SCIENCE

FAIRFAX, VA -- Plateau Systems, a provider of software that manages learning and improves business processes for organizations, announced today the U.S. Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC) has selected Plateau's learning management system to provide "anytime, anywhere" distance training to thousands of military personnel around the world. Under the multi-year contract, Plateau's Enterprise Learning Management System (ELMS) will be the core platform for implementing and managing the AETC's first "advanced distributed learning"(ADL) program, which will be run by the Director of Operations staff at AETC's, Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The program will initially manage and deliver Web-based technical training for up to 10,000 Air Force personnel at U.S. and international bases, and has the potential to be used for military and flying training for forces around the globe. Student populations will include Active Duty personnel, the Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserves. The program will significantly reduce travel costs, increase accessibility to learning and provide airmen with greater enrollment flexibility. "By taking the training to our airmen, we can significantly enhance our readiness and operational capabilities while reducing the amount of 'Temporary Duty' time required of our people," said Maj. Joe Tegtmeyer, Air Education and Training Command's ADL branch chief. "This project demonstrates Plateau and other e-Learning vendors can now implement a training infrastructure robust enough to be part of mission critical training initiatives in the largest and most complex enterprises." said Cushing Anderson, Program Manager for Learning Services Research at IDC. "The Air Force requirements for a learning solution included the ability to deliver high quality and consistent learning to a widely dispersed target audience. The ability of on-line education to accommodate the reach of the Air Force is a testament to the progress the industry has made in the past several years." Plateau already is a major provider of enterprise learning management solutions for the Air Force. Since 1997, the Air Force AETC has used Plateau's learning management systems to manage training of more than 100,000 students per year at the five major technical training centers within the command. Plateau manages more than 1,400 courses-ranging from medical to classified intelligence training-at these technical training centers. Previously, if an Air Force officer or enlisted member needed to be trained for functions such as air traffic control, vehicle operations, or command post operations, they would have to travel to one of these five AETC technical training centers. With AETC's new ADL program managed by Plateau's ELMS, service members around the world will be able to take training via the Web wherever they are, at the pace they or their instructors desire. Plateau's software tracks the learning cycle of each service member as they advance through their career, allows them to map out training thresholds required for certain positions, and alerts them automatically through e-mail when they require retraining. Ultimately, the Air Force will examine these capabilities to create an integrated learning architecture that cuts across the entire USAF organization, saving millions of dollars in travel and time and improving combat readiness. Every officer and enlisted member in the Air Force receives education and training administered by AETC, which has under its command the Air University and the Air Force Recruiting Service. AETC has roughly 43,000 active-duty and 13,400 civilian personnel under its command, and is responsible for approximately 1,600 aircraft. "Plateau has consistently shown its ability to deliver scalable, mission-critical learning solutions for some of the world's largest enterprises and organizations, and we have been honored to count the U.S. Air Force among them," said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems. "We are excited to work with the Air Force as it embarks on an ambitious new plan to enable all of its forces to receive any type of knowledge transfer at a moment's notice, regardless of where they are stationed." For additional information visit www.plateausystems.com