Companies that use the Academy also report two further major advantages, each of which reflects the Academy’s key focus areas. The first is higher speed to skill and productivity than they can achieve in-house. The other is sustained and ongoing capability building, driven by the Academy’s comprehensive and constantly expanding competency models, and the sheer depth and breadth of the learning options available. Online delivery is clearly key for maximizing the reach, accessibility, ease-of use and consistency of learning across the organization — but for the Academy and its users, these benefits are just the start. Going forward, online delivery opens up new vistas of opportunity in areas such as ‘social learning,’ harnessing the power of Web 2.0-style social networking to support and drive new learning experiences. The Academy is already using collaborative tools such as blogs and user networks to support more responsive peer-to-peer learning. Clearly, this type of collaboration needs to be subject to security controls to protect companies’ valuable proprietary information. However, what is clear is that, as the millennial generation enters the supply chain workforce, they will bring their social networking culture with them — and their employers will want to use these new tools to train and develop employees. The Academy will help them to do this. •
The Accenture Supply