Elearning blog: Learning re-imagined

Environmental, Safety and Health Compliance—More than 40 Years of Progress

By Allison von Gruenigen, Compliance Solutions Consultant, Skillsoft

Did you know that in 1969 one of America’s rivers was so polluted with oil and trash that it caught fire?  That forty years ago on average, 38 U.S. workers died on the job each day? 

In 1970, Congress passed laws to protect both human health and the environment. These laws have greatly improved our lives and compliance training has played a major role in achieving the goals set by the agencies tasked with defining and upholding the laws. Skillsoft offers over 125 Environmental, Safety and Health (ESH) titles that support the laws and enhance a learner’s ability to help protect their self, their co-workers, the environment and their community.

Occupational safety and health

Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1970 to assure safe and healthful conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education, and compliance assistance.  Under the OSHA law, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their workers.

In four decades, OSHA and their state partners, coupled with the efforts of employers, safety and health professionals, unions and advocates, have had a dramatic effect on workplace safety.

• Since 1970, workplace fatalities have been reduced by more than 65 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 67 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled.
• Worker deaths in America are down — from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 13 a day in 2011.
• Worker injuries and illnesses are down — from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to fewer than 4 per 100 in 2010.

To learn more about OSHA, watch this short video of old and new footage that highlights key moments in the Nation's progress over the past forty years in occupational safety and health protection.

Environmental protection

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans [one in every ten Americans at the time] stood up to demand a cleaner and healthier environment. This first Earth Day was one of the largest grassroots demonstrations in our nation’s history and it worked. By the end of the year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created and tasked with both cleaning up the damage already done to the environment and establishing guidelines to help Americans make a cleaner and safer environment a reality. 

The vast environmental improvements made in the last 40 years have benefitted every single American.

Air quality

• In the 40 years since the Clean Air Act went into effect, America has reduced 60% of the dangerous air pollutants that cause smog, acid rain, lead poisoning and more.
• Today, new cars are 98 percent cleaner than in 1970 in terms of smog-forming pollutants.  This change has made Americans healthier.

Protecting America's water

Forty years ago the Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so filled with oily waste and industrial pollution that it actually caught fire.  Today, the EPA is working to protect the water resources that keep our families healthy, our communities clean, and our country strong.

• Sixty-percent more Americans were served by publicly-owned wastewater treatment facilities from 1968 to 2008.
• In a study of lakes from the 1970s to 2007, water quality improved. Half the lakes saw less nutrient concentrations (forming green sludge) and a quarter saw improved trophic status.
• Today, more than 2,000 water bodies identified as impaired in 2002 now meet water quality standards.
• The number of Americans receiving drinking water that met health standards went from 79 percent, in 1993, to 92 percent, in 2008.

Recycling

• American families and businesses went from recycling about 10 percent of trash in 1980 to more than 33 percent in 2008.  America recycles 83 million tons of trash annually.  That’s like cutting green house gas emissions from more than 33 million automobiles.

EPA @ 40 video

Watch this video montage of archival and contemporary footage that captures some of the most pivotal and memorable events of past 40 years of the environmental protection movement.

Skillsoft’s ESH compliance solutions

Skillsoft offers over 125 ESH courses, with translated courses available in the following languages (not all courses are available in all languages):

• Latin American Spanish
• Chinese Mandarin
• Canadian English and French
• German

ESH compliance courseware can be delivered and tracked through the Skillsoft Academy or Skillport® platforms and has a proven track record with third-party learning management systems. The courseware and technology conform to standards including Section 508, AICC and SCORM. The Skillsoft Academy platform manages blended curricula of elearning compliance courses along with records of other types of training such as classroom, video or on-the-job training, so all training records can be managed in one system.

For more information, visit our website.

Allison von Gruenigen has worked in the environmental, safety and health field for over twenty years. She is a Compliance Solutions Consultant at Skillsoft.

Why elearning continues to trend upward

Elearning has been a viable replacement for traditional instructor-led training since the late nineties. From major corporations to respected universities, elearning adoption continues to grow.

People want to learn online
It comes as no surprise that elearning continues to be a growing trend around the world. In the digital age, people don’t go to the library or their bookshelf when they want to know something. Whether they need to define a word or know how to tile their bathroom floor, people are turning to popular search engines like Google, wikis like Wikipedia and even social media sites like Pinterest. One study stated that 76% of teachers are using Wikipedia in the classroom.

Unfortunately, not all of the information available online is vetted or accurate. Elearning meets the need for on-demand resources while providing quality content. Learning assets such as courses, videos, books, and guides provide employees with the on-the-job training they want from respected subject matter experts.

Elearning is ideal for both employees and employers
Bringing employees to the training isn’t cost effective. When you factor in instructor time, travel and time away from work, traditional instructor-led training is expensive. Online learning brings training to employees, allowing them to access training anytime, anywhere. Elearning also helps companies stay competitive. As industries rapidly change, the nimble nature of online learning allows content to keep pace.

