our 100,000+ courses, videos and books are accessed over 130 million times every month, in 160 countries and 29 languages. With 100 percent cloud access, anytime, anywhere. Our key product areas are in Business Skills, IT Skills, Digital Skills and Compliance.
Since we began in 1998, we have trained over 400 million users and one billion learning materials.
About SumTotal Systems
SumTotal Systems, LLC, a Skillsoft company and a leading provider of integrated HR solutions, is increasing the performance of some of the world’s most successful organizations. SumTotal’s people-focused Talent Expansion® applications, available on premise and in the cloud, enable contextual, just-in-time development designed to help organizations discover, develop and unleash the hidden potential within their workforce and business ecosystem. Today, more than 3,500 organizations, including several of Fortune’s “Best Places to Work,” rely on SumTotal’s award winning solutions to empower their employees. Follow @SumTotalSystems at twitter.com/sumtotalsystems and on Facebook at facebook.com/SumTotal.Systems for more learning and talent management tips and perspectives.
Skillsoft, the Skillsoft logo, Skillport, SkillChoice, Books24x7, and learning-centric Talent Expansion are a partial listing of the trademarks or registered trademarks of Skillsoft Ireland Limited in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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GCube The Selected Vendor for Learning Management System Contract for Skill Development of Government Employees under the Digital India Program
June 9, 2016 − G-Cube, is pleased to announce its win for learning management system (LMS) contract with NeGD for skill development of government employees under Digital India. Digital India is an ambitious government approved program to "transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy." The project aims to ensure access, reach, scalability and flexibility of learning across India for govt. officials. To nurture such a practice at an institutional level at NeGD and at the MMP departments, it was necessary to use technology in such a way that learning and knowledge exchange becomes a normal engagement without external interventions.
G-Cube’s WiZDOM LMS allows continuous learning, driven by role-based knowledge and skills. The key elements of this contract include installation, commissioning and maintenance of the learning portal. The LMS solution shall be implemented based on managed cloud based hosting model over a dedicated instance. E-governance practitioners will get an understanding of the skills and knowledge needed for their job and where exactly they are on a training track.
The LMS would, at the minimum, be a one-stop solution for a variety of content e-governance related topics, e-Reading material, PPTs, assignments, videos, games, quizzes, blended learning content and so on. It is a multi-user platform for learners/trainees, mentors, teachers as well as administration. Initially, the LMS is targeted to be rolled out to 1.5 lakh govt. officials across India and will have provisions for further scaling up to 800,000 government employees across India and abroad. This project is worth $1.5 Million and is expected to be the largest LMS implementation in the government sector in India.
“This win has once again proved that WiZDOM LMS is among the top ten LMSs across the world whether it is corporate sector, non-profit of government," said Manish Gupta, CEO of G-Cube. "We are proud to be part of our country’s National Skill Development, which will benefit millions of government employees in future."
About G-Cube
G-Cube is a leading CMMi Level 3 e-learning products and services company – with a global delivery and support footprint. Over the last decade, G-Cube has helped hundreds of customers worldwide and across diverse domains. G-Cube has the right mix of experience and expertise to provide tailor-made and company-specific solutions – rather than industry-specific solutions. The solutions are also flexible to meet the evolving needs of customers.
G-Cube’s product portfolio includes our cutting edge WiZDOM Learning Suite, which comprises an LMS, virtual classroom, content authoring tool, assessment engine, skill-gap and ILT management systems. Content services include designing and developing custom e-courses, mobile learning, content localization, game-based learning, simulations, and consulting for curriculum design.
About NeGD
NeGD is the central agency for implementation of Capacity Building Scheme which is aimed at providing technical and professional support to centre/state/UTs Government at policy and decision making levels and to develop specialized skills for e-Governance. In addition to this Scheme, NeGD has taken up other initiatives to strengthen North Eastern States and have targeted training program for SC & ST officers serving under TSP and SCSP areas.
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JoomlaLMS Releases Mobile Application
June 10, 2016 − JoomlaLMS, a premier provider of a learning management system for Joomla! CMS, has recently announced the release of a mobile app for Android devices. iOS compatible version will be available within a week. With the app students can easily check the information about the courses and teachers, keep track of the announcements, access certificates, view course, quiz, SCORMs and assignments grades.
“The JoomlaLMS mobile app is intended to leverage the power of a desktop JoomlaLMS version, not to replace it. We believe that mLearning isn’t e-learning on a mobile device," said Denis Pavlysh, head of the JoomlaLMS development team. "Mobile phones are too small for absorbing information in the training sphere, but they are perfectly suitable for accessing necessary information at the right time.”
The JoomlaLMS Mobile app is simple, modern and easy to start working with the learning application. To start using it, users just need to type their registered LMS accounts and the LMS website URL. At the first logging in the color scheme and logo will be applied automatically.
About JoomlaLMS company
JoomlaLMS is a fully functional e-learning platform with a range of useful features developed for Open Source Joomla! CMS. Founded in 2006, JoomlaLMS became one of the first learning solutions for Joomla! CMS. Due to an extensive set of features, competitive price and flexibility the platform gained popularity and became a widely used Learning Management System. Nowadays LMS is being used by more than 1000 businesses including higher education, banking, insurance, healthcare, retail and others. Based on Joomla! CMS, JoomlaLMS possesses all the characteristics peculiar for Joomla!, including available expandability thanks to more than 8000 existing Joomla! extensions. In addition to e-learning software provision, the company offers custom development services.
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IMC Recognized as One of the Leading Providers for Cloud Solutions
Saarbrücken, Germany − June 10, 2016 − “The future is in the cloud.” With this call, Microsoft, a key player in the IT world, addressed its partners at the beginning of the year. As one of the top partners within the Microsoft network, IMC has been awarded with the “Microsoft Cloud Platform Gold” Competency for its longstanding expertise in cloud computing.
