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Connecting Learning to Needed Competencies

A short explanation of competency-based learning centers.

Many people understand the inherent potential of using education and training to

develop needed skills of their employees. With the growth of MOOCs, short-course

formats, eLearning and competency-based education, it seems like a great idea to

harness the innovative programs that are rapidly evolving in the marketplace.

Think about it. Your employees are hungry for relevant learning opportunities that will

help them to grow in their careers. And every day more learning content is developed

from accredited institutions and training providers. When managed properly, enabling

the learning is good business for you. It can lead to increased retention, higher

productivity and more engaged employees.

How exactly do you, as an employer, link these very different worlds together? More to

the point, how do you get access to the learning that matters for your employees? And

do this without paying for more than you need, dedicating precious resources that are

already overstretched, or getting bogged down in yet another IT-dependent project?

Competency-based Learning Center

At Knoitall, we have taken a novel approach to this challenge. We use software to map

the world’s learning opportunities directly to the needed skills and competencies of an

organization. The result is a competency-based learning center that is unique for each

organization.

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There are many advantages to this approach:

Connects employees to learning options that foster the skills and competencies

desired by employers. When I led the tuition assistance business at EdLink one of

the biggest concerns of employers was spending money on education that did not

benefit their organization.

Supports the skills development of millennial employees. Educational

opportunities and career development are the top retention drivers for this

group.

Integrates all of the learning options into a single learning center. It eliminates

the scattered approach to managing learning assets, which is common at so many

organizations (e.g. separate portals for tuition assistance options, internal

training programs, leadership development programs, partner school

programs, etc.).

Magic behind the curtain

To support this approach, learning providers “list” programs with Knoitall. They can be

degrees, certificates, individual classes, self-directed videos and more. Just as

importantly, face-to-face as well as online programs are supported. As long as it delivers

a learning outcome, it has a place within Knoitall

Every time a learning opportunity is listed, it is mapped to a proprietary list of almost

600 competencies. The competencies are relevant to employers and include categories

such as business (e.g. project management), computers and software (e.g. cybersecurity)

or science and math (e.g. bioinformatics) among many others.

The power for the employer comes from selecting the right competencies to jointly build

the skills of individual employees and the skillset of the organization. We work with

employers to support their process of selecting competencies. In many cases, the

employer has already identified the relevant competencies. If not, we can guide them

through obtaining this information within their organization.

"KNOITALL HAS TAKEN AN INNOVATIVE AND FRESH APPROACH TO CREATING A COMPETENCY-

BASED LEARNING CENTER THAT IS UNIQUE FOR EACH ORGANIZATION. KNOITALL OFFERS AN

ORGANIZATION A STRAIGHT FORWARD TECHNOLOGY THAT INTEGRATES ALL LEARNING ASSETS

INTO A SINGLE LEARNING CENTER. THE BENEFIT IS CLEAR - MAKE LEARNING MORE ACCESSIBLE

AND RELEVANT AND YOU WILL HAVE A HIGHLY ENGAGED LEARNER.”

Michael Rochelle, Chief Strategy Officer,

Brandon Hall Group

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Once the needed skills and competencies are defined and shared, our software maps the

learning to the skill needs of an employer. The result is a learning center that directly

corresponds to the employer’s needs. This starkly contrasts with standard learning

catalogs of randomly aggregated learning content, which may or may not be relevant to

an employer.

About the Author

John Zappa is a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Knoitall, which help employers

develop the skills of their workforce through private learning marketplaces. An industry expert

on lifelong learning, John has spoken at numerous industry conferences including Chief Learning

Officer Symposium, Society of Human Resource Management, and The Conference Board, and

has co-authored articles on corporate tuition assistance programs and talent management.