Not only does online learning save money, it also saves time. Elearning classes are 25 – 60% shorter in duration than classroom training. And the shorter courses are more engaging, increasing knowledge retention by as much as 60%.

Online learning can also increase job satisfaction and employee retention. Many employees leave their jobs because their position lacks opportunities for advancement and enrichment. Providing access to both formal training programs and on-demand resources allows employees to grow professionally.

Skillsoft introduces Sales Advantage – A flexible, engaging competency based learning solution

We are excited to announce the availability of Skillsoft Sales Advantage, a new technology-enabled learning solution that teaches sales professionals the latest strategies and techniques for engaging customers and closing sales. The solution delivers targeted blending learning content for improving sales effectiveness at all levels, and we are thrilled to add this offering to our diverse portfolio catered to our sales professional customers.

Our team understands that today’s incredibly competitive sales environment demands for sales teams to consistently perform at peak levels, so we designed Skillsoft Sales Advantages to meet these objectives and enable sales teams to perfect effective selling strategies. Through regular practice and specialized tools, Skillsoft Sales Advantage provides salespeople with the support they need to achieve a competitive advantage in the market without sacrificing time or quality.

The solution consists of targeted learning tracks that offer real-world, practical insight from top sales and business leaders, focusing on key selling skills and best practices. Users can leverage a variety of learning formats including videos, book summaries, practice tools, case studies, on-the-job resources and assessments to fit any learning style.

Skillsoft Sales Advantage is designed to meet the need for shorter, more flexible learning alternatives for busy sales professionals. Leveraging the popular design of the Skillsoft Leadership Advantage and Skillsoft Professional Advantage series, Skillsoft Sales Advantage features two-hour learning tracks that are organized in easily accessible 3-5 minute segments, allowing busy sales professionals the opportunity to fit training into their schedules. Learning tracks cover topics including organizing your sales approach, prospecting, conducting discovery meetings, negotiating, closing and more. Multiple modes of expert instruction are offered including text, video and interactive practice activities, which are designed to keep learning quick, easy and engaging.

Getting the most value from learning

We’re excited to share some of our key priorities for 2013 that were announced at Skillsoft’s recent annual global kick off meeting! These initiatives will help our customers and prospects get even more value from their learning programs. 

• Supporting continuous learning:  We’re entering an era of continuous learning, where a combination of formal, informal and social learning are constantly available to support your learners, which will help you achieve organizational agility and business excellence. 
• Learning strategy: We will continue to focus on customer market issues and leverage our Content, Service and Experience to lead you to an optimal learning approach. Read about our framework.
• Skillport® 8:  We’re very close to releasing the next generation of Skillport – Skillport 8.  Skillport 8 is a modern LMS, which takes into account the user experience first and foremost, with native mobile device support and collaboration features.  Read more.
• Skillsoft® Sales Advantage™:  Our latest release in the Advantage series is geared toward a new audience – sales professionals.  Skillsoft Sales Advantage builds skills in key areas of sales competency including conducting effective meetings, negotiations, closing and more. 
• Industry research: New research, conducted in conjunction with KnowledgeAdvisors, found that Skillsoft elearning was as good as or better than in-house developed elearning and that Skillsoft elearning was as effective as classroom training in its ability to positively impact the job. Download the new research paper. 
• Skillsoft Perspectives event, May 13-16 in Orlando, Fla.:  We look forward to welcoming 1,000 learning industry professionals for four days filled with presentations, collaborative working sessions and networking. With keynotes from Seth Godin and Professor Peter Cappelli of The Wharton School, and panel discussions with CLOs and industry analysts, it’s sure to be a fantastic week!  Register here. 

We are committed to bringing you the best in technology enabled learning.  Check our website, and subscribe to our blog and other social channels to see on-going updates of these developments. 

Global Foundries gains great insight at Global Skillsoft Perspectives

Registrations are flowing in for 2013 Global Skillsoft Perspectives in Orlando, Florida, May 13-16. Don't miss your chance to attend. Hear how a 2012 attendee benefited from last year's conference.

 

Global Foundries: Gets best-in-class insight at Skillsoft Perspectives from Skillsoft on Vimeo.

Are you ready for web standards in advertising?

We’re pleased to bring you a guest post by John Percival, an author featured in the Skillsoft® Books24x7® ITPro collection. John is the author of a new book, HTML5 Advertising.

By John Percival

If you're a front-end developer or web designer, you know the importance of web standards. They set a baseline for functionality and aesthetic that can be achieved within our browsers regardless of vendor and operating system (OS). But what does this mean for online advertising? You know, the multi-billion dollar industry of marketers, data analysts and creative minds that rely so heavily on Flash as their sole technology to deploy ads to their audience?