Cloud computing enables software providers like IMC to give clients access to their solutions not only in classic on-premise versions (run within the company’s IT-system) but also via software as a service (SaaS). Models for SaaS may for instance be an alternative for small or medium-sized companies when it comes to purchasing expensive hardware and/or software as there is no need for on-site server installations.
Both the learning management system, IMC Learning Suite, and the Electronic Performance Support System, IMC Process Guide, are available as a cloud solution. With IMC Teach, a free of charge cloud service is available, that combines the authoring software for the creation of learning content and the learning platform.
Using Microsoft’s Azure Cloud, IMC is relying on a competent long-term partner. Therefore clients receive a tailored solution for any requirement. Microsoft offers cloud services from computer centers based in Germany as well as global hosting. Furthermore, Microsoft supports the international standard for data security in the cloud.
The Cloud Platform Competency is awarded to partners specialized in providing the infrastructure and SaaS solutions for Microsoft Azure. Companies with this competency not only need to fulfil certain turnover criteria and need to be able to present references, they also need to prove their Azure Cloud expertise in a test.
In 2015, IMC already gained the Microsoft Cloud Platform Silver Competency. Since 2014, the company has held an Application Development Gold Competency. This recognizes IMC as an expert in developing individual and user-friendly applications using Microsoft technologies.
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Microsoft to Acquire LinkedIn for 262 Billion
Redmond, WA and Mountain View, CA — June 13, 2016 — Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn Corporation on Monday announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $196 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion, inclusive of LinkedIn’s net cash. LinkedIn will retain its distinct brand, culture and independence. Jeff Weiner will remain CEO of LinkedIn, reporting to Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Reid Hoffman, chairman of the board, co-founder and controlling shareholder of LinkedIn, and Weiner both fully support this transaction. The transaction is expected to close this calendar year.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest and most valuable professional network and continues to build a strong and growing business. Over the past year, the company has launched a new version of its mobile app that has led to increased member engagement; enhanced the LinkedIn newsfeed to deliver better business insights; acquired a leading online learning platform called Lynda.com to enter a new market; and rolled out a new version of its Recruiter product to its enterprise customers. These innovations have resulted in increased membership, engagement and financial results, specifically:
19 percent growth year over year (YOY) to more than 433 million members worldwide
9 percent growth YOY to more than 105 million unique visiting members per month
49 percent growth YOY to 60 percent mobile usage
34 percent growth YOY to more than 45 billion quarterly member page views
101 percent growth YOY to more than 7 million active job listings
“The LinkedIn team has grown a fantastic business centered on connecting the world’s professionals,” Nadella said. “Together we can accelerate the growth of LinkedIn, as well as Microsoft Office 365 and Dynamics as we seek to empower every person and organization on the planet.”
“Just as we have changed the way the world connects to opportunity, this relationship with Microsoft, and the combination of their cloud and LinkedIn’s network, now gives us a chance to also change the way the world works,” Weiner said. “For the last 13 years, we’ve been uniquely positioned to connect professionals to make them more productive and successful, and I’m looking forward to leading our team through the next chapter of our story.”
The transaction has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both LinkedIn and Microsoft. The deal is expected to close this calendar year and is subject to approval by LinkedIn’s shareholders, the satisfaction of certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
“Today is a re-founding moment for LinkedIn. I see incredible opportunity for our members and customers and look forward to supporting this new and combined business,” said Hoffman. “I fully support this transaction and the Board’s decision to pursue it, and will vote my shares in accordance with their recommendation on it."
Microsoft will finance the transaction primarily through the issuance of new indebtedness. Upon closing, Microsoft expects LinkedIn’s financials to be reported as part of Microsoft’s Productivity and Business Processes segment. Microsoft expects the acquisition to have minimal dilution of ~1 percent to non-GAAP earnings per share for the remainder of fiscal year 2017 post-closing and for fiscal year 2018 based on the expected close date, and become accretive to Microsoft’s non-GAAP earnings per share in Microsoft’s fiscal year 2019 or less than two years post-closing. Non-GAAP includes stock-based compensation expense consistent with Microsoft’s reporting practice, and excludes expected impact of purchase accounting adjustments as well as integration and transaction-related expenses. In addition, Microsoft also reiterated its intention to complete its existing $40 billion share repurchase authorization by Dec. 31, 2016, the same timeframe as previously committed.
Microsoft and LinkedIn will host a joint conference call with investors on June 13, 2016, at 8:45 a.m. Pacific Time/11:45 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss this transaction. The call will be available via webcast at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor and will be hosted by Nadella and Weiner, as well as Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood and Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith.
Morgan Stanley is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Microsoft, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal advisor to Microsoft. Qatalyst Partners and Allen & Co. are acting as financial advisors to LinkedIn, while Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, is acting as legal advisor.
About LinkedIn
LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful and transforms the way companies hire, market, and sell. Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of theworld’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has more than 433 million members and has offices around the globe.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) is the leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
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Abila Launches New Training Website Powered by Freestone Learning Management System
Austin, TX − June 14, 2016 − Abila, the leading provider of software and services to nonprofits, associations, and government entities, today announced the launch of the new Abila University website that provides clients access to convenient and affordable training on Abila's award-winning software solutions. Powered by Abila Freestone™, Abila University helps organizations search for, register, and attend both online and in-person training courses led by Abila certified trainers.
Abila Freestone is a learning management system (LMS) that delivers comprehensive education programs through webinars, webcasts, on-demand courses, and continuing education offerings using a sophisticated system designed to accommodate the unique needs of accredited content providers and learners who must maintain licenses and/or certifications.
