Bentley inaugurates Bentley Learn

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 27, 2006

Unlimited learning for fixed annual fee helps bridge gap between infrastructure needs and engineering resources

Bentley Systems has inaugurated Bentley Learn, a revolutionary subscription program that empowers infrastructure firms to become and remain well-trained organisations - improving their competitiveness and advancing the careers of infrastructure professionals.

Bentley Learn provides unlimited OnDemand eLearning for a fixed annual fee.

Courses include lectures, hands-on courses, and feature clips from Bentley Institute.The OnDemand content is the broadest in infrastructure, covering the use and administration of MicroStation, ProjectWise, and the company's comprehensive portfolio of building, civil, geospatial, and plant solutions.

The price for all of this is eminently affordable - set at 20 percent of the organisation's SELECT fee, or about an hour of a professional's billable time for a year's worth of Learning.

As Maureen Pomeroy, director, Bentley Institute, explained, "With our new Bentley Learn program, organisations will realise an unprecedented return on their investment in training - from improved productivity as well as new business generated by higher quality work and enhanced organisational resumes".

To measure progress, those taking OnDemand eLearning courses are credited with Bentley Learning Units (LUs).

"The LUs are like currency in career and organisational development," said Pomeroy.

"Plus, the value of these LUs extends to other professional continuing education programs, as relevant credits can be applied to programs for AIA, IACET, CPD, and more".

For infrastructure professionals, LUs mean they can now mark their progress in keeping current on the latest technology and most productive practices.

This capability allows them to better communicate their increasing value to their organisations and to secure more project assignments that advance their careers.

For infrastructure organisations, the combination of LUs and online tracking of credentials means they now have access to a powerful new staffing and organisational development tool.

This tool allows them to win more business by better communicating organisational qualifications and to operate more profitably by assuring optimal staffing of new projects.

Bentley Learn Server provides the online tracking of credentials, as well as access to OnDemand eLearning courses, course descriptions, feature clips, online transcripts, advanced course searches, and online registration.

"We understand that evolving technology and growing competitive pressures will accelerate demand for architectural, engineering, and construction professional training," said Pomeroy.

"We intend to expand our offering and consistently meet this demand with a set of courses as broad and specialised as our users require - delivered as conveniently and cost effectively as possible using state-of-the-art technology".

CEO Greg Bentley expects Bentley Learn to have a significant impact on the infrastructure community.

He said, "A major bottleneck for infrastructure progress is the well-recognised shortage of trained engineering professionals in every region of the world.

The only way to overcome this problem in the short and intermediate term is to institutionalize Learning and investment in training, which is why Bentley Learn is our most significant program introduction since our launch of Bentley SELECT in 1995.

"What I find particularly impressive and gratifying is that Bentley Learn allows every single one of our more than 2000 colleagues to contribute - to share their critical knowledge and experience with this community".