Wait, did you hear me? I said a multi-billion dollar industry: http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-101112. Seriously, this stuff is important!

In 2013, one important thing to take notice of will be the imminent shift from Flash based advertising to open web standards with HTML5, CSS and JavaScript in order to reach the platforms and operating systems that do not support plugins like Flash.

This is a huge step in the right direction and I'll tell you why.

Cross platform:
From your kids to your grandpa, we all seemingly have either a smart phone or tablet device in our family and with the vast amount of new devices pumping into the consumer market at crazy rates, we should expect to see these devices overtake desktop computing accessing web content in the next 1-2 years (depending on which research firm you trust).*

Pair this with all the major players in the web space (Microsoft, Google, Apple, Mozilla, Opera) becoming huge advocates of open web standards and this should be a clear view into the online world we'll all soon be taking part in. 

Adaptive approach:
With this cross platform approach, this means more devices, variable screen resolutions and higher pixel densities all accessing web content. Which means our ad content will need to follow suit and adapt correctly in both layout and functionality.

One single ad tag that will be deployed across all distribution channels, while handling the feature detection logic before actually serving the ad’s creative elements.

What this means for content producers is that you really need to get serious about your user base and start taking notice of who's requesting your content. If it's all HTML5 compliant browsers and devices, let that be your baseline for content development and give your users an amazing experience with all the bells and whistles. If it's still IE 6, 7 and 8, you'll know you'll still have to cater to those outdated users. Which does suck but you can't overlook them.

Amazing API's:
When you finally know your user base, you can start leveraging the true power of the new (open) web. Using all the new and shiny API's available to us; we can really cater our web and ad content to do amazing things in the appropriate environment. This could be the use of device accelerometers, ambient light sensors or more emerging API’s like WebGL and WebRTC to name a few.

You name it; it's either coming to the modern browser or already here in the latest versions and if you ask me, this is where it really gets exciting for web developers since it will open up new worlds of creative opportunities that were once unachievable.

Performance:
While we can give our users amazing new experiences, we can't escape the performance gains and constraints in this new ecosystem. Since we're no longer confined to a plugin environment we'll have to understand that our ads are now apart of the page markup. This means we need to be conscious of our CSS namespaceing and scripting so it doesn't conflict with the page we’re serving on.

On the flip side, this does mean performance gains because our ad content is now relying on the modern browser and leveraging the powerful rendering engines associated with them. We no longer have to optimize our ad content in a plugin environment like Flash or Silverlight as well as the rest of the page content.

What this means for ad developers is that now more than ever, we’ll need to act more like front-end web developers. Dealing with feature detection, various levels of HTML5 compliance, browser rendering issues and performance optimizations.

The guys and gals that can achieve this will be in high demand come 2013!

What this all means for marketers and more importantly, users?

A better web, of course! It’ll be faster, more accessible to users and operating everywhere regardless of platform, device or browser.

It's really an exiting time to be developing online advertising and for the web as a whole.

About John Percival
John Percival is an established creative director and technologist that resides in the Philadelphia area. He specializes in digital media production, multi-screen development, interactive design and video creation and delivery.He currently works in the digital advertising space working for many Fortune 500 clients solving complex problems.

HTML5 Advertising is available through the Skillsoft Books24x7 ITPro collection and for purchase here: http://www.apress.com/9781430246022

 

*http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/14/comscore-us-internet-report-yoy-pinterest-up-4000-amazon-up-30-android-top-smartphone-more/desktop-mobile/. 

Don’t miss the upcoming Skillsoft Live Event featuring David Nour

Skillsoft Live Events are produced annually providing executives with cutting-edge thinking in business and leadership through live and interactive presentations. These presentations feature the most recognized and sought-after thought leaders including Ram Charan, Tom Peters, Lynda Gratton, Dan Pink, Renée Mauborgne and more. Up to seven times per year, Skillsoft customers that subscribe to the Skillsoft® Leadership Development Channel™, 50 Lessons and Skillsoft® Leadership Advantage™ get access to these valuable virtual events! Customers can leverage this engaging content for team exercises or individual learning.

David Nour, Wednesday, November 28, 12 p.m. EST

Your personal and professional success depends on the diversity and quality of your relationships with others. Yet most of us don’t spend enough time building and nurturing the key relationships we need to achieve success. That’s where Relationship Economics® comes into play. Relationship Economics isn’t about networking. It’s about learning how to invest in people for an extraordinary return. It’s about exchanging Relationship Currency, accumulating Reputation Capital and building your Professional Net Worth. It’s about learning the art and science of relationships.

David Nour, author of the best selling business book, Relationship Economics, has developed a unique transformation process of individuals, teams and corporations in the way they build, nurture and leverage their personal, functional and strategic relationships.

