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SkillSoft Taps Perspectives 2011 Award Winners

Manufacturing Close-Up May 17, 2011 SkillSoft, a SaaS provider of e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses, announced the winners of its Perspectives 2011 Industry Awards at its annual user conference being held this week in Orlando, FL.

The winners, which include the U.S. Army, Cox Communications, Taco Bell, H.J. Heinz Company and others, demonstrate how SkillSoft’s learning solutions are enabling organizations across a broad spectrum of industries to improve their performance through a diverse set of innovative learning programs.

The awards were judged by a panel of industry experts, including: Lorri Freifeld of Training Magazine, Cushing Anderson of IDC, Jeanne Meister of FutureWorkplace.com, Mollie Lombardi of Aberdeen, Paula Ketter of T&D Magazine, Bill Brandon of Learning Solutions Magazine, John Hollon of TLNT.com, Susan Smith-Nash of eLearning Queen, and Sally Hovis, SkillSoft’s vice president of learning design.

Perspectives 2011 brings together hundreds of SkillSoft customers from a variety of business, governmental and educational entities to network and discuss how to link learning to business goals. SkillSoft annually honors several companies for their notable efforts in e-learning, recognizing innovative ideas and inspiring leaders who are helping to transform the learning landscape.

“Organizations today use e-learning in a variety of ways to address diverse business challenges,” said Jerry Nine, COO of SkillSoft. “We’re proud to recognize this impressive group of organizations and individuals who have harnessed the power of learning technology to deliver innovative results aligned with their business objectives.” The Perspectives 2011 Industry Awards categories and winners are:

-Learning in Emerging Business Achievement Award:

Canadian-based MD Physician Services, which serves Canada’s physicians with financial and professional help at every step of their careers, was recognized for adapting learning to the fast- paced and evolving landscape of a small to medium sized business environment. In just the first year, the program was extremely successful, and as more and more employees turn to e-learning as their means of “just in time” leaning resources, the company has seen significant savings in training and travel costs. Honorable Mention was awarded to LIME. go to web site army e learning

-Best IT Training:

Cox Communications, the third-largest cable entertainment and broadband services provider in the country, was honored for their blended learning program, “Advanced Technical Training Path to Cisco Certification,” which utilizes Books24x7 resources and SkillSoft Live Learning for Cisco certification exam preparation to help the company achieve business goals related to network reliability. Honorable Mention was awarded to KPMG Management Services LP. armyelearningnow.net army e learning

-Integrating Learning into the Life of the Enterprise:

Global food brand H.J. Heinz Company sought to establish a blend of independence and autonomy in each of its business units across 48 countries, while maintaining consistent standards for operations and developing core leadership capabilities. Over the past nine months, the Heinz Academy program has successfully developed leadership capabilities at all levels and Heinz has seen direct results in terms of improved employee engagement and retention. Honorable Mention was awarded to Arrow Electronics.

-Custom Award:

Taco Bell met the challenge of delivering a consistent training experience throughout its more than 6,000 restaurants by offering employees a customized, multi-lingual blended learning program which combines online learning with hands-on training. Learners have consistently said that the program is fun, engaging and provides the information and practice they need to provide the highest level of customer service. Honorable Mention was awarded to Sun Life Financial.

-Public Sector Excellence in Learning:

Today’s Army is made up of young people who are familiar with technology and who expect online learning that is dynamic, fast and always available. For the third year in a row, the United States Army has been recognized for the Army e-learning program which utilizes SkillSoft courseware and inGenius social learning to help the armed forces develop the skills needed both to perform in their current roles and to pursue job opportunities following active duty. Honorable Mention was awarded to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.

-Learning Professional of the Year:

Annette Thompson, SVP and chief learning officer for Farmers Insurance, has been instrumental in transforming the company’s approach to learning. Starting in 2004, she re-engineered the Agency Training unit, creating learning that drove agent behavior change and tangible growth, and ultimately proving that learning was a strategic advantage capable of driving organizational business results. Through her dedication to learning, Thompson has created within Farmers an environment of greater accountability to metrics, consistent learning methodologies, greater shared content, common technology platforms and vendors, and a leadership and reporting structure that attaches learning to business results. Honorable Mention was awarded to Michelle Jansen of Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

-Program of the Year:

The American Heart Association’s (AHA) American Heart University was initially created to provide a place for all staff and their families to have free, online access to world-class education. As a result of recruitment of an experienced corporate university dean to build the program and overwhelming executive support, the program now has 100 percent participation from the AHA’s more than 2,900 staff. The program has allowed the AHA to deliver training to all staff nationwide, while also cutting its training budget by millions of dollars and facilitating the retention of key staff.

SkillSoft is a SaaS provider of on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses.

More Information:

www.skillsoft.com ((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))