Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2020 - 58

CLOSING
DEALS

ENABLING UBIQUITOUS LEARNING:
CORNERSTONE ONDEMAND ACQUIRES SABA SOFTWARE
BY TARYN OESCH

This spring, remote learning came into
its own amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Learning and development (L&D) experts
suddenly became more integral than
ever, both inside their organizations and
the broader business community.
Amid the chaos, Cornerstone OnDemand
announced its acquisition of Saba
from Vector Capital for almost $1.4
billion. A "talent experience solutions"
company, Saba's offerings include
software for recruiting, onboarding,
training, performance management and
coaching. The transaction is expected to
close this quarter.
It was a timely announcement, as a
Cornerstone spokesperson noted in
an email to Training Industry Magazine:
"Given our current climate, learning,
especially online learning, will become
the norm for even more organizations
around the world. Over the next few years,
you will see learning and development
opportunities start to blend in with day-today work, making learning more seamless
in the flow of work. We like to think of this
concept as 'ubiquitous learning' - it's
happening all around you, all the time."
LEARNING IN THE TIME
OF CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19 didn't introduce online
learning, but it did make it an imperative.
As businesses sent workers home,
leaders realized anew the importance of
providing learning solutions in the time
and place that best suits the learner.
Other trends have also increased the
demand for effective online learning.

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Recent years have introduced the gig
worker. Many of these "employees"
are not present in the office and cannot
participate in most in-person training
opportunities. However, they often still
need training and access to upskilling
initiatives. As L&D explores how to
develop these workers, access to quality
learning platforms will be critical.
With its acquisition of Saba, Cornerstone
hopes to improve its ability to help
organizations provide that "personalized,
engaging and highly empowering" talent
experience, the spokesperson said.
"Whether employees are onboarding,
developing new skills, seeking new
opportunities within [their] organization
or managing a large remote team,
they should always feel like they have
the tools, insights and support they
need to be productive and to realize
their potential."
IMPROVING LEARNING
ACROSS GENERATIONS
"Technology can offer employees a safe
place to practice critical workplace skills,"
said the Cornerstone spokesperson.
Platforms should enable "employees to
improve as they go, before they apply
[new skills] to the real world. Online
learning and applications through
modern technological advancements will
continue to help businesses distribute
compliance training, code of business
ethics and annual reviews. Artificial
intelligence and machine learning will
also support the workforce's continued
development by identifying retention
risks and addressing the skills gap in
an organization."

With the arrival of Generation Z in the
workforce, L&D is looking for new ways
to engage these digital natives in training.
With that goal in mind, Cornerstone
recently launched a "Digital Native
Advancement (DNA)" offering, which uses
microlearning to develop Gen Zers' skills.
"Microlearning is the opposite of
traditional learning," said the Cornerstone
spokesperson, "which is typically
comprised of long classes and a lot
of lengthy, involved coursework." The
"short bursts of learning" involved in
microlearning are growing in popularity.
"If employers want to ensure that their
workers are actively engaged in training
development, they have to adapt" to
workers' learning preferences. According
to recent Training Industry research,
those preferences can be influenced
by anything from job function to training
topic. By offering learning on an online
platform that enables multiple modalities,
L&D leaders ensure they meet a wide
variety of learning needs, improving the
impact of their programs.
Cornerstone is optimistic about the
future of learning. The acquisition "gives
Cornerstone and Saba the resources
to accelerate innovation and propel us
through the next 20 years of growth with
an unwavering focus on customer value,"
says the spokesperson. Together, the
companies hope, they will "continue [their]
mission of engaging and empowering the
global workforce."
Taryn Oesch is the managing editor of
digital content for Training Industry, Inc.
Email Taryn.

https://www.trainingindustry.com/remote-learning/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/articles/workforce-development/5-myths-about-generation-z-managing-and-training-the-digital-natives/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/press-release/e-learning/cornerstone-welcomes-gen-z-to-the-workforce-with-original-learning-series/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/press-release/e-learning/cornerstone-welcomes-gen-z-to-the-workforce-with-original-learning-series/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine/nov-dec-2019/trends-2020-the-broadening-role-of-ld/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/press-release/learning-technologies/cornerstone-to-acquire-saba/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/press-release/learning-technologies/cornerstone-to-acquire-saba/ https://www2.trainingindustry.com/what-learners-want-strategies-for-training-delivery

Training Industry Magazine - May/June 2020

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