Education Technology

Learning Pool Introduces Global AI-Based Skills Solution

Learning Pool Introduces Global AI-Based Skills Solution
Learning Pool, the award-winning learning technologies company, has announced the launch of a major new product ahead of its 14th annual Learning Pool Live user conference.The release will leverage the know-how of People-Analytix, a Switzerland-based pioneer in AI-powered skills technology that was recently acquired by Learning Pool. The shift to put skills at the center of Learning Pool's technology offering is a wider reflection of the most profound change we've seen in learning technologies in recent times.

"Every global enterprise is struggling to attract and retain skilled employees, and the widening skills gaps that are stopping businesses from growing at the pace they desire are apparent in every boardroom conversation,Learning Pool's acquisition of People-Analytix, and the subsequent advancements it will bring to our platform, means that we can now give customers the power to automatically address skills gaps as they appear. It is a tremendously exciting technology and a fundamental component in our wider mission to support talent development in creating extraordinary performers."

Ben Betts, Learning Pool CEO

Learning Pool notes that analysts and market commentators are keen to point out that the pivot to skills is not a temporary fad but rather a fundamental shift in the way we think about talent and development.According to Gartner, "Skills are fast becoming the main talent-related currency in terms of hiring, workforce planning and optimization, career development, talent marketplaces and learning." The World Economic Forum predicts that, by 2025, as many as 50% of all workers will need reskilling.[2] To address this global issue, skills development can no longer be satisfied by being simply reactive. Fosway research shows that skills are a critical strategic priority for organizations. However, only 20% of learning professionals say they are very effective at upskilling and reskilling," Fiona Leteney, senior analyst at Fosway Group, said. Both organizational agility and resilience are dependent on developing the right skills at pace, Learning Pool's acquisition of People-Analytix significantly strengthens its skills capabilities to address those needs. The latest release will form a key part of the Learning Pool platform; customers will use it to assess the current skills within their organization, plan for the future and close the gap through Learning Pool's platform and content libraries  all in a single solution. Our latest release is powered by the incredible AI that People-Analytix and their partners have been developing over the better part of the past decade," Betts said. "The work the team have done has been lauded as one of the smartest 'skill cloud' executions available in the market today, and that's been backed up with real-world success stories.

Taking a highly user-centric approach that is unique in the marketplace, the product announcement includes:
  • A unique personal skills profile. From the outset, each user will have a unique and personal skills profile, fully capable of recommending the next best step for their development, based on up-to-date market data summarized into a seamless and automated experience.
  • A market-leading skills ontology, providing a categorization of skills that creates a common language, defining the aspects of a specific job rather than relying on blanket terms and descriptions. Other providers in the industry use more limited methods of taxonomy, essentially hardcoding a hierarchy of jobs or competencies into their products, putting additional pressure on learning and development teams while inevitably becoming an outdated, poor reflection of how people do their jobs.
  • External employment marketplace data updated daily to help both workers and administrators understand the skills that are in highest demand/shortest supply and to keep pace with the rapidly changing demands of global workplaces.
  • A range of new learning experience types, including gig projects, internal mobility, mentorships and social learning opportunities, to broaden the methods by which employees can enhance their skill profiles.
  • Updated and personalized learning recommendations, giving learners the best resources, social interactions and learning experiences to improve the most in-demand skills. Users can reskill or upskill using different pathways and different methods of learning.
  • A comprehensive skills gap analysis tool, allowing managers to view the current skills within their team, plus the potential for staff members to upskill to fill new or emerging needs. In addition to benefiting from People-Analytix technology, Learning Pool will be strengthening its ranks of skills and data experts, led by Christoph Küffer, co-founder and CEO of People-Analytix, who joins the Learning Pool management team.

We are excited to take our shared passion for innovation and customer centricity forward to build the future of enterprise learning, Küffer said. Current skills solutions in the market use relatively basic taxonomy not reflecting the current market developments. At the heart of our solution is a unique AI-powered ontology built over 10 years with human guidance. This sets us apart and is why it has the power to revolutionize how organizations manage their approach. Reporting around skills and skills progress can be used for organizational planning and developing and measuring learning and development strategies, making a powerful impact on business goals. Participants at Learning Pool Live will be able to share in the announcement, get hands-on with the technology and speak to the wider team. Last-minute tickets are available to join industry pioneers and hundreds of peers for a day of innovation, idea sharing and best practice.