"Abila University provides affordable and flexible training options that help nonprofit and association professionals get the most out of their solutions, so they can focus more time on their mission," said Krista Endsley, chief executive officer for Abila. "The launch of the new website on Abila Freestone makes it easier for organizations to get access to customized training for their specific needs. We will continue to focus on creating more opportunities to help our clients succeed."
Abila University Key Features:
Searchable catalog: Full listing of available training courses, searchable by product focus, session format, and topic.
On-demand library of recorded sessions: Anytime, anywhere access to online streaming training sessions.
Interactive, live webcasts: Instructor-led and delivered online at a specific date and time with hands-on activities.
Registration for in-person training: Classroom hands-on training in locations throughout North America.
Profile management: Personal profile to track and manage training progress and certificates.
About Abila
Abila is the leading provider of software and services to nonprofits, associations, and governmental entities that help them improve decision making, execute with greater precision, increase engagement, and generate more revenue. With Abila solutions, association and nonprofit professionals can use data and personal insight to make better financial and strategic decisions, enhance member and donor engagement and value, operate more efficiently and effectively, and increase revenue to better activate their mission. Abila combines decades of industry insight with technology know-how to serve nearly 8,000 clients across North America.
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Keepmoat Selects NetDimensions Talent Suite to Manage Learning and Development for 3,500 Employees and Supply Chain Contractors
London, UK − June 14, 2016 − NetDimensions, a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems, announced that Keepmoat, the UK’s market leader in community regeneration and housing solutions, has selected NetDimensions Learning, the company’s award-winning learning management system (LMS), to manage learning and development for 3,500 employees and supply chain contractors.
“Development of our employees and supply chain is critical to the success of Keepmoat,” said Tony Leach, health, safety and environment Director at Keepmoat. “Our commitment is to offer our employees and supply chain the best possible training and personal development to help them succeed. It is critical for us that we are able to run reports on compliance levels at all levels within the business. NetDimensions Learning has very strong reporting tools which means that we are able to run the standard reports just by pressing a button and we also use dashboards to monitor, in real time, how we are performing against our strategy and industry standards.”
Keepmoat was looking for an LMS with robust analytics and reporting features to reduce the time required to produce essential information. The company now expects to be able to manage all of its training and certifications with the new central solution.
“When selecting an LMS, we looked at the user experience, Keepmoat specific procedures, and support,” said Leach. “We went through a rigorous process and evaluated a number of vendors. We chose NetDimensions Learning because their team understood our needs in compliance management. Their system can also be customized to meet our specific needs in learning and development management.
In addition to using the LMS to train and certify internal staff, Keepmoat, which is ISO 9001 certified and regularly audited, will use the LMS to manage compliance training for its supply chain contractors. This in turn allows Keepmoat to raise standards across the construction industry.
“The NetDimensions Talent Suite supports high-stakes training and certification management for environments where safety and quality are critical,” said Jay Shaw, CEO, NetDimensions. “We are delighted to be working with Keepmoat to help ensure that staff have the right competencies and qualifications to meet the rigorous quality and safety standards in construction.”
About Keepmoat
Keepmoat is a top 10 UK housing and construction company. Working together with housing associations and local authorities, Keepmoat designs, builds, refurbishes and regenerates places to improve economic and social outcomes for people across Great Britain.
Keepmoat’s specific areas of expertise include: new build homes, community regeneration, responsive maintenance, retirement solutions and energy efficient technology.
Keepmoat employs over 3,500 people across Great Britain, with 9% of its workforce made up of trainees, apprentices and graduates.
About NetDimensions
Established in 1999, NetDimensions is a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management solutions to high-consequence industries.
NetDimensions provides companies, government agencies and other organizations with talent management solutions to personalize learning, share knowledge, enhance performance, foster collaboration and manage compliance programs for employees, customers, partners and suppliers.
Recognized as one of the talent management industry's top-rated technology suppliers, NetDimensions' award-winning solutions have been chosen by leading organizations worldwide including ING, Cathay Pacific, Chicago Police Department, Geely Automotive, Fugro Group, Fresenius Medical Care, tesa SE, and DB Schenker.
NetDimensions is ISO 9001 certified and NetDimensions hosted services are ISO 27001 certified.
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Cengage Learning Recognized at Clinton Global Initiative America for Workforce Training Efforts in Detroit
Atlanta, GA − June 14, 2016 − Cengage Learning was recognized at the 2016 Clinton Global Initiative America meeting for its Commitment to Action to bring together business, social services and higher education to increase access to education and workforce training in Detroit. The commitment was recognized onstage by President Clinton.
Cengage Learning's Detroit Collective Impact, a collaboration with McDonald's, Michigan Virtual University, Matrix Human Services and Kinexus, is designed to support the city's recovery from bankruptcy by re-engaging adults with their education. The program provides access to a career credential and accredited high school diploma via Career Online High School (COHS). COHS is accredited by AdvancED/SACS, the accreditor for thousands of schools and districts across the country. Approximately 23 percent of Detroit residents age 25 and over do not have a high school diploma.
"We are truly honored that President Clinton and the CGI America team have recognized our efforts to bring life-changing education opportunities to Detroit residents,” said Ron Stefanski, executive director of strategic alliances, Cengage Learning and a Detroit resident. “This program and others around the country are a testament to the positive impact education can have on an individual and a community. We hope to inspire even more creative public-private collaborations that will open access to workforce training programs for people in need.”
The COHS program typically takes 12-18 months to complete. The Detroit Collective Impact program launched last year with 20 students and recently graduated its first student, who received her entry-level workforce certificate and high school diploma. The goal is to graduate 1,350 disconnected older youth and adults.