Skillsoft receives accolades for its military and workforce training solutions

Skillsoft today announced that it has garnered recognition from two of the top training news sources for its innovative solutions. Military Training Technology (MT2) named Skillsoft to its “2012 Top Simulation & Training Companies” list for the fifth time in six years. In addition, TrainingIndustry.com named Skillsoft to its first annual “Top Workforce Development Providers” list. These recognitions further exemplify Skillsoft’s role as a pioneer in the learning field with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud based learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses.

The MT2 “2012 Top Simulation & Training Companies” list recognizes the companies that have made the most significant contributions to the military training community with their products and services. This is the fifth time in six years that Skillsoft has been selected for its successful and long-standing partnership with the armed forces. Skillsoft’s library of courses and digital reference products are used by active duty, reserve and civilian personnel representing the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard as well as the Department of Defense and the intelligence community. Skillsoft’s solutions support mission-critical training in areas such as IT security, IT certification/professional development, desktop support, executive leadership, diversity, compliance and many others.

Skillsoft was selected by TrainingIndustry.com for the 2012 annual “Top Workforce Development Providers” list based on the following criteria:

• Capability to deliver vocational training for those entering the workforce
• Commitment to the corporate training market
• Industry visibility, innovation and impact
• Number and strength of clients
• Geographic reach

Areas for which Skillsoft is being recognized include its customized management and leadership development training programs, namely The Leadership Development Channel™ (LDC) video-based solutions; Leadership KnowledgeCenter, a pre-packaged learning portal; and the Business Exploration Series portal which provides learners with scenario-based learning that enables them to experience real-world situations in safe, exploratory environments.

In addition to this recent acknowledgement, TrainingIndusry.com has frequently noted Skillsoft’s leadership. Earlier this year, Skillsoft was named to the publication’s "Top 20 Content Development Companies" list. Skillsoft has also been honored for three years in a row on the TrainingIndustry.com "Top 20 Leadership Training Companies" and “Top
20 Learning Portal Companies” lists.

For a complete list of MT2’s “2012 Top Simulation & Training Companies,” please visit http://www.kmimediagroup.com/topsim2012.

To learn more about TrainingIndustry.com’s “Top Workforce Development Providers,” please visit http://www.trainingindustry.com/workforce-development/top-companies-listings/2012/2012-top-workforce-development-providers.aspx.

 

 

Throw Back Thursday: performance reviews

We receive so much valuable content from our customers, partners and internal subject-matter experts. On Thursdays, we thought it would be fun to do a “throw back” and bring back an older post that was valuable to our audience. Today’s throw back is on mobile resources that support performance reviews.

Mobile Learning Support for Performance Reviews

By Ann Gebreselassie, Learning Consultant, Skillsoft

As the end of the year approaches, you may be deep in the performance review process. Skillsoft offers many tools and resources to assist your organization during the performance management cycle, as several of my colleagues have recently written about on this blog. Skillsoft also offers mobile learning solutions to help support managers as they prepare to conduct performance reviews.

As technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed, has your life-long-learning strategy kept pace?  Certainly there is still value in face-to-face learning interactions.  Both formal, as in a classroom setting, or informal as in mentoring, traditional methods of learning are not going to disappear.  With the globalization of business, and the advanced technologies that support it, the need for quick and agile learning opportunities has risen as a priority.  In particular, the more senior your role within an organization, the more necessary it becomes for your learning and development to gel with hectic schedules.

Here are some examples of ways that Skillsoft supports continuous learning on-the-go for leaders at every level of an organization, including solutions to help managers prepare for performance reviews:

• Skillsoft® Books24x7® ExecSummaries™: These 8-page summaries provide a synopsis of some of the top business books.  Written by the authors themselves, ExecSummaries are perfect for a quick read on a tablet.  Some of my personal favorites include: The Truth About Leadership, Multipliers, and Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary.

New Skillsoft IT and Desktop Video Collections

Skillsoft today introduced two new collections of on-demand IT and desktop performance support videos. The Skillsoft IT and Desktop Videos are captivating, 3-5 minutes of targeted learning experiences, covering a variety of desktop and IT topics. The videos, which complement other Skillsoft content and are available on Skillport® Skillsoft’s Learning Management System, highlight specific tasks and features, and cover nearly 1,000 topics. In order to support busy professionals, Skillsoft has made the videos so that they are available on mobile devices, including tablets and smartphones.

The Skillsoft IT and Desktop Videos are the latest additions to Skillsoft’s dynamic portfolio of video based learning assets. Skillsoft has been incorporating video into its learning solutions since 2006, initially with the introduction of its media-rich Business Impact and Challenge series products, and most recently with the addition of video in hundreds of its Business Skills courses. The Skillsoft Leadership Development Channel™ and 50 Lessons offers over 2000 videos, featuring world renowned business and global thought leaders.