Cegos is reinventing the Learning Experience with 4REAL©, the first customized blended course that includes transposition into the workplace

30/10/2017

As a worldwide leader in Learning & Development, the Cegos Group has made Digital Learning and the Customer Experience its two major development priorities. Working alongside businesses and learners, Cegos is now reinventing the “Learning Experience”, with the aim of supporting the fundamental shifts taking place in the world of work.Unparalleled change demands an unparalleled response: as a pioneer in distance learning with the creation of the first e-learning modules in 2001, Cegos is now launching 4REAL^©, its all-new blended approach, which focuses on operational transposition for the long term. Transformation, professionalization, innovation: three critical challenges facing businesses todayBased on the advice and support services Cegos provides to its customers, the Group has identified three major issues currently facing the business community:

Transformation. According to research by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) published in the HR Change Readiness Survey 2015, businesses undergo at least five major changes every three years. However, 60% of these projects are totally new to them, creating more uncertainty and complexity. As a result, businesses view just a third of these projects as a success.
Professionalization. Businesses today need to help their employees develop their professional skills on an ongoing basis. It is estimated that in the future, employees will change jobs every two years, on average. That will mean developing not only new technical but also interpersonal skills, which are essential for agile working both individually and in a team, in a context of rapid, ongoing change.
Innovation. In order to respond to these challenges, and at a time when learning methods are changing and there is a plethora of training options on offer, businesses need to adopt an agile approach to innovation and make the right choices when it comes to learning.

4REAL^©, a new approach to learningDigital technology has encouraged the development of a much wider range of training programmes, with a vast range of interpersonal and digital interactions available, from using smartphones in the classroom to making digital activities available in advance or afterwards, alongside the multiple possibilities for sharing views with others through peer-to-peer learning. Yet what might seem appropriate in pedagogical terms and simple for the designer, can sometimes feel complicated for the learner.The question ‘Is the training programme appropriate?’ is no longer enough. Two questions are now critical:

‘Is the programme easily and effortlessly accessible for the learner?’
‘Is it sufficiently inspiring to “truly“ engage distance learners?’

This paradigm shift means switching from instructional design to experiential design. In other words, getting inside the skin of the learner.It is with this in mind that Cegos has created 4REAL^©, a new approach to learning, with effectiveness at its core.The promise: professional results and an impact on performance, “for real”. Available on the online platform LearningHub@Cegos^©, these 4REAL^© courses fulfil the four criteria today’s organizations are looking for:

Designed jointly with the commissioner, these blended courses(combining classroom-based and distance learning) provide long-term training to embed professional practices and allow individuals to learn at their own pace;
These programmes focus on transposing what has been learned into the workplace: as a result, the courses should not only guarantee that participants have understood the content, but should deliver results in the workplace and contribute to performance;
These ATAWAD (any time, anywhere, any device) courses include the best digital technology has to offer and are accessible at any time, on any device, whenever there is a suitable opportunity for learning;
Finally, these courses arecustomizable, to meet the performance issues the business faces,and personalizable to allow every participant to learn according to their own preferences.

With a range of individual and group training options on offer, there are around 40 courses incorporating the 4REAL^© approach already available, mainly in the areas of personal development, professional effectiveness, and people and project management.Similarly, most of the main made-to-measure training programmes that Cegos designs and runs for its customers are built around the four characteristics of the 4REAL^© approach. The same will apply to a new generation of corporate training courses that the Group will be launching soon.This new approach further enhances the range of solutions deployed by Cegos: coaching, pure classroom-based learning and short “3 hours to...” modules are all tried-and-tested solutions that complement 4REAL and respond to real customer needs. José Montes, Cegos Group Chairman, concludes:“Businesses expect L&D organizations to align with their needs in terms of both services and performance.That’s why, as an international leader in the L&D sector, we took the decision several months ago to refocus on our core business (training and consultancy) and offer organizations a complete service offering that extends along the entire training value chain.It is what has supported the acquisitions recently made by Cegos (of Germany’s leading training provider and the top French training management outsourcing provider) and has led to today’s launch of 4REAL^©. This new approach to learning is driving Cegos’ Beyond Knowledge positioning, which expresses our ambition to offer our customers much more than just learning.”Press contact:Mathieu Cadot / + 33 1 55 00 96 64 / +33 6 76 05 96 17 / mcadot@cegos.frAbout Cegos GroupCreated in 1926, the Cegos Group is a worldwide leader in learning and development. Directly established in 11 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, the Group is also present today in over 50 countries through a network of partners and distributors, who are training leaders and major technological actors.Thanks to a staff of 1000 and over 3000 partner consultants, the Group trains 250,000 people throughout the world every year, generating revenues of €200 million.Cegos deploys a global offer, including turnkey and tailored training and development, operational consultancy, Managed Training Services and international training projects. Its ‘blended learning’ approach aims to provide the most suitable and competitive learner experience by combining multiple learning formats (classroom training, e-learning modules, videoconferences, webcasts, e-training programmes and more).www.cegos.comYou can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.