Partners in the Detroit Collective Impact program include:
Matrix Human Services, a Detroit-based nonprofit, social service organization that has been serving the community for 109 years to fight generational poverty.
Michigan Virtual University (MVU), one of the largest and leading nationally recognized supplemental virtual school programs in the country.
McDonald's Corporation, which offers COHS to all eligible employees in corporate and franchise-owned restaurants.Detroit franchisee Errol Service is recruiting participants from among the 1,200 Detroit-area associates who qualify.
Kinexus, a Michigan non-profit dedicated to creating economic vitality by connecting business, workforce, and community.
COHS was created in 2012 by Cengage Learning and Smart Horizons Career Online Education to provide affordable, career-based online education opportunities for the millions of adults in the United States without high school diplomas. In 2014, the program was adapted for the public library space by Gale, a division of Cengage Learning.
Cengage Learning and Smart Horizons also work with several partners to support commitments through the Clinton Global Initiative. Collectively, the program has reached over 11,000 adults.
About Cengage LearningCengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. The company provides superior content, personalized services and course-driven digital solutions that accelerate student engagement and transform the learning experience. Cengage Learning is headquartered in Boston, MA with an office hub located in San Francisco, CA. Cengage Learning employees reside in nearly 40 different countries with company sales in more than 125 countries around the world.
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Pluralsight Appoints Four New Industry Leaders to Its Board of Directors
Salt Lake City, UT – June 15, 2016 − Pluralsight, the global leader in online learning for technology professionals, announced the appointment of four new members to its board of directors: Arne Duncan, Brad Rencher, Gary Crittenden and Tim Maudlin. This distinguished group brings decades of diverse experience in education, enterprise SaaS, and corporate and web strategy to Pluralsight’s board, and will provide valuable guidance through the company’s next phase of growth.
“Arne, Brad, Gary and Tim are masters of their crafts and we’re excited to have them join the Pluralsight brain trust,” said Aaron Skonnard, co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight. “Each of these individuals has played a significant role in advancing their fields through thoughtful and creative strategies. As we build upon the great momentum we’ve experienced at Pluralsight, we look forward to tapping into their expertise as we sharpen our focus on serving businesses around the world.”
Arne Duncan is currently a managing partner at the Emerson Collective, a non-profit organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs focused on improving the quality of public education, advancing immigration reform, and supporting and scaling social innovation.
Having served as the U.S. Secretary of Education from 2009 to 2016, Duncan is one of the most notable and highly-regarded thought leaders of twenty-first century education. One of the longest-serving education secretaries and arguably the most influential, he guided a rapid expansion of the federal role in the nation’s 100,000 public schools and saw 40 states adopt key policies. Aligning with Pluralsight’s mission to democratize professional learning for all, Duncan championed significant education causes to equalize learning opportunities while a member of President Obama’s Cabinet, including Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that preserved 350,000 teachings jobs through $100 billion in stimulus funds. Pluralsight is the first board that Duncan has been appointed to since leaving office in early 2016.
Brad Rencher, Adobe’s executive vice president and general manager of digital marketing, manages Adobe’s digital marketing business, which accounts for more than $1.5 billion of the company’s operations. Adobe is one of the largest and most successful SaaS organizations in the world, and continues to be one of the fastest growing businesses in the software market. Rencher led business operations at Omniture before its $1.8 billion acquisition by Adobe in 2009, and helped guide the companies through the transition. He is an industry pioneer with strong creative and strategic skills that will benefit Pluralsight as it solidifies itself as a SaaS leader.
Gary Crittenden serves as the chairman of HGGC, a leading middle-market private equity firm in Palo Alto, California. Prior to joining HGGC, Crittenden was the CFO at several large companies, culminating with his role as CFO of Citigroup during the financial crisis from 2007 to 2009. During his time at Citigroup, Crittenden reduced costs, sold or exited unproductive assets and raised nearly $100 billion in equity. From 2000 to 2007, Crittenden served as the CFO of the American Express Company, where he architected the spin-off of Ameriprise and where he was named one of the best CFOs in America on three separate occasions. His keen focus on value creation and its relationship to building a sustainable business strategy will be valuable to Pluralsight as the company continues to grow its global presence.
Tim Maudlin is a proven authority in leading web-based companies. A certified public accountant early in his career, Maudlin has a strong background in Web and ecommerce and is an experienced advisor and board member for companies across multiple industries. He currently serves as lead independent director, audit committee chair and member of the compensation committee on the board of directors for WEB.com and holds board positions with Alteryx, Frontline Technologies (Education) and DrillingInfo, among others. Maudlin is the former director of ExactTarget, MediaMind Technologies and Newegg, Inc., the second-largest online-only retailer in the nation, and the former managing partner at Medical Innovations Partners, a venture capital firm. His profound knowledge in advising companies will be a great asset as Pluralsight continues to innovate and bolster its operations.
These four new independent board members join Pluralsight during a period of rapid growth, both in personnel and vision. The company expanded its headquarters in April 2016 and to-date has nearly 500 employees across the globe. Pluralsight’s curated content for IT, dev and creative professionals offers more than 4,700 courses authored by a network of more than 1,000 industry experts.
About Pluralsight
Founded in 2004, Pluralsight is the global leader in online learning for professional software developers, IT specialists and creative technologists. As the world’s largest curated professional development platform for technology disciplines, Pluralsight offers instant access to more than 4,700 courses authored by nearly 1,000 top experts. With individual and enterprise customers in more than 150 countries, Pluralsight serves as a career catalyst, delivering hands-on, practical training for the most in-demand and understaffed jobs of today.
