Peace Corps wants training management solution
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Far-flung agency is looking for companies that can provide software solution for managing all aspects of its employee training and development.
The Peace Corps is exploring how and whether to acquire a learning management system (LMS) and any related technology to automate management of its training programs and processes.
For a relatively small agency, the far-flung Corps is looking for a multifaceted solution. In a recent request for information on the project, the Corps said it is looking for feedback from companies that can provide a software solution for “managing all aspects of its employee training and development.”
The LMS would include the ability to “house, route, track and report training content, requests, processes and approvals,” according to the RFI. In addition to these features, the Corps also wants to identify vendors that could deliver training content, including third-party developed digital course materials and in-house created content to its employees.
The requirements are meant to address the challenges of an agency with the need to train great numbers of new staff but whose processes are inconsistent across its global offices.
At the Corps, the process that manages training requests, approvals, communication, tracking and record keeping is “shared by many offices and isn’t always consistent or easily retrieved,” according the RFI. “Each office has unique training requirements and delivery systems whether online, instructor led, on-the-job, and/or mentoring,” it said. Also, training records may be available at different locations: on paper, spreadsheets, in a file, or in a system.
The location of Corps staff is also presents a training hurdle, the agency said. Corps’ employees have diverse training needs and are located at Peace Corps stations around the world. The LMS is intended to support 3,000 individuals internationally. Some of the locations have poor bandwidth, which needs to be considered in the solution.
Given these factors, the Corps is also considering whether to centralize agency training and to develop a structured approach that is consistent throughout the organization.
In the end, the Corps wants “flexible technology that allows the agency to evolve as technology and requirements change,” according to the agency. The Peace Corps’ hope is to identify new approaches that can deliver an exciting experience for its learners and more efficient operations for Peace Corps training staff.