About Learning Pool
Learning Pool creates learning experiences that deliver extraordinary outcomes for workplaces investing in the performance and skills of their people. Global organizations across dozens of industries choose Learning Pool for its innovative learning platform, which combines integrated technology and adaptive content to produce actionable insight into every learner's performance readiness. The company's passion for learning and commitment to data-driven outcomes is why they stay.Learning Pool is used in more than 40 languages by learners around the world. Its solutions easily integrate with the most used enterprise technology stacks. And its world-class customer experience ensures that L&D, HR and compliance teams can move beyond discussing learning as a cost center to harnessing its unique ability to produce a highly skilled workforce, new competitive advantages and an organization prepared for whatever the future might bring. Wherever you find ambitious workplaces investing in their people, you'll find Learning Pool.

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2U Partners with University of Surrey to Launch 15 Online Master's Degrees

PR Newswire | February 01, 2024

2U, Inc, the company behind global online learning platform edX, today announced a new partnership with the University of Surrey to launch and support the delivery of online master's degrees and online professional certificate programs. An initial five online degree programs will welcome students in 2024, with a portfolio of at least 15 master's degrees and at least 15 professional certificate programs being delivered by 2026. This will expand access to this highly ranked UK university for students worldwide. Surrey's partnership with 2U will deliver Surrey Online Learning: an acceleration and transformation of the university's provision of online learning. 2U's expertise will help Surrey establish a scalable model and quickly expand its digital capabilities to worldwide audiences. The collaboration aligns with the university's mission to expand access to life-changing education and personal and professional success. "We're partnering with 2U and their edX platform to accelerate Surrey Online Learning provision," said Professor Tim Dunne, Provost and Senior Vice-President at the University of Surrey. "The University of Surrey has global strength in innovation and research, and is renowned for being one of the best universities in the UK for delivering excellence in teaching and employability. Through Surrey Online Learning, we will offer flexible and affordable educational pathways that are compatible with and relevant to modern careers, combining accessibility with strong student outcomes." Surrey's suite of online degrees will build on the success of its on-campus programs, with the online curriculum developed in partnership with LearningMate. The first five degrees expected to launch in 2024 will be in the areas of artificial intelligence, business, psychology, marketing, and sustainability. The professional certificate programs, which will focus on technology, healthcare, business, communications technologies, and sustainability, will provide learners with an opportunity to build and enhance critical professional skills on their way to determining if a full degree in a corresponding subject is part of their educational journey. "2U prides itself in being a digital transformation partner that can support strategic long-term thinking, accelerate innovation, and help drive positive student outcomes across new formats and modalities," said Andrew Hermalyn, President of the Degree Program Segment at 2U. "The University of Surrey has major ambitions to expand its online learning capabilities, and we are honored to be their partner to help build their online presence from the ground up." "LearningMate is honored to partner with the University of Surrey on its transformative online learning initiative in collaboration with 2U. We're excited to contribute to the development of cutting-edge online master's degrees and professional certificate programs that align with Surrey's commitment to excellence," said Prasad Mohare, Senior Vice President at LearningMate. "Our focus on innovation and accessibility will be showcased in the initial offerings. LearningMate is dedicated to supporting Surrey in expanding access to impactful, career-relevant learning opportunities in the evolving landscape of online education." Today's announcement builds on the continued demand for 2U's flexible degree partnership model, which gives universities the choice of selecting different bundles of services according to their needs.

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Bridge2Rwanda Extends Partnership with IXL to Support Students Developing English Language Skills