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SumTotal Named a Leader in 2016 IDC MarketScape Report
Nashua, NH – June 15, 2016 - SumTotal, a leading provider of unified HCM solutions proven to drive organizational performance, announced that they have been recognized by International Data Corporation (IDC) the premier global provider of market intelligence and advisory services as a Leader in its recent IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Learning Management in Integrated Talent Management 2016 Vendor Assessment report. IDC recently released their IDC MarketScape series across five key functional disciplines of integrated talent solutions including Talent Management, Recruiting, Learning, Performance and Compensation Management.
“SumTotal continues to innovate in the learning and development segment. SumTotal’s strengths include the breadth of solutions, the depth of the various talent modules, and an R&D focus on innovating the unifying power of the elixHR® Platform,” said Lisa Rowan, IDC’s research vice president for HR and Talent Management Services. “The elixHR Platform provides a comprehensive view of all of an organization’s HR data, gathering it from disparate HR and business applications to deliver a consolidated view of the workforce.”
This year’s IDC MarketScape vendor analysis included a rigorous look at solution providers’ strengths, level of integration across talent capabilities, user experience and product strategy. SumTotal has been dedicated to delivering an intuitive and engaging experience that’s unparalleled in personalization and usability, unifying talent and learning for a truly holistic approach to employee development.
“SumTotal is spearheading the digital revolution in the workplace and making it possible for organizations to transform their approach to learning and talent in a way that delivers measurable results in today’s demanding business environment,” said Bill Donoghue, CEO, Skillsoft. “Being recognized as a leader in the IDC MarketScape is a testament to SumTotal’s focus on innovation to lead our customers into the new way of work, led by a design-driven approach that delivers a simple, consumer-like experience. By investing in beautiful technology that is efficient and future proofed, we are rewiring the company for the millennial generation.”
SumTotal powers the majority of companies recognized as ‘America’s Best Employers’ and many of the ‘Best Companies to Work For’. Visit the SumTotal site to learn how to connect the critical capabilities needed to attract, engage, develop, mobilize and reward your workforce.
About IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360 degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.
About Skillsoft Skillsoft is the global leader in eLearning. We train more professionals than any other company in the world. We are trusted by the world's leading organizations, including 65% of the Fortune 500. At Skillsoft, we believe that knowledge is the fuel for innovation and innovation is the fuel for business growth. Our 100,000+ courses, videos and books are accessed over 130 million times every month, in 160 countries and 29 languages. With 100% cloud access, anytime, anywhere. Our key product areas are in Business Skills, IT Skills, Digital Skills and Compliance. Since we began in 1998, we have trained over 400 million users and one billion learning materials. Find out how we can help you lead a culture of innovation.
About SumTotal Systems SumTotal Systems, LLC, a Skillsoft company and a leading provider of integrated HR solutions, is increasing the performance of some of the world's most successful organizations. SumTotal's people-focused Talent Expansion® applications, available on premise and in the cloud, enable contextual, just-in-time development designed to help organizations discover, develop and unleash the hidden potential within their workforce and business ecosystem. Today, more than 3,500 organizations, including several of Fortune’s “Best Places to Work,” rely on SumTotal's award winning solutions to empower their employees. Follow @SumTotalSystems at twitter.com/sumtotalsystems and on Facebook at facebook.com/SumTotal.Systems for more learning and talent management tips and perspectives.
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Caveo Opens South Africa Office
Schaumburg, IL − June 17, 2016 − Caveo Learning, a consulting firm focused on providing learning strategies and solutions to leading organizations, is proud to announce the establishment of a satellite office in Johannesburg, South Africa.
With a team of full-time learning professionals based in South Africa, Caveo is better able to serve the strategic learning needs of its geographically dispersed client base.
“As one of the first major learning consulting firms with a permanent presence in South Africa, Caveo is proving its commitment to helping organizations address performance gaps in an efficient, cost-effective, and ROI-focused way,” said Caveo President, Gary Schafer. “Having a talented team in South Africa provides closer ties to our diverse roster of global clients and enables us to deliver nearly around-the-clock responsiveness to urgent human capital support requirements.”
Caveo first gained a foothold with the country’s talent-rich learning and development industry last year with the hiring of Alwyn Klein, South Africa’s 2014 Chief Learning & Development Officer of the Year, for the role of vice president of strategic services. Klein, a Certified Professional in Learning & Performance and an internationally respected expert in the field of human performance improvement, has connected Caveo with a pipeline of South Africa’s best and brightest learning and development talent.
“Deserved recognition for the L&D community of South Africa to have an international firm of Caveo’s caliber demonstrating a commitment to the region,” Klein said. “The workplace learning and performance industry in South Africa is as sophisticated as anywhere in the world, but that fact has largely flown under the radar internationally. Caveo Learning took notice of the opportunity, and their clients and South African learning professionals alike stand to benefit.”
About Caveo Learning
Caveo Learning is a learning consulting firm, providing learning strategies and solutions to Fortune 1000 and other leading organizations. Caveo’s mission is to transform the learning industry into one that consistently delivers targeted and recurring business value. Since 2004, Caveo has delivered ROI-focused strategic learning and performance solutions to organizations in a wide range of industries, including technology, healthcare, energy, financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, foodservice, pharmaceuticals, and hospitality. For more information, visit www.caveolearning.com.
