Element K Provides Innovative Solutions for Enterprise Learning

There is little question that Element K ranks as one of the most respected names in the learning solutions industry, what with its impressive stable of blue chip clients drawn to a wide range of products, services and technologies. Its array of online and print learning tools includes more than 2,800 e-learning courses, 1,300 print courseware titles and a world-class on-demand learning management system, KnowledgeHub.

So it should come as no surprise that the Rochester, NY-based company has begun to flex its muscles in the fast-growing marketplace for learning services. Its seasoned training professionals specialize in providing customized learning solutions aimed at solving the business problems of clients.

It is a natural evolution, says Paul Krause, CEO and President of Element K. The ability to approach that market with more than two decades of experience in the training industry, rather than from a purely consulting or outsourcing perspective, pays clear dividends for clients, says Krause. That experience includes 25 years of designing, developing, and delivering highly interactive and engaging ILT and e-Learning courses with an emphasis on instructional effectiveness, as well as over 12 years of hosting online learning solutions. "This combination of experiences is unique to Element K, and cannot be claimed by even the largest of the HR/Training outsourcing organizations," notes Krause.

Krause says those capabilities are applied every day to the creation of custom, proprietary learning solutions for clients. In addition, Element K continues working with clients in a consulting role, to assist in rolling out learning programs and help them achieve their business objectives.

The experience dates back to 1982, when the company - named Logical Operations - was launched by two professors of Rochester Institute of Technology. The initial product was instructor-led training, but the company quickly expanded when it began to publish training materials that were used in training centers around the world. In 1991, publisher Ziff-Davis purchased the firm and later renamed it Ziff-Davis Education. It soon became the nation's leading publisher of personal computer training products, as well as a pioneer in online learning. For example, ZD Education introduced LearnItOnline.com in 1996 as the first online learning site to offer an interactive, self-paced information technology curriculum.

In February 2000, the company was acquired by U.S. Equity Partners LP, an affiliate of Wasserstein & Co., and was renamed Element K. It has since become a leader in the industry, known for its integrated products and services, as well as customer service and support.

Element K has developed solutions for a variety of industries including hospitality, IT, manufacturing, financial services, government organizations and training centers. It delivers flexible, online instruction through formats that include self-paced courses, vLabs® hands on labs, instructor facilitated online classrooms, professional certifications, university accreditation, a technical and business e-Reference library, collaborative online learning and its hosted learning management platform, KnowledgeHubTM. Its courses include information technology, computing, compliance, finance, and business management, along with custom content for proprietary training. Its professional certifications support Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe, Sun, PMI, CompTIA and EC-Council.

Element K is also partners with getAbstract®, the largest distributor of business book summaries worldwide. Busy professionals can access thousands of concise five-page summaries of the most crucial business, marketing and leadership books currently published through Element K. "Access to such a wide array of influential works in a digestible format provides readers with the instant benefits of putting new ideas into practice immediately, and rapidly advancing personal and career development objectives," says Krause.

When developing KnowledgeHubTM, now in its third generation, Element K went straight to for a Software as a Service (SAAS) deployment rather than initially develop a behind-the-firewall LMS, says Krause. The LMS is a fully customizable, scalable and secure system that integrates self-paced courses from any variety of third party vendors, labs, reference materials, and collaborative components, as well as standard or customized professional development paths. Element K's credentials management feature also allows organizations to assign and track various requirements to maintain professional or proprietary credentials.

The integration capabilities enable clients to provide e-learning services as part of a larger company business environment and leverage existing enterprise applications, technology investments and third party LMSs.

"We can offer customers our hosted learning platform that can be used as a comprehensive, cost effective, stand-alone solution, or we can integrate with a customer's existing infrastructure, such as HRIS and LMS environments, with our open web services architecture," says Krause. He considers the learning company to be technology agnostic.

Taking a Holistic Approach

Element K takes a holistic approach to addressing the learning challenges of clients, both broad and narrow. That focus incorporates additional training solutions for the entire enterprise and the extended enterprise, including specific solutions for:

Development and operations, including procedural training, compliance, and corporate policies
Sales and customer support, including training on business applications, company products and services, and client relationship skills
Extended enterprise, including training for sales channels, distributors, and end-users/customers

David Sinder David Snider, senior director of marketing, says Element K typically focuses on out-tasking activities such as development and day-to-day management of a client's learning program, content development, and technology integration. That makes sense, he says, considering the relatively small penetration of comprehensive training outsourcing deals today. With Element K's vast content development expertise, including the delivery of courses online, it has become a popular choice for such services, he reports.

The activity is supported by a learning services team experienced in designing learning implementation programs, developing courses to meet specific learning objectives, delivering both classroom and online training, and guiding clients through their training processes. The team includes Solutions Consultants, who understand the needs of customers and partner with them to develop tailored solutions, and Learning Management Consultants, who help ensure successful implementation of programs that maximize student participation and return on investment.

Among its learning administration services clients is Accor North America, a division of the European hospitality company that owns Red Roof Inns and other hotel properties. Element K provides Accor N.A. with a comprehensive suite of offerings including the training of geographically dispersed employees for a wide variety of skills and job roles. Its hosted site offers multi-brand and multi-lingual programs that are customized to six hotel brands.

"Element K's learning administration services allow our customers to stay focused on their businesses and setting the direction of their training programs, rather than being consumed with tactical issues such as managing learner accounts and provisioning courses," says Krause.

Element K also operates a learning administration services contract with the PGA of America, which includes the delivery of its platform and necessary courseware to support the organization's far flung membership of golf professionals. A new certification program initiated by the PGA has required the creation and deployment of some 30 custom courses on hard skills, along with support of its extensive soft skills library.

The engagement represented a challenge for Element K since it involved a competitive bid situation in a field where the training company lacked subject matter expertise. "Although we are not experts in this area, we can create learning solutions that meet the customer's needs," says Snider. "We work with SMEs in a variety of subjects, integrating courses we've created for a comprehensive solution."

Paul Krause best summarizes the organization and its mission: "Element K has been a well respected training organization in the Information Technology space for more than 25 years. We are now strategically leveraging our capabilities to provide comprehensive learning solutions and expect to be a leader in the fast growing training outsourcing market."