New York, NY − July 7, 2016 − Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, announced the availability of Infor Learning Management Content Creator Cloud Edition, Infor's next generation Learning Content Management System (LCMS). Infor's LCMS allows organizations and training departments to create and disseminate knowledge quickly and efficiently to teams all over the globe. Part of the Infor Human Capital Management (HCM) suite of solutions, Infor LMS tools deliver a complete solution to the enterprise for creating, delivering, and reporting on learning. The application can help organizations implement new learning and information dissemination processes quickly and with far-reaching results. Sales organizations can synchronize delivery of knowledge with their product and event launches, both inside their organizations and across their distribution channels.
With the Content Creator Cloud Edition, Infor is able to combine HR-led learning, such as management, leadership, and personal effectiveness, with business-led learning, which is proprietary knowledge of an organization's products and services, the DNA of a company. Knowledge can be shared quickly, in different languages and on any device, to give a competitive advantage. Specifically, users can rapidly produce HTML5 content for different devices, develop a single course with multiple languages, enhance localization, and provide a unified playback experience.
"We live in an increasingly global environment, and the pace of change is fast, with companies developing and releasing more products and more services, and customers becoming just as knowledgeable as the sales teams. The ability to get business-led knowledge out to employees quickly, efficiently, and effectively, is a key differentiator in the marketplace," said Dale Kennedy, director, Infor HCM. "With this new application, organizations can improve sales and service by ensuring teams are apprised of latest developments, product launches and services, and absorb this knowledge on their device of choice."
The application offers a simple and easy-to-navigate user experience designed by Hook & Loop with increased interactivity through widget animations, slideshows, videos, timelines and triggers. In addition, the unified course experience provides a consistent look and feel for desktop, tablet and smartphone use with automatic layout adjustments for mobile, preview capabilities without publishing, and the ability to change languages on the fly. Infor LMS tools can accelerate the rate at which teams achieve their full potential, improving productivity, enhancing compliance, and contributing directly to the success of the enterprise.
Infor Announces Next Generation of Cloud-Enabled Learning Management Tools
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10TRAITS Leadership Institute The Future of Public Health and Nursing Is Leadership
Boulder, CO − July 11, 2016 − Creating a high-quality, durable public healthcare system takes leadership. For nurses and healthcare professionals trained to deliver health care to those in need, the choice of leadership training opens the door to new career opportunities. For those seeking leadership training in public health and nursing the good news is that when these important skills are based on the Female brain, they are transferable to any state, country, or culture.
Our new model of leadership—based on 10 traits found in the Female brain—changes the chemistry of leadership from aggressive and competitive to nurturing, collaborative, and diplomatic," says Alexia Parks, 10TRAITS ™ Leadership Institute founder and CEO.
To guide nurses into leadership roles in businesses, communities, and public health care management across the country and globally, 10TRAITS ™ Leadership Institute is launching its 10TRAITS Public Health and Nursing Leadership online training beginning July 18. The program development team—who also serve as Virtual Mentors—includes health care experts with experience as Public Health Nurses (PHNs), RNs, and Critical Care Nurses. This new online course has been specifically developed to help Public Health Nurses, RNs, and Critical Care Nurses to express their training to its fullest potential. Accredited by Colorado State University, this online course includes a choice of: 2 continuing education units (CEU) at 20 hours, 2 credits at 34 hours, or a certificate of completion.
10TRAITS Leadership Institute programs are personally endorsed by Jean Watson as "consistent with Caring Science." Watson is founder of the Jean Watson Caring Service Institute at Anschutz Medical Center, University of Colorado Denver.
Founded in 2014, 10TRAITS Leadership's science-based training programs have been sponsored by Naropa University and cross-promoted by the University of Colorado Boulder Deming Center and Colorado State University.
Parks describes the online course as hands-on and experiential. Personalized activities include rapid learning "brain training exercises," based on neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and cybernetics.
The 10TRAITS Leadership Institute is also offering a Whistlestop "Train on the Train" Tour September 12-16, which will offer leadership training en route from Denver to Washington D.C. The Whistlestop training will continue while in D.C. and include meeting with women in leadership on Capitol Hill. 10TRAITS Founder, Alexia Parks will serve as lead mentor on the tour. An award-winning technology entrepreneur, she is also a virtual mentor with the United Nations.
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Four Areas Sales Leaders Must Stress for a Strong Finish to 2016
Denver, CO – July 12, 2016 − MHI Global, one of the largest organizations dedicated to workforce performance improvement, announced today that sales and service organizations must focus on four key areas during the second half of 2016 to impact their revenue targets and have a greater effect on the business.
Byron Matthews, CEO of MHI Global, revealed the four main focus areas during Elevate 2016, MHI Global’s annual North American customer conference. By focusing on these areas, sales and service organizations will be better equipped to elevate their game during the second half of the year.
The four main focus areas for growth are:
Enablement: Smarter buyers require smarter selling. A robust enablement program helps sales professionals speak to the customers in their terms. Revenue plan attainment for organizations with an enablement program is 8.2 percentage points higher than those that don’t have such a program.
Transformation: World-Class sales and service organizations must be willing to change at the speed of business if they want to survive. Sales transformation is not cheap, fast or easy. It’s also NOT optional. More sales and service organizations are engaging in transformation projects, but only 39 percent actually achieve success.
Talent: You can predict performance by identifying innate talent. It’s the part of performance that can’t be explained or accounted for by training or experience. Top talent produces three times more revenue than the rest of the salesforce.
Executive Impact: Getting to the executive decision maker is only the beginning. Understanding how they make a decision is the real key. World-Class Sales Performers gain access to the top decision makers 90 percent of the time, compared to 38 percent of all respondents.
"Selling and service methods that worked in the past may not be relevant anymore, and organizations willing to adapt their style in order to meet the needs of their customers will thrive,” Matthews said. “You can’t afford to be trapped by one specific style or one way of doing things. You don’t have to change your message, but you must change the way you deliver it, tailoring it to each executive so you’re speaking their language and meeting their needs.”