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NIIT Announces the Launch of the First Interactive Live Online Course in Digital Marketing
NIIT, a global leader in skills and talent development, announced the launch of their first interactive live, online course in Digital Marketing. The program is offered in association with Digital Marketing Institute (Ireland) and will be available online for the first time. It is the 37th batch of the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (PDDM) – a program uniquely designed for current and aspiring marketing professionals, to help them transform into digital marketers of the future. NIIT has already trained more than 1700 students in digital marketing.The batch will start on June 26, 2016 onwards and the last date of registration is till June 25, 2016. Today businesses and consumers are shifting their focus to the digital medium and companies are increasingly engaging their consumers through digital platforms. There are 462 Million total Internet users in India and India’s digital advertising spending is estimated to reach $4 billion by 2020. India's digital advertising market has grown at a rate of 33% annually between 2010 and 2015. This indicates a larger shift in focus from traditional to digital marketing mediums. These market trends have created tremendous opportunities for professionals who are equipped with the necessary digital skills.Speaking on the occasion Udai Singh, Chief Strategy Officer, NIIT Ltd said, “Aligned to NIIT’s strategic focus of developing digital skills ready workforce, the PDDM program is uniquely positioned to meet the changing requirements of the industry. Looking at providing convenience to customers, who don’t want to waste time traveling to the centres, we have launched the first of the series of live online interactive course. The first live online PDDM program will be delivered through a unique pedagogy which is a mix of live expert lectures, case discussions, quizzes and projects for holistic learning. With DMI’s expertise in certification and training we aim to create a globally competitive workforce for the digital marketing industry.”The Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing is designed for Marketing, Product, Advertising and Sales Professionals who want to build a career in Digital Marketing. It covers all the major areas of Digital Marketing including Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Analytics, Email Marketing and Mobile Marketing. The program content is created by DMI and reviewed by DMI’s Syllabus Advisory Council, comprising of the leading digital brands like Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) is a global leader in training professionals in digital marketing. To date, over 15,000 people in 80 countries have graduated with a DMI qualification, making it the most widely taught digital certification standard in the world.The Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing Program is led by industry specialists for in-depth understanding of the program. The Program Director is Dr Neeraj Sharma, who holds a PhD in Management from IIT Delhi and a Masters in Human Resource Management from IIT Kharagpur. He has facilitated the education of over 25000 working professionals. The Batch Faculty, Professor Ratan KK, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, is also a visiting faculty teaching eMarketing at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Udaipur and other top business schools. He is an entrepreneur and digital marketing practitioner with over 3800 hours of Digital Marketing training experience. The program will be taught through a unique pedagogy which includes expert live online classes along with case studies in each module complemented by Guest Sessions from Industry Experts for in-depth understanding. The live online platform has been created in such a manner that the students will have a better experience than that at the classroom. The candidates can access the expert learning sessions from the convenience of their home, direct on their device with a good broadband connection.The candidates can ask questions to the expert and get their doubts cleared. They will have access to various learning resources and can also have discussions with peers and answer the assessments online thus giving them the same experience as that of a classroom training but now direct to their device, at their convenience at home.About NIIT Established in 1981, NIIT Limited, a global leader in Skills and Talent Development, offers multi-disciplinary learning management and training delivery solutions to corporations, institutions, and individuals in over 40 countries. NIIT has three main lines of business across the globe- Corporate Learning Group, Skills and Careers Group, and School Learning Group.NIIT's Corporate Learning Group (CLG) offers Managed Training Services (MTS) to market-leading companies in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The comprehensive suite of Managed Training Services includes custom Curriculum Design and Content Development, Learning Administration, Learning Delivery, Strategic Sourcing, Learning Technology, and Advisory Services. With a team of some of the world's finest learning professionals, NIIT is dedicated to helping customers increase the business value of learning and development (L&D). Built on the sound principles of 'Running Training like a Business', NIIT's Managed Training Services and best-in-class training processes enable customers to align business goals with L&D, reduce costs, realise measurable value, benefit from rock-solid operations, and increase business impact.NIIT's Skills and Careers Group (SNC) delivers a diverse range of learning and talent development programs to millions of individual and corporate learners in areas including Banking, Finance & Insurance, Soft Skills, Business Process Excellence, Retail Sales Enablement, Management Education, Multi-Sectoral Vocational Skills, Digital Media Marketing, and new-age IT. These programs are delivered through a hybrid combination of the 'Cloud Campus' online platform, satellite-based 'Synchronous Learning Technology' and a physical network of hundreds of learning centers in India, China, and select markets in Asia & Africa. The flagship multi-disciplinary course offerings include the industry-endorsed GNIIT program and a set of Post Graduate Programs for students from different streams, apart from a wide range of specialist short duration programs. To further strengthen its SNC portfolio in India, NIIT has tied up with industry majors like ICICI Bank for NIIT Institute of Finance Banking Insurance& Training Limited, IFBI; leading business schools in India for NIIT Imperia; Genpact for NIIT Uniqua; and a joint venture with NSDC for NIIT YuvaJyoti Limited. Besides this, for the China market, NIIT has tied up with governments and software parks in Guian, Chongqing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhangjiagang, Haikou and Dafeng, for state-of-the-art public-private partnership centres.Recently NIIT has introduced - StackRouteTM, an initiative to produce the world's best full stack programmers. StackRouteTM aims to create multi-skilled, and multi-disciplinary programmers who can become key members of high-performance teams in top notch product engineering companies, start-ups, and IT firms. Further the company has also launched NIIT.tv – a digital learning initiative that brings skilling from NIIT classrooms to every digitally connected Indian, for free, at any time and place of their choice. A disruptive innovation by NIIT for the education space. NIIT.tv will deliver for the very first time, skill-based live courses as well as on-demand courses to the masses, through the digital medium.As NIIT's wholly owned subsidiary for its K-12 school learning initiative - MindChampion Learning Systems Limited, is providing technology based learning to around 2,000 private schools across India, reaching out to more than a million students. The futuristic NIIT nGuru range of learning solutions for schools comprises Interactive Classrooms with digital content, technology-driven Math Lab, IT Wizard programs and Quick School - an Education Resource Planning software. As the Most Trusted Training Brand in India for 4th year in a row (Brand Trust Report, 2016), NIIT's learning and talent development solutions, continue to receive widespread recognition globally. NIIT has been named among the Top 20 Training Outsourcing Companies for the past seven consecutive years by Training Industry, Inc. USA. Further, leading Indian ICT journal Dataquest has conferred upon NIIT the 'Top Training Company' award successively for the past 20 years, since the inception of this category. NIIT has also been featured as the 'Most Respected Education Company'- 2016 by leading financial magazine, Business World.
