Wilson Learning, a global provider of Human Performance Improvement solutions is proud to announce Dr. Leimbach’s role in the development of Standards for learning services*, an initiative of ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ISO (International Standards Organization).

For years ISO has been the leader in establishing international standards for quality manufacturing. Several years ago, the ISO leadership decided to focus on the development of standards in the service sector. One important area that emerged was in the development and delivery of learning services.

Twenty-three nations expressed interest in the development of these standards, with 14 nations actively participating in their development. The United States has formed a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to represent our interests in the development of the Learning Services Standards. The TAG consists of 20-30 people, representing companies, learning service providers, professional associations and colleges with vested interest in the development of these standards. Three experts have been representing the US TAG in the development of the standards in the international discussions, most recently held in Sydney Australia. The three are the Doug Lynch, Vice Dean, Graduate School of Education, the Warton School at the University of Pennsalvania, Jennifer Norton, Director of Credentialling at ASTD, and Dr. Michael Leimbach, Vice President of Global Research and Design for Wilson Learning Worldwide.

“The standards will provide learning services buyers with the information they need to assess the quality of providers and make informed selection decisions.” states Michael Leimbach. “The standards will also allow providers of learning services to better understand the dimensions of quality and ultimately improve the quality of learning services industry wide.”

“We believe this is an important endeavor for the training industry as a whole and for Wilson Learning and are pleased that Dr. Leimbach can contribute his expertise to help lead the initiative.” states David Yesford, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Solution Management, Wilson Learning Worldwide. 

“The current goal is that, by late 2009 the final set of standards will be published by ISO and available for organizations to adopt.” Shares Dr. Leimbach. As with all ISO standards, adopting the standard is completely voluntary, however, the hope is that buying organizations will require as a standard part of their ongoing buying process that all of their learning providers meet or exceed these standards. Leimbach adds “With the broad acceptance of the Learning Services standard, the quality of learning services will increase, providing enhanced value to the buying organization, the learning industry, and to the world economy.”

*Commercial learning services makes up an important part of the world economy, for example among just four countries (US, England, Germany, and France) learning services represent over 200 Billion Euroes of economic activity, or about 2% of the national GDP of these four nations. 

About Wilson Learning – Improving Performance Through People

Wilson Learning Worldwide is a global leader in Human Performance Improvement solutions for the Global 2000, Fortune 500 and emerging organizations worldwide. With operations in over 45 countries worldwide, including Japan and the United States, incorporating over 25 languages, the company creates synergy between people and business strategy through an extensive range of world-class solutions focusing in leadership, sales and individual effectiveness. Its integrated offerings include: strategy alignment consulting, descriptive and evaluative assessment services, world class process and skills content, and technology enabled solutions.