DOE’s Open-Source Training Tool Wins Industry Award for Innovation
November 08, 2011
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman today congratulated the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Michelle Fox and the National Training and Education Resource (NTER) program for recently taking first place in the "Learning Innovation" category of Chief Learning Officer magazine’s Learning in Practice Awards. The Department’s NTER system – a free, interactive, and open-source workforce training tool that can lower the cost of training for employees and students – was recognized as the top winner for innovation in applying emerging technologies to create engaging, user-friendly content. Michelle Fox of DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) was honored for her work developing the training system during a ceremony at the Fall Chief Learning Officer Symposium last month.
"DOE’s National Training and Education Resource is game-changing workforce training technology that makes remarkable advancements in employee development," said Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman. "This innovative tool will allow key industries, public organizations, and educational institutions to improve their training programs, to reduce costs, and to help maintain America’s competitive edge in the global workforce."
As new courses are uploaded by administrators from a variety of agencies and industries, the NTER website will offer online training products and services that cover a wide range of fields, including clean energy, biomedical, emergency response, transportation, and advanced manufacturing. The NTER system features a fully functioning Learning Management System, which administers and tracks courses, and provides three-dimensional course authoring tools, sophisticated search capabilities, and a virtual content repository. These tools and resources are now available for use by other agencies, colleges, universities, and the public. The system enables both public and private organizations to create and control their own collection of educational content – allowing them to share the content broadly with the public or maintain it securely, depending on how the system is configured.
By supplying this suite of tools in a secure, scalable, and user-friendly technology platform, DOE’s NTER resource is helping to significantly expand access to workforce training and development opportunities, while reducing the costs associated with creating high quality online materials.
The Chief Learning Officer Learning in Practice awards are given annually by Chief Learning Officer magazine to recognize individuals and organizations for their excellence and leadership in advancing educational training programs. Entrants in the Learning Innovation category included major U.S. companies and government organizations.
EERE invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Learn more about DOE’s National Training and Education Resource (NTER) program.
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