About MHI Global
MHI Global is one of the largest dedicated performance improvement companies in the world, bringing game-changing insight to sales performance, customer experience and leadership and management. Backed by its Be Ready set of solutions, MHI Global helps companies build and sustain successful, customer-focused organizations that drive profitable revenue and predictable top-line growth on a global scale.
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Totara LMS Powers Worlds First Humanitarian Relief Academy
Brighton, UK − July 13, 2016 − Totara Learning is delighted to announce that Totara LMS is powering Kaya – the one-stop digital humanitarian learning platform – hosted by the Humanitarian Leadership Academy.
The Humanitarian Leadership Academy will enable local people around the world to prepare for disasters and emergencies in their own countries. They will train the next generation of humanitarian leaders and responders especially those located in vulnerable countries and communities. Kaya will be the main learning tool and will be accessed by over 40 countries.
The Academy is funded and supported by a wide range of organizations including UK Government, Norwegian Government, philanthropists and the corporate sector.
Totara Partner Catalyst is responsible for creating Kaya, the large-scale learning platform, and has adapted the award-winning open source LMS with several innovative customisations to optimise it for humanitarian workers globally. These include an offline player, enabling users to download and complete learning in areas of poor connectivity and access to learning through Catalyst’s global content delivery network (CDN), which ensures the LMS and its content is easily accessible from anywhere in the world.
“The Kaya platform has been delivered in record time for our partners at the Academy thanks to the significant benefits presented in the use of free and open source software, enabling bespoke humanitarian developments provided by Catalyst’s previous NGO and humanitarian sector customers to be leveraged,” said Joey Murison, business development manager at Catalyst-IT.
"At Totara we are seeing increasing adoption amongst high profile NGOs, charities and public sector organizations who require both the flexibility and cost effectiveness our learning management platform offers," said Lars Hyland, chief commercial officer at Totara Learning. "It’s exciting and hugely satisfying to see our open source software supporting organizations that perform such important work across the world."
As well as the Kaya platform, the Humanitarian Leadership Academy also comprises a series of Academy Centres, which act as centres of networks to allow humanitarians to build relationships and partnerships with organizations through workshops and training activities. By 2020, they aim to have ten training centres around the world offering classroom and virtual training for surrounding regions.
“We have been able to use the Totara LMS and develop it to fit our objectives," said Kat Sandford, digital planning manager for the Humanitarian Leadership Academy. "One of the key things was the responsive design, being able to be on brand as well as user friendly. We now have a product that suits us and will grow as the Academy grows too.”
Humanitarian Leadership Academy’s Kaya is available in English, French and Arabic.
About Totara Learning
Totara Learning is rapidly transforming the learning technology software market. Our products include the award-winning Totara LMS, a functionally rich learning management platform and Totara Social, an enterprise Social Learning Network designed to foster collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing.
Totara Learning products are open source, highly flexible and bring powerful freedoms to all organizations with formal and informal learning needs, both within the workplace and the extended enterprise. They are used by many industry sectors, including finance, retail, energy, health, government and not-for-profit organizations. Customers range from small to large multinational corporations with over 200,000 employees – a testament to our innovation, robust versatility and scalability.
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Aspire Launches New Online Learning Environment
Phoenix, AZ – July 12, 2016 − Aspire announced aspire365 leadership, a new online learning tool designed to develop leaders and keep the learning alive. The announcement was made by Aspire CEO and Chief Instigator, Renie Cavallari.
Aspire365 leadership is an interactive online learning environment created to inspire and motivate leaders at all levels. It introduces foundational leadership skills and provides immediately actionable techniques based upon Aspire's 6 Pillars of Intentional Leadership™. Aspire365 offers fresh, engaging content through video clips, interactive exercises and downloadable information. It also features built-in accountability for leaders to monitor and evaluate their teams' progress through the program.
"Aspire365 leadership is more than a tool. It is a way to keep learning alive,” Cavallari said. “It provides a framework for sustainable learning and ensures an aligned leadership team which creates greater team member engagement."
Aspire365 was developed to respond to the needs of the changing marketplace and the challenges facing today's leaders. It is an interactive go-at-your-own pace program designed to build and maintain leadership alignment while respecting the realities surrounding day-to-day operations.
"From its interactive user community forum and discussion board to its easily accessible metrics for tracking progress, aspire365 is a fun and interactive program that promotes engagement and use, ensuring ongoing development is a priority," said JC Thompson, aspire senior vice president.
Aspire365 leadership is the second online learning product to launch from the Aspire arsenal of learning programs. Aspire released its aspire365 reservations sales training module in 2015.
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Codecademy Raises $30m Led by Naspers to Fuel Further Expansion
New York, NY – July 14, 2016 − Codecademy, the leader in digital skills education, announced the closing of a $30 million Series C investment led by Naspers through its Naspers Ventures division. Also announced today, Larry Illg, CEO of Naspers Ventures, has joined Codecademy’s Board of Directors. Existing investors, including Union Square Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Index Ventures and Sir Richard Branson contributed to the round.
Codecademy will utilize the new capital to drive the company’s product, team and global expansion plans. Since the company launched in 2011, tens of millions of people have taken its courses in nearly every country. The new funds will allow the company to grow its team to accommodate further international growth, extend the capabilities of its innovative platform, build its mobile presence and develop additional course content to even better serve its users.
In today’s highly digital world, Codecademy is redefining how education is delivered. The company helps millions of people around the globe obtain the skills they need to succeed in the fast-paced technology job marketplace. Codecademy provides a path for learners to become coding experts without attending a traditional educational institution, which could be a game changer in developing countries. Codecademy’s platform is different from any other learning experience. Learners discover concepts such as HTML/CSS, Javascript/jQuery, Python, Ruby, PHP, and APIs interactively by actually writing code and getting constant feedback from peers, creating a networked approach to learning.