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BizLibrary Improves User Experience on Award Winning LMS
Chesterfield, MO – June 20, 2016 − As part of an effort to continuously improve the user experience, BizLibrary is proud to announce the release of a new feature to its platform.
Content within the BizLibrary Collection has now been mapped to the Lominger Competencies and can be viewed using the new filter criteria within the Content Library. The Lominger Competency Model, comprised of 67 competencies, address three basic leadership and talent management needs – strategic and organizational alignment, leadership and executive development, and talent and performance management.
The addition of the Lominger Competency mapping allows users to search and complete video lessons that help increase their skillset specific to a particular competency. In addition to the benefit to end users, administrators can also use this functionality to make it easier when creating competency-based learning tracks.
These enhancements are available now and can be accessed within the Content Library, or through a 30-day free trial of BizLibrary.
About BizLibrary
BizLibrary is a leading provider of online employee training solutions. Our award-winning online training library contains more than 5,000 micro-video lessons, video courses, interactive videos, and elearning courses covering a wide variety of topic areas and includes additional support materials to further increase learning retention.
Our learning technology platform is powerful and easy to use. All of our online training solutions are mobile-ready, allowing learners unlimited access to training content on any device, anytime and anywhere for true just-in-time learning. Engage your employees and drive business results by improving the way your employees learn with BizLibrary.
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SAP SuccessFactors Recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Integrated Talent Management
Alldorf, Germany − June 20, 2016 − SAP SuccessFactors, a brand name of SAP SE, has been positioned as a leader for the seventh consecutive year in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Integrated Talent Management 2016 Vendor Assessment. SAP SuccessFactors was also recognized as a Leader in the associated IDC MarketScapes for recruiting, learning management, performance management and compensation management.
IDC MarketScapes evaluate integrated talent management, recruiting, learning management, performance management and compensation management capabilities. Vendor positions are determined by detailed surveys and interviews and end-user experiences on many factors, including depth and completeness of current solution, future releases, delivery model, cost effectiveness, integration and customer service. SAP SuccessFactors' strengths were cited as robust research and development, market momentum, depth of portfolio, vendor viability and global reach.
"SAP SuccessFactors continues to innovate across the talent portfolio to ensure all modules remain relevant and in step with the latest trends and technologies," said Lisa Rowan, research vice president of Human Resources, Talent and Learning Strategies at IDC. "The user experience has been unified across all modules with the adoption of the SAP Fiori® framework. On the services side, SAP SuccessFactors has dramatically grown the cloud support team."
The IDC MarketScape reports define talent management as those functions that serve to attract, develop, reward and retain the workforce. SAP SuccessFactors was named a Leader in each of the five reports. Among the highlights:
The Integrated Talent Management MarketScape: "SAP SuccessFactors has established significant relationships with the cream of the crop in industry sales, consulting and complementary business solutions through the acquisition by SAP and the SAP® PartnerEdge® program. By working together, SAP SuccessFactors and its partners develop, market, sell and deliver a comprehensive suite of HCM software solutions."2
The Recruiting MarketScape: "The 2015 acquisition of European job posting provider Multiposting to extend talent acquisition capabilities. SAP SuccessFactors has also introduced dynamic organizational charting and has rolled out a new onboarding module."3
The Learning Management MarketScape: "Extended gamification in learning through an alliance with Bunchball. SAP SuccessFactors has made many updates to learning management and continues to deploy SAP Jam™ throughout its talent solution to up social utility."4
The Performance Management MarketScape: "Major movement to support continuous performance management."5
The Compensation Management MarketScape: "Deepening of compensation modeling functionality."6
"Building a competitive, future-oriented talent strategy and deploying the tools to support it are critical to success," said David Ludlow, group vice president of Solution Management at SAP SuccessFactors. "This is about attracting, developing and retaining the right people in the right roles. Our leadership positioning in the IDC MarketScape series highlights our continued commitment to and success in delivering a flexible, intelligent, comprehensive talent management suite that enables organizations to successfully build motivated, all-in workforces."
About IDC MarketScape IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.
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Alelo and Aptima Team to Develop Adaptive Language Learning Technology
Los Angeles, CA – Woburn, MA – June 21, 2016 − Employees of global organizations — from the U.S. government to small companies — need to interact at a working level with foreign nationals, ideally in their native languages.
Recognizing the unmet need for effective, relatively inexpensive foreign-language learning, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded a $3 million contract to Aptima Inc. and Alelo Inc. to develop ALLEARN, a system to accelerate foreign-language learning using artificial intelligence technologies.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense and ONR funded ALLEARN (Adaptive Language Learning) to bring learners quickly to an intermediate level of language proficiency and ensure they retain their skills over time.
Learning a foreign language with conventional classroom-based instruction is generally expensive, inconvenient and not very effective for most people. Learners come to class with different levels of skill and learn at different rates, making it difficult for teachers to meet the needs of each individual. Moreover, learners have difficulty maintaining their language skills over time, so most who study a foreign language eventually lose the ability to speak it. Self-paced learning solutions, including software-based interactive courses, are even less effective.