PR Newswire | January 30, 2024

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B2R's ultimate goal is to build a thriving community of well-educated African leaders who will accelerate their nations' growth and improve the lives of others. B2R began using IXL Language Arts in 2019 to support the English language development of 30 high-achieving scholars from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Burundi. In 2020, the nonprofit relied on IXL's all-inclusive platform to ensure that its English language learners (ELLs) developed essential ELA skills during distance learning. After two years of an impactful partnership, B2R made IXL an integral component of its new intensive English training and college preparatory program, Isomo Academy. The inaugural class of 120 Isomo Academy scholars quickly embraced IXL's tailored support, built-in instructional resources, and engaging learning opportunities. During the first week of Isomo Academy's eight-week training program, educators use IXL's adaptive assessment, the Real-Time Diagnostic, to pinpoint each student's English proficiency level, helping them understand individual strengths and areas for improvement. Based on these insights, the diagnostic then generates personalized skill recommendations to challenge and support learners at the right level. Additionally, B2R educators use the diagnostic to track student growth each week to ensure that students are progressing and mastering essential ELA concepts. Bridge2Rwanda educators also rely on IXL's comprehensive curriculum to help students build the skills that they need to become strong communicators. Each day at Isomo Academy, students take writing and reading classes that are paired with intensive language and communication seminars. Additionally, students work on IXL skills that align with their classroom lessons. The combined approach allows educators to engage students at their individual levels, assign homework, and differentiate learning beyond the school day. "IXL bursts bottlenecks for Bridge2Rwanda scholars by eliminating language barriers," said Luke Dreiling, Lead English Teacher, Bridge2Rwanda. "This enables them to excel in their studies, advance their careers, and contribute significantly to the growth of African communities." "Bridge2Rwanda's dedication to expanding educational opportunities for young African students is commendable. We are excited to continue equipping even more bright and ambitious learners with the tools they need to confidently pursue their dreams on a global scale," said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. "At IXL, we are committed to leveraging education as an instrument of empowerment to break down language barriers and ensure all students have the opportunity to thrive." IXL's impact on English language learners IXL Language Arts gives teachers a systematic way to troubleshoot each student's unique reading and writing roadblocks, and put them on the path to success: Among schools with a high percentage of ELLs, research demonstrates that those using IXL outperformed non-IXL schools on Smarter Balanced Assessments in ELA by as much as seven percentile points. IXL's comprehensive curriculum provides more than 2,400 adaptive skills that span early literacy, reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and advanced concepts, such as persuasive writing. Each IXL skill is adaptive, ensuring that ELLs feel confident that they are perfectly challenged and supported at the right level when developing fluency. IXL's adaptive assessment, the Real-Time Diagnostic, pinpoints students' grade-level proficiency in key ELA strands, and generates targeted next steps to help students grow from where they are. As English language learners progress, these personalized recommendations stay up-to-date, ensuring that they always have a clear path toward mastering ELA concepts. As students learn and practice, IXL provides in-the-moment support and resources for self-remediation. For example, video tutorials guide learners through the building blocks of reading, writing, and grammar to provide additional support during learning and independent practice. If a student answers a problem incorrectly, IXL provides a step-by-step explanation of the right answer so that students can learn from their mistake and solidify their knowledge of that skill. Educators also rely on insights from IXL Analytics to track student progress, monitor readiness for exams, and differentiate instruction to fill knowledge gaps. Up-to-date reports help teachers uncover areas of challenge for each student and identify patterns in mistakes in order to provide targeted reteaching.

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Education Technology, Corporate Education and Training, Continuing Education

Elsmere Education Launches EPaaS: Powering Smart Growth in Higher Education with Streamlined Processes and ROI-Driven Strategies

PR Newswire | January 31, 2024

Elsmere Education, a leading force in online program enablement, announces the official launch of Education Process as a Service (EPaaS). This innovative ecosystem empowers universities to achieve smart growth in their online programs by streamlining operations, maximizing ROI, and catering to the unique needs of non-traditional students. EPaaS encompasses Elsmere Education's proven business processes tailored for an enriched student journey supported by dynamic communication strategies. Our solutions are powered by a curated technology ecosystem that includes omnichannel marketing capabilities and is designed to integrate with a wide range of existing campus systems. Built on Feedback, Designed for Growth The subscription-based model empowers universities to bring essential services in-house efficiently, leveraging a comprehensive suite of 40+ technologies through a single procurement process. EPaaS is intentionally designed to streamline and optimize the entire student lifecycle, specifically catering to the needs of non-traditional and online adult learners. Dan Janick, CEO of Elsmere Education, states: "EPaaS is a game-changer in terms of ROI. We've created a flexible, scalable solution that gives universities complete control and empowers internal teams to be more agile. It's the ultimate enablement model for driving efficiencies, increasing enrollment, and boosting student retention." Addressing Common Challenges Elsmere Education recognizes the challenges faced by university leaders in meeting the unique needs of non-traditional students and online adult learners. EPaaS addresses common challenges, including reliance on campus systems built for traditional students, lack of a CRM platform, and manual workflows hindering efficient student journey execution and monitoring. EPaaS Delivers Tangible Results 360-degree business intelligence: Make data-driven decisions for improved performance across the student lifecycle. Real-time marketing metrics: Optimize your marketing efforts and maximize enrollment yield. Increased staff productivity: Streamline processes and free up your team to focus on student success. Elsmere Education is your partner in online education success. Contact us today to learn how EPaaS can transform your institution.

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