“Since we founded Codecademy in 2011, we have seen an explosion of interest in learning to code as a key component of a 21st century education,” said Zach Sims, CEO of Codecademy. “With millions of monthly users, and more than 50 percent of those outside the US, there is a great opportunity in partnering with Naspers to expand our business to deliver a wider breadth of courses in more languages and new geographies to create an education that allows anyone to access economic opportunity.”
“Traditional universities are poorly equipped to meet the evolving demands of technology students and employers, and Codecademy fills an important and valuable gap in the market,” said Larry Illg, CEO, Naspers Ventures. “The quality of the Codecademy product and the team’s execution have enabled a global footprint today and positions it well for future expansion.”
Naspers has made investments in internet companies, including Tencent and Flipkart, that 1.3 billion people worldwide already use. The company provides its businesses with unmatched levels of international support, including strong strategy expertise, operating experience, and access to on-the-ground resources in key expansion markets.
About Codecademy
Codecademy helps millions of learners around the world get the skills they need to succeed in today’s digital world – all in a way that’s fun, free, and accessible anywhere. Founded by Zach Sims and Ryan Bubinski in 2011 to bridge the increasing gap between the skills taught in schools and the skills required by the modern workforce, Codecademy offers an entirely new, networked approach to learning which allows users to interact with students across the globe, build amazing projects, and apply their skills to improve their lives.
About Naspers Ventures
Naspers Ventures partners with entrepreneurs to build leading technology companies in high-growth markets. We identify companies and founders with high potential and the ambition to scale globally the right way, quickly impacting the communities where they operate.
We provide tailored support to make them leaders in their chosen markets. We bring the global reach, knowledge and resources of Naspers, one of the largest technology investors in the world, to help entrepreneurs build, grow and scale their businesses. With in-depth experience in more than 130 markets and countries around the world, we do what it takes to help our companies succeed.
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Health Care Industry Veteran Kevin King Joins Integrity Solutions as Vice President
Nashville, TN – July 13, 2016 − Integrity Solutions has named health care sales leadership and performance improvement veteran, Kevin King, as vice president focused on the firm’s health care, medical device, and pharma business. The leading sales and coaching firm announced King’s appointment.
King joins Integrity Solutions with more than 25-years of global health care experience, and more than two decades at Johnson & Johnson where he specialized in strategic account management, sales management, sales training and leadership development.
“Kevin is a health care industry sales leader with an extensive track record of creating new business partnerships and growing revenue by developing sales teams,” said Harriet Butler, partner and executive vice president of Integrity Solutions. “We are excited to add his expertise to our team.”
Integrity Solutions has more than 45 years of experience developing innovative, practical training and learning-related solutions in sales performance, coaching and customer service. The firm has worked on a global scale in more than 130 countries across the business spectrum, including health care, financial services, energy and utilities, among others.
Integrity Solutions’ thought leadership and client solutions are receiving wide recognition. The firm was named recently toSelling Power magazine’s 2016 list of Top 20 Sales Training Companies, a list of top companies that excel in helping sales leaders improve the performance of their sales teams. Additionally, Integrity Solutions was selected for the 2016 Sales Training Watch List by Training Industry, Inc. The prestigious ranking recognizes top sales training providers across the globe as part of Training Industry’s commitment to continuously monitor the training marketplace for the best providers and services.
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Ingram Micro Renews IBM Authorized Global Training Provider Status
Irvine, CA −July 15, 2016 − Ingram Micro Inc. announced it has once again earned IBM's authorization to serve as a Global Training Provider (GTP).
This marks the second time Ingram Micro has earned the status of an IBM authorized GTP. Ingram Micro's first authorization came in 2014.
As an authorized GTP, Ingram Micro is authorized to provide the complete portfolio of software and systems courses from IBM Training. Ingram Micro Training offers the full portfolio of IBM Authorized technical education classes in over 120 countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
"Technical services and advanced training represent two of the many different areas Ingram Micro continues to lead the industry and demonstrate business value to our channel partners," said Paul Bay, executive vice president and chief executive, Ingram Micro US and Export. "We have a long-standing, successful relationship with IBM and recognize the growing importance technical services and training excellence play in the development of today's IT channel and tomorrow's future IT leaders. Earning this back-to-back global authorization from IBM is testimony to Ingram Micro's proven and growing ability to educate, train and enable Business Partners on behalf of the vendor community.
In addition to passing the re-authorization test, Ingram Micro's record of excellence with IBM Training, dedicated IBM team, and growing expertise and investment in advanced technologies, training, cloud, mobility and business intelligence earned Ingram Micro this authorization. Ingram Micro's Flexible Training Modules also serve as a key differentiator during the re-evaluation process, particularly because of IBM's focus on the millennial workforce and remote training initiatives.
Under the expanded agreement, Ingram Micro Training will continue to broaden its reach and relevance globally by offering Business Partners access to superior training across multiple categories including mobile, cloud, analytics and social.
"Ingram Micro recognized early on that technical services and training are key components within the value life-cycle of a technology solution and responded by developing a one-stop shop for the skills development needs of IT professionals worldwide and a strategic partner to technology vendors," said Greg Richey, director, Ingram Micro Professional and Training Services. "As the IT channel's top-performing technical services and training partner, we appreciate our vendors' commitment to the channel, and applaud the passion and talent of our technical services and training teams who are always going the extra mile for our channel partners."
About Ingram Micro Ingram Micro helps businesses Realize the Promise of Technology™. It delivers a full spectrum of global technology and supply chain services to businesses around the world. Deep expertise in technology solutions, mobility, cloud, and supply chain solutions enables its business partners to operate efficiently and successfully in the markets they serve. Unrivaled agility, deep market insights and the trust and dependability that come from decades of proven relationships, set Ingram Micro apart and ahead.
