Helius’ distance learning solutions with JCPenney and Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports (CCES) garner recognition
Helius, a Hughes company, today announced it has been named as a recipient of two Best in Class Awards at the 2009 IMS Learning Impact Awards in Barcelona, Spain. The Learning Impact Awards are designed to recognize the compelling use of technology in support of worldwide learning. This unique program evaluates established, new, and research efforts in context at an implementing learning institution.
The Best Corporate Training Solution Award was given to Helius and JCPenney for use of educational technology in a business environment. JCPenney has over 1,100 store locations and approximately 150,000 store associates that are required to take 35 hours of training during their first 90 days of employment in addition to ongoing training. Managing training and ensuring consistent quality at the individual level for such a large employee base can be difficult, which is why JCPenney selected the Helius next-generation training system. Using Helius technology, JCPenney is able to broadcast both live and on-demand training via satellite to associates in all store locations, thereby saving over $20 million in related training costs in the last several years.
“The Helius MediaClassroom system enabled us to facilitate live and on demand training sessions at all of our store locations,” said Deborah Masten, vice president and director of associate development for JCPenney. “We now have over 600 on-demand courses available that can be viewed by associates at their convenience. Furthermore, we have significantly reduced costs associated with in-person training and travel, as well as duplication and distribution of training materials, and increased productivity due to flexible training hours, all without increasing my department head count.”
The Best Association Training Technology Award was given to Helius and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) for use of technology in a non-profit organization. The CCES is an independent, national, non-profit organization responsible for fostering ethical sport for all Canadians, which includes administering the Anti-Doping Program for Canadian athletes. Under the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code, there is a strong emphasis on education to ensure athletes are aware of their rights and responsibilities.
Faced with a dated and expensive training program that depended on live instructors, CCES turned to Helius to provide an affordable next-generation online training platform to support the education of over 20,000 geographically dispersed athletes every year. Using the Helius Portal e-Learning system, CCES now creates, deploys, and tracks web-based anti-doping training for athletes in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Canadian Colleges Athletic Association, Football Canada, Canadian Hockey League, as well as elite athletes in other organizations. Several of these organizations will not let their athletes compete until they can certify completion of their anti-doping training.
“Helius has helped us to achieve our mission by providing an affordable eLearning platform that appeals to a younger target audience,” said Paul Melia, President and CEO of the CCES. “According to our surveys across all athletes, 91% agree that material is thorough and informative and that the new online training system better informs them of their anti-doping rights and responsibilities. With this success in mind, our long-term plan is to create values-based sport and character development eLearning courses that can be offered to over 750,000 high-school students and reach them at an earlier point in life.”
“It is an honor to be recognized by the IMS as a global leader in the training and learning field,” said Mike Tippets, president, Helius. “Helius continues to provide innovative solutions that help today’s leading organizations provide anytime, anywhere education solutions for their learners. We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with great organizations like JCPenney and CCES in meeting unique training objectives.”
To learn more about Helius training and learning solutions or how Helius can create a customized education solution to fit your specific needs, please visit www.helius.com.
About IMS Global Learning Consortium and the Learning Impact Awards
IMS Global Learning Consortium creates standards for technologies that assist in learning in the education and corporate sectors. Its members are worldwide leaders in educational and learning technologies. IMS’s Learning Impact Awards recognize superior technology that expertly addresses learning challenges found in education and business.
About Helius
Helius, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), provides digital communications solutions for business. Its patented expertise helps organizations implement applications such as digital signage, distance learning, and corporate communications. For more information, visit www.helius.com or call Jeff Crapo at 801-764-9020.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet® encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.9 million systems to customers in over 100 countries. Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.
Source: Helius
