To question outdated ideas and effectively prepare for the future, great transformation introduces new ways of thinking and acting on existing ways of working, like PeopleCert. As professionals, we must accept and prepare for such change as it occurs. However, we must also be careful about declaring any one manner of working outdated from the start. The introduction of digital reading devices brought with it ominous predictions for the future of books. But did books die? In their prediction for global book publishing 2021-26, IBISWorld states that “increasing internet usage will likely make books more accessible…while rising literacy rates and a concentration on education will likely produce a world full of readers.”
Once a book has been reviewed by some people, it earns credibility as something significant. Similarly, certification following completion of a course of study certifies a person’s knowledge, abilities, and competence. The value of such recognition has not lessened, and the present market demand for a professional workforce with relevant and specialized knowledge drives us to develop and provide exams that are current, valid, and of the best quality. Working with corporate employers to ensure they continue to respect training and certification is central to our mission, and it is why we must defend them as a learning community.
Designing and implementing our new commercial policy in February of this year was a significant change to make in such a short amount of time. We would have chosen a longer lead time if we could do it again, but we were forced to act forcefully, proactively, and fast to implement these critical adjustments efficiently. Any major commercial policy move is rarely universally embraced, and we recognize how challenging it has been for many training organizations to implement the essential changes in a unified manner.
Those changes, however, were the result of extensive study and planning with our partners, which resulted in the four core pillars of portfolio excellence: digital-first, simplicity, and community. And, despite the short-term pressures we know some members of the community are feeling, we believe the improvements have established the seeds for long-term success: you and us, growing together.
The general quantity of support shown by the partner community has taken everyone by surprise in the short time since they introduced the new commercial policy.
Following the pandemic experience, as OLP increased to cover 75% of exam bookings and training partners expanded their businesses through digital classrooms, it became sense to transition to a digital-first strategy for exams and a digital book for every learner. Going digital with tests allows us to manage consistency and ensure quality, which is important. Localization and fighting the grey market are important outcomes. While the introduction of OLP has been a success, we recognize that some markets are still more paper-based than others, and those discussions will continue.
Working with Vital Source has demonstrated that e-books can provide a holistic reading experience, transforming them into actual online tools of value rather than one-dimensional PDFs. And we will keep localizing the books as quickly as possible. We are aware that reducing our price from five to three areas has had a variety of effects on people. While we continue to assist our broader partner network in mitigating the impact of this move, we must recognize the critical role that this decision plays in eliminating previous gaps.
While all of the key adjustments went well when the new commercial strategy went into effect in February, there were some unanticipated difficulties. This entailed performing manual workarounds for specific platforms and systems, which partners often welcomed. Looking back, they believe the biggest win is that three former organizations – Axelos, TSO, and PeopleCert – are now one, allowing us to take a truly unified approach to the material, examinations, and learning experience.
The significance of the adjustments we’ve made is in what we can do as a community. A commitment to long-term investment in new certifications is part of it, but so is updating the existing best practice portfolio and continuing with localization projects. We’ve all seen the benefits of updating ITIL 4 in 2019, and other certifications should follow suit.
As a result, we are continuously analyzing what the market wants and will explain the product roadmap as soon as possible. The experiences they’ve had in the nearly year after PeopleCert purchased Axelos have shown us the value of collaborating with our partner community. Whatever they do, they want to collaborate with you well in advance to design our collective world for the future year.
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