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Yellowdig Raises 1M for its Social Learning Platform
Philadelphia, PA – July 18, 2016 − Yellowdig, a SaaS provider of a leading social learning platform, today announced that it has entered into a $1M investment agreement with SRI Capital. Yellowdig’s social learning platform is driven by collaboration and data science. Yellowdig forms a social layer on top of existing enterprise learning systems used by majority of universities and organizations to build engaging, collaborative and fun learning experiences in a private & secure way. After commercially launching the platform in the U.S. in early 2015, the company has quickly established an impressive customer base including some of the leading education institutions of the world – Northwestern University, Arizona State University, University of Pennsylvania, UC Irvine, University of Florida and over 20 other leading institutions. After extensive vetting of the platform with over 35,000 learners, the company is now rapidly signing up multi-year license contracts with its early adaptors. "I am excited to have Sashi Reddi from SRI Capital join us as a investor,” Shaunak Roy, founder & CEO of Yellowdig. “We are experiencing rapid growth of our SaaS platform in higher education in the US, and we see a lot of potential to grow in adjacent K12 and Corporate e-Learning markets. Sashi's deep expertise in enterprise SaaS and his experiences with building global businesses will be an asset.” Shaunak founded Yellowdig in 2014 to follow his passion for education technologies, after almost a decade of progressive senior roles in management consulting and corporate America. Shaunak holds a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and MS from Massachusetts Institute of technology, US. “Yellowdig is revolutionizing the way online learning will work, bringing in an innovative social engagement aspect that will significantly improve learning outcomes,” said Sashi Reddi, managing partner of SRI Capital. “There is a reason why over a 100 of the leading universities in the US are evaluating Yellowdig.” Raddi will join Yellowdig’s board of directors as part of this investment. Yellowdig is also backed by 500 Startups, a leading global venture capital seed fund and startup accelerator.
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Moody's Analytics Rolls Out NetDimensions
Hong Kong, China – July 19, 2016 − NetDimensions, a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems, announced today that Moody's Analytics has successfully completed the implementation of the NetDimensions Talent Suite to provide innovative risk management training solutions to financial sector organizations worldwide.
With deep expertise and experience in credit analysis, decision and risk management, Moody's Analytics is a leader in financial services education. Moody's Analytics helps organizations by increasing the competence, credibility and confidence of their staff, contributing to performance and excellence.
Moody's Analytics selected NetDimensions to provide a flexible and multi-language learning management system, which could be customized based on the needs of their clients worldwide.
NetDimensions Talent Suite provides a good user experience, with strong multi-language capabilities, and flexible configuration options. It can also be integrated into other systems using the extensive set of APIs.
"NetDimensions Talent Suite has the depth of functionality and flexibility which allows us to deliver high quality services to our clients,” said Samantha Hall, director of e-learning, training & certification at Moody's Analytics. “After receiving positive feedback from our clients, we have expanded the use of NetDimensions' solutions to NetDimensions Analytics for extensive reporting."
"We are very pleased to be working with Moody's Analytics. The NetDimensions Talent Suite is designed to support high-stakes training and certification management, especially in regulated industries such as financial services," said Jay Shaw, chief executive officer at NetDimensions.
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.
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Digital Marketing Institute Partners with Logical Operations
Dublin, Ireland – July 15th, 2016 – The Digital Marketing Institute announced that it has partnered with Logical Operations, the leading global information technology instructor-led courseware provider, to provide expert-facilitated training programs geared to help marketing and sales professionals gain the skills needed to succeed in the digital world.
The Digital Marketing Institute is the recognized international certification standard for the digital marketing industry and the partnership will bring its professional certifications to Logical Operations’ network of over 3,000 partners of commercial training providers, academic institutions, and enterprises worldwide. This adds to the existing number of 15,000 plus professionals that the Digital Marketing Institute has already certified across 80 countries.
As part of this partnership, training curriculum for various courses from the Digital Marketing Institute are available now for immediate purchase on the Logical Operations store. This includes the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing course, the Digital Marketing Institute’s most widely taught digital marketing certification in the world, as well as training curriculum for the Professional Diploma in Digital Selling, Professional Diploma in Search Marketing, Professional Diploma in Mobile Marketing, Professional Diploma in Social Media Marketing, and Professional Diploma in Strategy and Planning. Each of these 5-day instructor-led training programs include extensive hands-on activities and a real-world approach to gaining the skills needed for marketing and sales professionals to be more successful in their jobs.
This partnership brings to three the number of deals secured by the Digital Marketing Institute in recent months.
“This partnership once again reflects the global demand for training in digital marketing and digital selling and the relevance of the Digital Marketing Institute’s certification standards for professionals, educators and industry,” said Ian Dodson, co-founder and director of the Digital Marketing Institute. “Logical Operation’s global presence and decades of experience educating corporations and consumers through its training delivery channel make them a terrific partner for the Digital Marketing Institute, and we look forward to working with them.”
Logical Operations offers information technology and business professional courseware and certifications worldwide to its channel of commercial training providers, academic institutions, and enterprises. As more of an organization’s budget is allocated toward Sales and Marketing, Logical Operations sees programs like the Digital Marketing Institute’s as the next frontier of training and certification.
“Through our new partnership with the Digital Marketing Institute, we will be well positioned not only to provide a more comprehensive digital marketing training experience to our end customers through our training channel, but to ensure our end customer leaves class with a certification from a well-respected force in the industry,” said Bill Rosenthal, CEO of Logical Operations.
“When looking at the profile of Logical Operation’s customers it was obvious that our certifications in digital marketing and digital selling would be a great addition, and would serve to strengthen their customer’s ‘digital’ training offer,” said Michael Goeden, director of strategic partnerships at the Digital Marketing Institute.
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PM Must Address Utilities Industry Skills Shortage Before Brexit, Urges DTL
July 19, 2016 − New Prime Minister Theresa May must combat the looming skills crisis by prioritizing the introduction of new initiatives to attract workers into the utilities sector, urges Develop Training Limited (DTL), the UK’s leading training specialist in the utilities sector.
“The skills shortage in the UK is a catastrophe waiting to happen, one that literally threatens to turn out Britain's lights," said Chris Wood, CEO of DTL. "A solution to the twin problems of a chronic skills shortage in our utilities industry and high youth unemployment is obvious - train young people to take the places of the ageing workforce, but it just isn't happening at anything like the rate that it needs to be. The new PM and her Cabinet must make it a government priority to look into ways to correct this issue as a matter of extreme urgency."
