USDA stamp of approval
A learning, knowledge and human capital management system is being used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to integrate its knowledge assets. The USDA is using the solution from mGen to streamline business processes and reduce costs for such applications as training, news and information, knowledge communities, organizational knowledge management and human capital management.
MGen Enterprise 3.0. also will help deliver several critical capabilities to the organization: compliance with all government-related standards; the ability to function across several layers of administration in large, dispersed groups; and the ability to create an integrated environment of learning, human capital management and information sharing. Using the software, the USDA can deliver training and communications materials to and share intellectual capital with 110,000 employees and, eventually, with public and private sector clients across the country.
David Vennell, USDA On-Line University administrator with the group's Office of Communication, explains, "With the new version, we can link the various agencies of the USDA under one standards-compliant platform and leverage content across agency boundaries, reducing the amount of duplicate courseware. This will allow us to reduce costs and develop more content and courses to the employees and public/private sector clients that make up the USDA."
Among the successes said to have been achieved through the new system is creation and hosting by the USDA of agency-specific courseware for dairy brokers and producers participating in the Dairy Options Pilot program.
Vennell says, "The dairy brokers and producers were given the option to take the certification program either in a traditional classroom or online via mGen Enterprise. Initially, I thought we would get a 10% response to the online program. However, 100% of the participating dairy brokers and producers opted to take the certification program online. The program has been a complete success, because 100% of the participating brokers and dairy producers have been certified using the system. We are now positioned to begin the rollout of the second phase of this training and expect the same successful results."
According to a recent press release from mGen, the USDA can provide greater internal and external service to its personnel and farmers through the software's new features. While it will continue to develop and host its own courseware, the USDA can also use third-party courseware and integrate it into the system because of mGen's compliance with such standards as SCORM and AICC.