Small Business Awards 2020

This year was a frustrating one for many businesses and individuals alike. In spite of this, many professionals continued to refine their skills through training to boost their careers andmeet new digital challenges. Founded just three years ago, PeopleCert Education is an award-winning organisation that develops and delivers best-in-class training courses, enhancing the lives, education, and career prospects of people across the world. Take a closer look to find out why PeopleCert Education has received the Best Training Organisation 2020 award. The future of skills and approaches towards employment is one of the most important considerations for governments, organisations and individuals alike. In the past, employees used to learn skills to work their way up the professional ladder. Now, the career journey itself represents a continuous process of learning that necessitates a sustained approach of skilling, upskilling and reskilling. Studies suggest that in the digital era, the half-life of a skill is five years; this means that what we learned ten years ago is obsolete and half of what we learned five years ago is irrelevant. In this context, it is estimated that 50% of the current workforce will need to reskill by 2025, a need driven by ‘double-disruption’; the pandemic that has accelerated digital transformation and automation that alters the job landscape. While millions of jobs will be lost, millions will also need to be created to adapt to this new working landscape, altering the skills of tomorrow and amplifying the digital divide. Established in 2017, PeopleCert Education – a member of Peoplecert Group* – specialises in the development and delivery of high quality, interactive courses, providing training in highly sought-after skills. Its vision is to become a leading training organisation that will enable the transformation of the global professional community, providing the skills, competencies and confidence to meet the challenges of the new digital era. The traditional university model, which requires high tuition fees, necessitates a long study period (3-4 years), is dependent upon outdated skills, and is mainly theoretical- instead of practice-driven, has been seriously challenged. Education has been a prime candidate for disruption for a long time, particularly because the rise of new technologies has amplified the digital skills gap and has highlighted the lack of competent professionals to meet employment requirements. Given the speed and the scale of disruption, PeopleCert Education aims to remain agile and proactive to new challenges and developments. Best Training Organisation 2020 Training focuses on the development of the most in-demand digital skills. Courses (such as the ‘Coding Bootcamp’, 500-hours course designed for reskilling in software development) last 3-6 months, and the skills that graduates develop are considered equivalent to those gained from a 4-year Computer Science bachelor’s degree. The tuition fees are c.25% of the price of a comparable university course. The curriculum is constantly updated to ensure that learners will develop the right skills to compete globally and remain relevant. The academic team ensures an excellent on-campus and online student experience, with dedicated support for every learner. The training process balances theory and practice, so that graduates can immediately apply their acquired skills to real working scenarios. The career services team works closely with the graduates to help them enter their desired careers immediately after graduation and realise their life ambitions. This is PeopleCert Education’s alternative value proposition. PeopleCert Education is also dedicated to its social mission of empowering people through learning, while remaining loyal to its core values of Quality – Passion – Innovation – Integrity. The PeopleCert family lives and breathes a passion for education, as reflected by the organisation’s internal motto of ‘One Dream. One Team. One Family’. It is also an organisation that is fully committed to being a practicing leader of sustainability, creating a positive culture that will improve the wellbeing of people and strengthen the communities where it operates. Looking to the future, PeopleCert Education will focus on growth opportunities and international expansion, aiming to add value in the ecosystem and establish industry best practices. We look forward to discovering how PeopleCert Education will continue to act as a global leader, allowing people around the world to pursue careers they love and lead exciting lives. * PeopleCert Education is a member of PeopleCert Group. Founded in 2000, PeopleCert is a global leader in the assessment and certification of professional skills and languages. We deliver 600+ exams to 50,000 Sep201109 Small Business Awards 2020 81 leading corporations and 800 government departments every year, in over 200 countries and 25 languages. PeopleCert offers an ever-growing portfolio of highly sought-after certifications and global programs such as ITIL® and PRINCE2®, which have more than 500,000 professionals being certified annually. PeopleCert also has a strong presence in the language learning industry through its LanguageCert brand, which is a unique suite of language qualifications specifically designed for those intending to study, work or travel around the globe. LanguageCert is recognised by the UK Home Office for UK Visa and Immigration, covering all visa requirements. PeopleCert employs over 500 people and 10.000 external associates, representing 34 nationalities and has received 40 awards in the areas of business, technology, and CSR. Company: PeopleCert Education Contact: Chrisa Klempetsani Website: https://peoplecerteducation.org/ Eleni Nicolaides | Managing Director, PeopleCert Education & Vice-President for Business & IT Qualifications Development, PeopleCert Group.