“As householders and businesses in the UK wonder about a post-Brexit future, they should remember that the utilities sector is still facing a potentially devastating skills shortage. The sector is constantly on a recruitment drive but is simply not receiving the response it requires. We all need confidence that our lights will stay on, our heating will continue to keep our houses warm and our taps keep providing running water, but the day is fast approaching when there will simply not be enough workers to do these vital jobs,” added Wood.
About Develop Training
Develop Training Limited (DTL) is the UK’s leading accredited provider of compliance, technical, and safety training, supporting thousands of firms with their training needs. Clients include some of the UK’s largest and best-known organizations from the utilities and construction to the defence, health care, facilities management and telecommunications sectors.
Training programmes cover water and environmental, gas and energy, safety, electrical and mechanical, apprenticeships and management development delivered at DTL’s seven dedicated training centres in Linlithgow near Edinburgh, Romford, Croydon, York, Derby, Bolton and Swindon or onsite at clients’ premises. DTL also provides bespoke and consultancy services, tailoring training programmes and initiatives to the requirements of individual clients.
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Pluralsight Acquires Train Simple Becomes a Leading Provider of Adobe Training Online
Salt Lake City, UT −July 20, 2016 − Pluralsight, the global leader in online learning for technology professionals, today announced the acquisition of Adobe-centric video training company Train Simple. With this acquisition, Pluralsight’s technology learning platform becomes a leading provider of Adobe training online, offering more than 1,200 courses covering the entire Adobe Creative Cloud suite as well as other Adobe flagship technologies. This marks Pluralsight’s second expansion into the creative training market, following the company's 2014 purchase of Digital-Tutors.
“Technology skills can become obsolete in a flash, and for enterprises and creative professionals relying on Adobe's software to produce great work, there's an imperative to stay on the cutting edge of their industry,” said Aaron Skonnard, co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight. “By bringing Train Simple under the Pluralsight umbrella, our on-demand learning platform now includes one of the richest libraries of Adobe trainings within our broader collection of more than 5,000 technology courses authored by industry luminaries.”
For 15 years, creative professionals and top companies like Disney, GE and DreamWorks have used Train Simple to learn industry-standard software like Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, InDesign, Illustrator, Premier Pro and more. This acquisition will add more than 150 new courses to Pluralsight’s Adobe library, and will provide Pluralsight users with access to new, in-depth training content to help creative professionals produce better work, speed up creative workflows and bring ideas to life.
“We are excited to bring Train Simple into the Pluralsight family. They've built their reputation on producing exceptional, Adobe-vetted content for professionals who want to master the Adobe product line, and that's exactly the type of instructors our users trust,” said Andy Rahden, VP of creative, design and engineering at Pluralsight. “Together, we'll be able to produce a powerful learning experience that will help individuals and organizations grow quickly, whether they are starting at square one or looking for a tune-up down the line."
Train Simple courses will be incorporated into Pluralsight’s subscription-based platform and be available to users effective immediately. Train Simple users can continue to access their courses through the Train Simple site or a link on the Pluralsight homepage. The Train Simple brand will be retired at the end of 2016. Additionally, Train Simple’s founder, Matthew Pizzi, has been named Pluralsight’s curriculum director for the creative, graphic arts and illustration team, where he will create dynamic coursework for professionals and businesses.
“Train Simple and Pluralsight share a vision for the future of online education,” said Train Simple founder Matthew Pizzi. “This alliance will allow us to continue to create high-quality training content for creatives and reach a larger audience thanks to Pluralsight’s cutting edge platform. Technology training is in both of our DNA.”
This acquisition is Pluralsight’s eighth acquisition in three years and comes on the heels of the company unveiling a new technology platform that offers a 360-degree approach to learning. The on-demand platform allows technology professionals to assess their current skill level, follow directed learning paths, learn through expert-authored courses, test drive new technologies via an interactive lab environment and access one-on-one mentoring to problem-solve and accelerate learning.
About Pluralsight
Pluralsight is an enterprise technology learning platform that delivers a unified, end-to-end learning experience for businesses across the globe. Through a subscription service, companies are empowered to move at the speed of technology, increasing proficiency, innovation and efficiency. Founded in 2004 and trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Pluralsight provides members with on-demand access to a digital ecosystem of learning tools, including adaptive skill tests, directed learning paths, expert-authored courses, interactive labs and live mentoring.
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Nitrospark Opens Up its Unique Games-Based Learning Technology to Partners
London and Dundee, UK – July 20, 2016 − Nitrospark, the leading games-based learning company, announced the launch of its partner program – which enables learning providers and content-creators to far more easily enter the 2D and 3D games-based learning arena.
Nitrospark today unveils its partner program, which opens up the company’s unique games-based learning and simulation software – and supporting services – to learning providers and content-creators.
Jim Piggot, chief executive at Nitrospark, says that its partner program enables learning providers and content-creators to enter the 2D and 3D games-based learning space quickly, easily and with minimum investment. “We aim to be the technology partner of choice for learning companies wanted to get into games-based learning,” says Piggot. “It’s the equivalent of landing on the biggest ladder in snakes and ladders and going straight to the top. We’ve done all of the technical development and built extensive experience in the market. Learning providers can exploit this, immediately, to the benefit of their customers. It opens up massive opportunities for them.”
Nitrospark is seeking to work with the best companies in the learning sector. “Size of partner isn’t really that relevant,” said Piggot. “We’re more interested in working with people who are passionate about creating great learning content and not only see the potential in games-based learning but are committed to taking it to their customers. These will be learning providers which have content-generation expertise, perhaps with experience with specific topics or in certain markets, such as the public sector and NHS.”
Heading up the partner program is Nitrospark’s Joe White. White has been working in the learning industry for around fifteen years and believes that games-based learning has the potential to shake up how learning is delivered.
“People talk about disruptive technologies,” said White, “but e-learning was never really that. It kind of eased its way in and didn’t really break down the things around it. Games-based learning has the potential to totally change the way we think about – and use – technology in learning. It’s truly immersive, engaging and experiential.”
