Keeping Training Ethical With the Power of Skillsoft

The Federal Election Commission’s seamless transition to Skillsoft’s AI-driven, personalized skilling platform enhanced employee onboarding, training, and development.

According to research by the World Economic Forum, 75% of organizations plan to adopt new technologies (AI, Big Data, Cloud, etc.) over the next five years, while 44% of workers’ core skills will experience disruption.

The United States Federal Government is no different. For government agencies, ethics, compliance, and leadership skills are paramount to maintaining credibility — as is the case with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Historically, the FEC used Skillsoft’s legacy web-based learning platform, Skillport, for training. The FEC transitioned to Skillsoft’s latest platform, Skillsoft Percipio, in October 2022. With it, the agency could import existing course content into the newer platform while taking advantage of many new impactful capabilities.

Read on to learn how the AI-driven, personalized learning platform, comprehensive skilling pathways, interactive experiences, and robust reporting capabilities became indispensable for the FEC.

“When a new person starts [working at the FEC] — it can be a contractor or a new federal employee — they have to onboard with Skillsoft,” says Tiffany Carson-Canady, the FEC’s lead IT instructor and policy and planning expert, who’s been instrumental in implementing Skillsoft’s latest platform into the FEC’s training process. “You won’t get your equipment, network access, or anything unless you complete the full training program.”

Other mandatory training topics include VPN access, wireless training, sexual harassment, rules of behavior, document-sharing regulations, and disaster recovery. “Our admin training has two courses since COVID on occupant emergency,” Carson-Canady explains.

The platform's flexibility lets the organization blend custom content, in-person training, and existing Skillsoft assets in tracks and modules to ensure success. At the same time, a post-course assessment drives employee retention.

“I’m super excited about the new Skillsoft platform,” Carson-Canady says. “And I think this is the first time I've really seen the staff gravitating toward [a learning program] and asking how they can utilize it as well.”

In fact, the agency’s new Engagement Steering Committee (ESC) is very excited about Percipio and has launched a new training and development opportunity for all staff, called the “Percipio Discussion Series.” Every quarter, the ESC hosts a discussion focusing on a professional skill, based on the learning content regularly promoted by the IT Instructor team.
ESC builds discussions off of these recommendations (e.g. Time Management, leadership, communication, self-care, and more).

Different program offices within the FEC have unique training requirements — and Skillsoft accommodates them. For instance, agency-specific ethics training in a topic like The Hatch Act, requires an infallible learning system. The FEC trusts in Skillsoft.

Through Skillsoft's latest reporting features, each program office can track employee progress, ensuring compliance with specialized training requirements. Not to mention, transparency and accountability within the organization.

“We get a lot of inquiries from auditors annually,” Carson-Canady says. “They’ll choose 10 or more staff at random and require evidence that they took a necessary training.”

If an employee has breached a conduct code, Carson-Canady and HR must also pull proof of certification. “I rely on the Skillsoft platform for accurate information,” she says.

One of the programs Carson-Canady has strived to implement during her 20-plus years at the FEC is a leadership cohort for in-house talent. Now, along with Skillsoft and the director of HR, that goal is finally becoming a reality.

“I’m working on a Skillsoft pre-assessment and training track for 10-to-15 employees that will include guest speakers and tapping into existing managers and staff,” Carson-Canady explains.

Along with the cohort, which will rotate after six months, Carson-Canady plans to make the leadership tools available to all staff members through a dedicated Skillsoft learning path.

“We want to give all of our staff the resources necessary to adapt to change,” she says.

One core concept Carson-Canady tries to impart to employees is Skillsoft’s potential for propelling individual growth.

“After a person has completed their mandatory training, I provide them with a tutorial for making the most out of Skillsoft and its asset catalog,” Carson-Canady says. “I want them to know, ‘Hey, don't just look at this as something you do for mandatory training.’”

For instance, Carson-Canady loves the option to collaborate with participants from all over the world in live, virtual bootcamps.

“How awesome is it that you learn from an instructor but also learn from each other, and we're all in different offices?” she says. “You have so many more takeaways and wonderful nuggets in the chat room in that live event. The participants all said how wonderful it was, and it piqued their interest in the platform.”

Carson-Canady’s tutorial also explains the extensive skilling pathways within the Skillsoft platform, all for free.

“It's not just IT training; there's so much more — writing skills, oral skills, how to communicate effectively, leadership, and time management,” she says. “You can log on and invest 30 minutes a day in yourself!”

The FEC is taking advantage of every capability in Skillsoft’s toolbox.
From employee onboarding — with a mix of custom and Skillsoft assets — to post-course reporting, compliance training, and live events for remote training opportunities, the platform has truly given the FEC a new approach to skill-building.

Discover today how Skillsoft’s AI-driven, personalized platform can invigorate training at your organization. Learn more.

“These factual statements were made in response to questions posed by Skillsoft and are not intended to convey an endorsement of Skillsoft by the Federal Election Commission.”