Organizations are continually striving to create and execute on a learning strategy that has a real impact on behaviors and business outcomes. However, outmoded learning technology, traditional content and a lack of alignment with the business have made it challenging for learning to fulfill its promise.
What does it take to create a more impactful, engaging learning experience that improves individual and business performance? A strong learning strategy, the tools to execute it and the ability to demonstrate value.
Several factors are driving corporations to improve their learning experience strategies:
- Improve Learner Engagement — Organizations struggle with developing and delivering learning content that captures the attention of the learner.
- Create a Stronger Link Between Learning and Performance — Learning in many organizations is developed without specific individual and organizational objectives in mind.
- Better Measurement — Learning is not improving in many organizations because the ability to measure impact on performance is not in place or is lacking.
- Technology — Learning technology is quickly evolving and organizations are in serious need of re-evaluating their learning technology ecosystem to offer a more modernized approach to learners.
Modern Learning Requirements
Organizations have had difficulty catching up to the new standard of learning required. Learner requirements have evolved quickly and their need to have access to knowledge and information when and where they need it is more important than ever. Most learning is still very event-based, without enough follow-up, reinforcement or opportunities to apply knowledge. This leaves organizations ill-equipped not only to meet the rapidly changing challenges of today but to ensure their workforce has the skills and knowledge required for the future.
Rethinking Learning Strategy
Organizations need to rethink their approach to the learning strategy to keep pace with the rapidly changing dynamics of their learners and business. The key questions for the business are:
- How can we transform learning to have more of an impact?
- How can we minimize the costs associated with managing the tools and processes required?
- Does the organization have enough of the staff and/or skills to design, curate, and deliver an effective, impactful learning environment?
- How can we best leverage the best of emerging technologies to create truly impactful learning solutions?
Vertex Professional Services as the Answer
We recently sat down with Vertex Professional Services, a Brandon Hall Group Smartchoice Preferred Provider®.
Vertex is a company that has been around for a long time, having changed ownership and alignment a few times in the last few years, most recently being brought under the V2X Parent Company umbrella in May 2022. Despite the challenges inherent with multiple changes in ownership, Vertex Professional Services continues to thrive as a critical training partner for some of the biggest manufacturing and technology brands in the world.
VPS’s strength is in its systems engineering approach to solution delivery. When they partner with you on a training solution, they work on the problem like engineers and produce a solution that is ultimately system-agnostic and not dependent on any single platform or technology to implement. This is likely the key to their longevity despite their name-recognition challenges.
Their systems engineering approach allows for creative applications of technology in learning, including very successful light simulations they’ve created for a medical device company supporting training of staff on proper use of the device. VPS has employed similar solutions in military and aerospace environments as well.
In the last year, Vertex has introduced a new product offering called an Interactive Digital Document, which allows you to deploy documents from a SharePoint location directly into your LMS.
Vertex has seen great success with the tool in clinical settings as well as with field technicians in operational environments. These PDF files embed executable microcontent (video, animation, callouts, etc.) inside the document, creating a fully interactive job aid for a specific procedure or set of procedures that an individual can access and utilize in real-time on a tablet or smart device.
Vertex’s capabilities run the full spectrum of training solutions. They have increased their capacity as well with strategic partnerships with offshore teams in India. They see no drop in volume, though complexity may be taking a back seat to budget considerations this season.
If you have a large-scale, complex technical training project and are looking for a partner to bring it to life, Vertex is absolutely worth a look.
To learn more about Vertex Professional Services solution, value proposition, and expertise. You can download our full report here.
– Matt Pittman, Principal Analyst, Brandon Hall Group™