The envisioned ALLEARN system will be a self-paced adaptive learning solution that will let learners, whether active duty personnel, civilians or contractors, develop and practice their skills through computer simulations of real-life language use. The system will automatically collect data on learner performance and use machine-learning techniques to optimize each learner’s learning trajectory. The system will combine the latest advances in natural language processing, automated speech recognition, and machine learning.
ALLEARN will combine the proven technologies of Alelo’s Enskill® platform and Aptima’s Higher Adaptive Learning technology (HAL). Enskill uses speech and language technology to deliver virtual role-play simulations that practice and assess communicative competencies, in any HTML5-compliant Web browser. HAL mines learner performance data (from the aggregate of users), identifying the most effective lessons and content, customizing an adaptive training plan for the individual to accelerate learning.
“ALLEARN will bring new efficiency to language learning,” said Jared Freeman, chief scientist at Aptima. “It will pilot each learner on a unique personalized route through the huge space of training opportunities, and that navigation will improve over time as we apply educational data mining to the data from the first users of ALLEARN. This approach has shown strong, positive effects in research studies. Now it is time to apply it to provide those benefits to DoD in an operational training system.”
According to Dr. Lewis Johnson, CEO of Alelo, “ALLEARN technology will help learners master communicative skills more rapidly, while reducing instructor workload. We see broad demand for this capability, from elementary-grade education through adult education and workforce training. It will greatly enhance Alelo’s Enskill platform and has huge market potential.”
About Aptima Inc.
Aptima's mission is to engineer tools and systems that increase human capabilities. The company’s scientists study how humans think and learn in today's technology-rich networked environments, and use that knowledge to solve problems and provide solutions in defense, homeland security, healthcare, aviation and cyber security. Aptima's solutions span the human continuum from the micro to the macro – from the neural and individual level, to teams and large groups, to complete societies.
About Alelo Inc.
Alelo creates learning solutions that help people acquire new skills and apply them when it counts, changing the way people communicate. The company is a technology spinout of the University of Southern California that has been delivering game-based solutions for learning communication skills using virtual role-play technology since 2003. Alelo is now applying virtual role-play to workplace competencies and interpersonal skills.
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Training Industry Announces the 2016 Top 20 Workforce Development Providers List
Raleigh, NC − July 7, 2016 – Training Industry has released the Training Industry Top 20™ Workforce Development Providers list, as part of its mission to continually monitor the training marketplace for the best providers of training services and technologies.
View the 2016 Training Industry Top 20 Workforce Development Providers.
Selection to this year's Training Industry Top 20 Workforce Development Providers 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
“The 2016 Training Industry Top 20 Workforce Development providers have proven themselves to be the best at supporting and developing workforces across the corporate landscape.” said Ken Taylor, president, Training Industry, Inc. “They have the credentials to support training across multiple industries, modalities and service areas.”
“Developing a talented and capable workforce is top of mind for nearly any organization,” said Doug Harward, CEO, Training Industry, Inc. “The companies selected for this year’s list are excellent resources to meet your training needs ranging from curriculum development, certifications and workshops/seminars.”
Email info@trainingindustry.com for thoughts or feedback regarding the list.
View the 2016 Training Industry Top 20 Workforce Development Providers.
About Training Industry, Inc.
TrainingIndustry.com spotlights the latest news, articles, case studies and best practices within the training industry. The company publishes the annual Training Industry Top 20 and Training Industry Watch List reports covering many sectors of interest to the corporate training function. Our focus is on helping dedicated businesses and training professionals get the information, insight and tools needed to more effectively manage the business of learning.
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Unicorn Training Acquires Top Games Company
Bournemouth, UK − July 8, 2016 − Unicorn Training has underlined its commitment to developing world class learning games by taking a majority stake in BAFTA-nominated games studio, Amuzo.
Unicorn first invested in Bournemouth-based Amuzo last December and the partnership’s potential has proved so positive in its first six months that Amuzo has now officially become part of the Unicorn Training Group.
Together Unicorn and Amuzo are developing and publishing learning games that engage and immerse ‘players’ along with Apps to meet employer and employee demand for Just-In-Time and reinforcement spaced learning outside of the more traditional desktop environment.
“This partnership is about allying the creativity of a great casual games company with the instructional design expertise of Unicorn to hit the sweet spot where the power of games can make learning more meaningful, practical and effective, and fun too,” said Peter Phillips, Unicorn CEO. “Equally important, Amuzo have in-depth expertise in publishing Apps to mobile platforms for global audiences, a skillset not yet embedded in the desktop-oriented world of corporate eLearning. Amuzo’s LEGO® games, for example, are played on a range of different devices and in different languages in over 100 countries worldwide. That knowhow and level of experience would take years to build from scratch in the e-learning world, and yet flexible, mobile learning solutions that can be made available to many thousands of people at the same time is what employers and learners want now.”
“We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Unicorn through this new investment. Unicorn bring scale and financial strength and open up a new revenue stream for Amuzo while enabling us to continue to grow our core business of creating great games,” said Mike Hawkyard, Amuzo MD. “With games and gamification the fastest growth areas in learning and development, adding proven world class games development to its core business helps Unicorn meet this demand with uniquely creative and effective solutions.”
The past 12 months have been record breakers for Unicorn, with sales topping £6m for the first time while Unicorn’s learning and performance platform, SkillsServe was ranked the World’s top LMS for financial services for the second year running. Unicorn has been creating learning and development and compliance solutions for the UK’s ever-changing financial services for 28 years. This experience, industry expertise and award-winning creativity is unmatched in the financial services sector.
Award-winning Amuzo games have been played well over a billion times in the last two years alone and have reached #1 on the App Store in over 150 countries.
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