Nitrospark’s games-based learning software, Nitroworld, Nitroplay and Nitrogen, have a heritage spanning almost a decade, and have been used successfully across learning programs and virtual events for some of the world’s best-known brands, including BP, Castrol, Haymarket, Informa, NCR and the Medical School at Dundee University.
Nitroworld is a powerful, immersive 3D avatar-based virtual environment, capable of hosting not only e-learning programs but almost any kind of virtual event or simulation. Nitroplay, the company’s 2D/3D games-based learning software, transforms dull learning into something that’s far more challenging and, says Piggot, “let’s face it, something that’s far more fun too. How many learning programs do people genuinely love taking part in and really want to stick at?”
Nitrogen provides ‘content management’ for games-based learning – enabling learning content to be easily edited, without the need for technical skills.
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Walmart and Cengage Learning Deliver H.S. Diploma and Career Certificate Opportunities for Associates
Boston and Bentonville, AR − July 20, 2016 − Cengage Learning has partnered with Walmart to offer accredited high school diplomas and credentialed career certificates through Career Online High School (COHS). Part of Walmart's Lifelong Learning program, COHS is designed to reengage adults in education and is free for Walmart associates beginning on the first day of their employment. To date, more than 130 associates have received their high school diploma through COHS, with another 433 currently enrolled.
"Working with Walmart, we have a tremendous opportunity to make a real impact in the lives of associates who are seeking a better future," said Dawn Gerrain, General Manager, Skills Group, Cengage Learning. "The Career Online High School program is designed to help people succeed – whether to get better jobs with greater salary potential or to position individuals for further education."
"One of the best ways to create opportunity in America is through access to education and training," stated Brian Poland, director of Walmart Lifelong Learning & Talent Development. "We believe a high school diploma paves the way for a better future – at Walmart or beyond."
Walmart's Lifelong Learning program provides associates access to no-cost or low-cost education programs including ESL, high school, career certificates, and the most comprehensive college credit for prior learning program in the country. The program is part of Walmart's overall upskilling strategy that integrates training, education, and workforce development efforts to create opportunity for associates and their families.
"Through COHS, our associates have the opportunity to earn their accredited high school diploma with a career certificate, for free. Working at Walmart opens doors to new and exciting opportunities," continued Poland.
"By completing the COHS program, I proved to myself and many others around me that I can reengage with my education and find success," said Monique Kenon, a Walmart associate and COHS graduate. Kenon is pursuing her next opportunity and is currently enrolled in the retail management program at American Public University.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, individuals with a high school diploma earn 38 percent more than those without a diploma. Other studies show that high school graduates recognize as much as a 50 percent to 100 percent increase in lifetime income. In addition to an accredited high school diploma, program graduates earn a credentialed career certificate in one of eight high-growth, high-demand career fields (across a wide spectrum, from child care and education to certified transportation), further positioning them for success in the workforce.
Students have up to 18 months to complete the program and may be able to complete the program in as few as six months by transferring previously earned high school credits. Once enrolled, the Walmart Lifelong Learning COHS program pairs each student with an academic coach, who assists with developing an individual career plan, offers ongoing guidance and encouragement, evaluates performance, and connects the learner with the resources needed to demonstrate mastery of the course material. Classes are supported by board-certified instructors and students have 24/7 access to the online learning platform.
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. Walmart associates can learn more at WalmartOne. Smart Horizons has full academic accreditation through the AdvancED Accreditation Commission, the same commission that represents 27,000 public and private schools and districts across the U.S. and in 65 countries worldwide.
About Cengage Learning Cengage 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.
About Walmart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit our 11,527 stores under 63 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2016 revenue of $482 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.
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Corporate Culture Chasm Employees View their Culture Much More Negatively than Management
Provo, UT – July 20, 2016 − A new study found a concerning gap between what managers say they want their company culture to be and what employees say is really valued by these same bosses.
The study, conducted by Joseph Grenny and David Maxfield, cofounders and leading researchers at VitalSmarts, a TwentyEighty Inc. company, shows that while leaders say they want innovation, initiative, candor and teamwork, what employees feel is really valued is obedience, predictability, deference to authority and competition with peers.
Overall, the study, which surveyed more than 1,200 employees, managers and executives, found that employees have a much more negative view of their corporate culture than their bosses. And, the more senior a person is in the organization, the more positive their perception of their company culture.
And these perception gaps matter—a lot. When employees believed that what was really valued was obedience, predictability, deference to authority and competition with peers, they were 32 percent less likely to be engaged, motivated and committed to their organization. This perception also had a dramatic impact on their performance. They were 26 percent less likely to rate their organization as successful at innovating and executing.
Survey respondents were presented with 13 cultural norms and asked to identify which norms were most like their own culture. Employees and managers clashed on all 13 norms, but the chasm between employee perception and management perception was statistically widest on five norms:
Norm is to avoid conflict and maintain pleasant relationships—at least superficially. It’s important to agree with, gain approval of, and be liked by others. (Employees were 54 percent more likely to say this is extremely like their culture than leaders.)
Norm is to conform, follow the rules and make a good impression. Conservative, traditional and bureaucratically controlled. (Employees were 53 percent more likely to say this is extremely like their culture than leaders.)
Norm is to do what you’re told and clear all decisions with superiors. Hierarchically controlled and non-participative. (Employees were 54 percent more likely to say this is extremely like their culture than leaders.)
Norm is to set challenging goals, establish plans to reach these goals, pursue them with enthusiasm and achieve them. Important to pursue a standard of excellence. (Employees were 18 percent less likely to say this was extremely like their culture than leaders.)
Norm is to speak up immediately whenever there is a question or concern that could affect performance. People speak truth to power; are both honest and respectful. (Leaders were 67 percent more likely to say this was extremely like their culture than employees.)
Overall, organizations have a lot of work to do when it comes to improving corporate culture. According to the study, only 9 percent of employees have a favorable opinion of their culture. Managers and executives were slightly more optimistic with 15 percent reporting they viewed their corporate culture favorably.
