Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021 - 58

CLOSING
DEALS
GP STRATEGIES AND LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES GROUP
(LTG) JOIN FORCES TO ACCELERATE WORKFORCE
PERFORMANCE TRANSFORMATION
BY SARAH GALLO, CPTM
Now more than ever, companies are
looking for scalable, turn-key solutions
to upskill their workforces to stay
competitive in an evolving market. In fact,
the World Economic Forum found that
54% of current employees will require
" significant upskilling and reskilling " by
2022.
With 2021 quickly coming to an end,
it makes sense that the demand for
comprehensive workforce performance
solutions is high. This is reflected in
Learning Technologies Group (LTG)'s
agreement to acquire GP Strategies,
a leader in workforce performance
transformation, for $394M, which is one
of the biggest mergers we've seen in
the corporate training industry to date.
THE PERFECT PAIR
The deal is largely a symbiotic one,
offering unique benefits for both
companies. LTG's portfolio of learning
technology companies, which includes
everything from learning record
stores (LRSs) to learning experience
platforms (LXPs), will provide scalable
platforms to help GP Strategies deliver
their top-notch learning services and
large-scale
workforce
improvement initiatives.
For LTG, the merger will mean instant
access to GP Strategies' inherent
expertise in building complex learning
solutions, which is a notoriously difficult
skill to recruit for and would have taken
considerable time to develop in house.
With expertise in all of the core
process capabilities of great training
organizations, the merged company will
| 58
performance
be well-equipped to help even Fortune
100 companies with complicated
learning systems environments deliver
successful programs. But that doesn't
mean middle-market companies will be
left behind: The combined company will
boast an impressive toolbox of ready-touse,
out-of-the-box solutions that smaller
organizations can implement right away.
Ultimately, with both GP Strategies and
LTG's portfolio of companies making a
regular appearance on Training Industry's
Top 20 Training Companies Lists -
and a market cap of $1.79B - we can
reasonably expect the combined company
to make waves across nearly all segments
of the corporate training market.
ALL YOUR EMPLOYEE
PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
NEEDS IN ONE PLACE
More and more organizations are looking
to not only adopt learning technologies
but also to bring in the knowledge and
services needed to
implement them
effectively. Thus, the merged company
will offer a comprehensive solution that
many buyers have been looking for. That's
why this merger makes sense, says Ken
Taylor, chief executive officer at Training
Industry. " As companies look to deliver
great training, they'll want to partner with
a vendor who has a deep understanding
of how learning technologies can support
large-scale programs successfully. " The
merged company, he says, is positioned
to do just that.
With the ability to identify innovative
solutions to workforce performance
problems, and to deliver solutions using
cutting-edge technologies, the combined
company will provide the marketplace
with a one-stop shop for buyers' employee
performance improvement needs. This
will be a key competitive advantage for
the merged company, as organizations
are looking to improve performance
quickly and at scale to keep pace with
shifting business priorities.
THE DEAL IS LARGELY
A SYMBIOTIC ONE,
OFFERING UNIQUE
BENEFITS FOR BOTH GP
STRATEGIES AND LTG.
GOING GLOBAL
In addition to designating itself as
a one-stop workforce performance
improvement shop, the merger will create
a notable global footprint for the company.
This is another competitive advantage
worth noting: With business becoming
more and more globally distributed, the
combined company (which will boast
around 5,500 employees worldwide) will
have a presence in 80 countries globally,
according to the press release.
Agreeing to merge companies during
COVID-19, a turbulent time for businesses
across industries, is a major feat for both
LTG and GP Strategies. It proves that they
can not only survive but thrive during
adverse times, and that their workforce
performance transformation solutions
can help their current - and future -
customers do the same.
Sarah Gallo, CPTM, is an editor at
Training Industry, Inc., and co-host of
" The Business of Learning, " the Training
Industry podcast. Email Sarah.
Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021

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