Grenny says that when it comes to fixing corporate culture, the place to start is with dialogue.
“There is no way to close this gap without honest, open dialogue,” said Grenny. “Basically, people say their leaders hype one set of behaviors but reward another—that gap in perception is the starting point for conversation. If leaders are seen as sending mixed messages about what they truly believe will drive performance, they should invite employees to point out this perceived hypocrisy. Leaders tend to think employees won’t open up—but we’ve seen the opposite. When an executive sits down and truly listens, employees will be surprisingly honest."
The study also showed that when leadership is trained in the skills to speak up and hold people accountable, culture change can occur.
“Having leaders participate in interpersonal skills training has a significant impact on the overall health of the culture,” said Maxfield. “This is because leaders can communicate with and better manager their teams, but they are also in a position to cascade these skills to their employees—ultimately creating a new, healthy cultural norm.”
Grenny and Maxfield, who are also the authors of the New York Times business bestsellers, Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability, recommend the following leadership strategies for starting a candid discussion about a culture chasm:
Understand the business case. Before you set off to change your culture, be clear about the business reasons for doing so. Leaders who do it as a feel-good strategy turn it into a hobby and tend to create little beyond cynicism. There are hard, measurable reasons for changing culture—articulate those before you begin.
Focus on vital behaviors: You can’t change 10 to 15 behaviors in a company—you can really only focus on a vital two or three. Pick the behaviors that will make the biggest difference in performance.
Listen deeply. Before you can change culture, you need to know where you stand. The best way to do this isn’t with a safe, antiseptic survey administered by outsiders. The best way is for executives to vulnerably engage with the employees who know best. Pair up, meet with groups of 8 to 10 employees. Spend 60 to 90 minutes asking open-ended questions like, “What advice would you give a friend if they came to work here?” “What does it take to succeed here?” or “If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change?”
Take action. Listening creates expectations. Once employees take a risk to share their perceptions, they begin watching to see if you’ve really listened. They’ll want to see evidence. Pick a couple of valued and visible concerns and address them quickly. This builds trust in your sincerity to make longer-term changes that may involve the employees themselves changing their behavior.
Maxfield will share the results of this study and solutions to creating a healthy culture in a live webinar on July 21.
About VitalSmarts
Named one of the Top 20 Leadership Training Companies, VitalSmarts, a TwentyEighty, Inc. company, is home to the award-winning Crucial Conversations®, Crucial Accountability®, Change Anything®, and Influencer Training® and New York Times bestselling books of the same titles. VitalSmarts has consulted with more than 300 of the Fortune 500 companies and trained more than 1.5 million people worldwide.
About TwentyEighty: TwentyEighty is one of the largest workforce development companies in the world and is powered by some of the premier brands in the industry, such as Miller Heiman, MHI Global, VitalSmarts, AchieveForum, TwentyEighty Strategy Execution and Omega Performance. Our solutions are designed to help companies improve business results through the areas of Leadership Performance, Sales Performance, Credit Performance and Strategic Execution.
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Adaptive Learning Platform Helps Companies Improve Employee Engagement in Corporate Learning
San Francisco, CA – July 20, 2016 − Learning design company Smart Sparrow announced the expansion of its award-winning adaptive learning platform and design studio to help companies better engage employees in meaningful and relevant learning experiences that advance corporate strategy.
Over $350 billion is spent globally on learning and training. Yet, research from the Corporate Executive Board finds that 45 percent of corporate learning is "scrap learning" -- learning that is not applied back on the job. Research finds that ineffective delivery, low learner motivation, and poor content quality all contribute to scrap learning.
To create more effective learning experiences, Smart Sparrow helps companies build online courses and digital content that blend immersive real-world simulations with adaptive technology. Using the platform, corporate leaders are able to deliver cost-effective, personalized learning at scale, across job functions and regions.
"For years, corporate training content and technology has left much to be desired -- content is rarely contextualized or personalized, and the technology has failed to engage learners," said Dror Ben-Naim, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Smart Sparrow. "At Smart Sparrow, our team of engineers and learning designers are working with companies to develop dynamic courses that motivate employees and make them more effective and efficient in their roles."
Using the platform, corporate learning specialists can easily adjust course content to align training with evolving corporate strategy, and measure the effectiveness of their programs with real-time learner analytics. The insights generated by the platform can inform employee progress, and bring greater transparency to the kinds of learning that drives business results.
While a company's corporate learning team can use the platform to design their own content, companies can also work with the Smart Sparrow Design Studio -- a team of learning designers and engineers -- to create rich digital content, informed by cutting-edge learning science and tailored to corporate objectives.
"The delivery and execution of corporate learning needs to be re-designed," said Siva Navaratnam, institutional head of operational risk assurance at the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, which worked with Smart Sparrow to redesign their learning programs. "Smart Sparrow is helping us create meaningful learning experiences tailored to the individual employee, with content that is aligned with our business objectives. Historically, we've been boxed in by static content, with little ability to make our own changes, but this advancement in technology allows us to adapt content as quickly as our needs change. This is an exciting innovation in corporate learning."
About Smart SparrowSmart Sparrow is an educational technology company that helps higher education institutions and companies create better courses by making them more active and adaptive. Working with Smart Sparrow, anyone can create amazingly engaging and adaptive learning experiences and then continuously improve them using learner analytics. Learners are better supported and more motivated to succeed. Smart Sparrow believes in designing tools that support great teaching and learning solutions that excite learners.
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Training Industry Magazine Wins National Silver ASBPE Award
Raleigh, NC − July 22, 2016 — The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) has recognized Training Industry Magazine with a national Silver Award. Training Industry Magazine is published six times per year, and serves an audience of corporate training professionals in the U.S. and internationally. Training Industry was awarded the ASBPE Silver Award for E-Zine/Original Digital Content, sharing the category wins with Computerworld Digital Magazine, which won the category’s Gold, and PC Magazine, which won Bronze.
“We are absolutely honored for the ASBPE award and what it represents,” said Ken Taylor, president of Training Industry, Inc. and editor in chief of Training Industry Magazine. “When we launched Training Industry Magazine in the spring of 2008, we built on the industry perspective of TrainingIndustry.com, bringing industry experts in to help guide the development of content and to play an active role in the editorial direction of the magazine, in order to create an authoritative and impartial source of information for the learning and development sector.”
“We’re grateful for ASBPE’s recognition, which is a credit to all of the dedicated professionals involved - our editorial board, our contributors, editors and designers,” said Taylor.
The 2016 ASBPE awards were announced Thursday, June 21 at the ASBPE Awards of Excellence Banquet, held at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. ASBPE received nearly 1,150 entries in 75 categories.
The 2016 ASBPE Silver Award for E-Zine/Original Digital Content was given for the Training Industry Magazine Winter 2016 and Fall 2015 issues, recognizing Ken Taylor (Editor in Chief), Michelle Eggleston (Editorial Director) and Heather Schwendner (Senior Graphic Designer). Training Industry Magazine had previously been awarded the 2016 ASBPE Southeast Regional Gold Award.
About TrainingIndustry.com
TrainingIndustry.com publishes news, industry research, case studies and best practices for the training industry for dedicated business and training professionals, providing insights, information and tools to more effectively manage the business of learning, at trainingindustry.com and in Training Industry magazine, and through Training Industry Top 20 Lists. Training Industry, Inc. provides comprehensive, integrated marketing programs for companies whose products and services address the needs of training professionals.
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BizLibrary Announces New Employee Training Solution for Small and Midsize Businesses
Chesterfield, MO – July 26, 2016 − BizLibrary, a leading provider of online training for employees, is proud to announce its latest release, which specifically addresses small business challenges and their ability to implement practical employee training programs.
The BizLibrary Collection, the largest library of online training content, can now be used by small and midsize business leaders to help their company grow and reach goals through effective training.
Some specific small business challenges that can be addressed through online training include: new employee onboarding, compliance training, manager and supervisor training, customer service skills and more.
BizLibrary’s online library contains over 5,000 micro-video lessons covering a variety of business training topics. The short video format, combined with the availability of post-training reinforcement through boosted content, is designed to maximize learning retention and help learners apply knowledge in real-life circumstances.
Managers, supervisors and employees can use The BizLibrary Collection anywhere, at any time, on any device. There is no limit on the number of video lessons a user can view.
Business owners ready to improve how their employees learn can start a 30-day free trial of BizLibrary’s new small business solution today!
President and CEO of BizLibrary, Dean Pichee, stated, “We’ve heard from small business leaders about the challenges they face with implementing ongoing employee training, and we knew we could provide a solution for them. Our product has been tailored to be both comprehensive and affordable, allowing these small companies to reap the rewards of developing a culture that encourages learning.”
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 e-learning 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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Brightwave Group and The Chartered Institute of Marketing Partner to Transform Continuing Professional Development
Brighton, UK – July 26, 2016 − CIM is the market-leader for continuing professional development for marketing professionals, and more than 15,000 are enrolled on its CPD program globally.
CIM needed a platform not only to ensure the smoother implementation of continuing professional development and integration with its membership data, but to deliver an unrivalled experience for marketing professionals that truly reflects how they learn and develop in their careers.
Accrediting informal learning for CPD The existing CPD program, whilst highly regarded and rigorous, did not reflect CIM's customer-centric values. CIM's members increasingly demand an excellent online experience and want to feel in control of their own development. The fast-changing, wide-ranging skills marketing professionals require are developed not only through formal training but as a result of practice, experimentation and collaboration with fellow marketers.
Powered by Brightwave's collaborative learning system tessello, the new CPD program supports how CIM's members learn and allows both formal and informal activity to contribute to their CPD record. Crucially, members take ownership of their CPD and build a continuous record of their learning that is submitted annually as evidence of their development.
Diagnostic-led personalized learning In addition to the CPD portal, the solution incorporates a skills analysis tool that provides a crucial extra step in the CPD journey. Rather than presenting members with a generic group of accredited activities, members' existing capabilities drive the learning they undertake. This diagnostic-driven approach sees the launch of a new diagnostic capability for tessello.
Members enrolled on the CPD program take an interactive diagnostic at the start of each year of their membership. Based on CIM's Professional Marketing Standards, the tool analyses the current capability of the member, enabling them to make an informed choice on how to focus their learning and development time. In addition to the custom features and skills analysis tool tailored for CIM, the CPD portal includes the full suite of existing tessello functionality including a dedicated news feed, a search facility, profile management, and a directory of resource tiles.
"Our partnership with CIM is a significant milestone for Brightwave and tessello,” said Caroline Walmsley, managing director at Brightwave Group. “Through our work with CIM and other global membership organizations, we are leading the way in what we see as a major shift for the CPD/CPE industry. Traditional LMSs are ill-equipped to serve the needs of ongoing professional development - both from a learner and organizational point of view. A truly next generation LMS, tessello allows informal and social learning to be captured and accredited and personalized learning pathways deliver a professional development journey that is yet to be seen in the market. CIM is leading the way with their innovative, diagnostic-led approach which provides an exciting personalized CPD journey towards achieving and maintaining Chartered Marketer status for their members. We are delighted to have been selected as their partner for this exciting journey which is set to be a game-changer for ongoing professional development in the UK and beyond."
"At the core of our brand identity is our vision for marketing to be recognized for playing a pivotal role in business, with professional marketers delivering insights, strategy and growth to organizations of all shapes and sizes,” said Chris Daly, CEO of CIM. “When we first began our search for a learning tool we knew that it needed to support this aim of harnessing shared learning, but also support the scale of our ambition for a transformed CPD provision at CIM. We established that there was no single platform on the market that could meet our aims until we saw tessello. Combined with a bespoke diagnostic tool, we have in tessello a platform that not only improves the efficiency and delivery of CPD, but provides members with a personalized journey through their professional development."
CIM's new-look CPD experience launched to members in May 2016.
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