e-Learning provider SmartForce donned the fatigues and got in step with a host of other tech companies that have signed with the U.S. Army.
The Redwood City, Calif.-based company Monday signed a multi-million dollar deal to bring its hosted MySmartForce platform to soldiers and Department of the Army civilians worldwide. The partnership is the second between the two entities.
Under the new agreement, SmartForce will provide the Army with a comprehensive e-Learning solution for its operational initiatives as well as with the Army’s distance learning strategy.
“Working with an e-Learning provider that can deliver learning anywhere in the world and adapt to our continually changing systems and processes is of paramount importance to the Army,” says Bob Schwenk, deputy director U.S. Army Chief Technology Office ODISC4. “Our six-year relationship with SmartForce has greatly benefited our organization. We believe that SmartForce e-Learning will help us to take full advantage of future opportunities to enhance our processes and operations.”
This is not the first time that SmartForce has made partnerships in the U.S. government sector. The company also has contracts with the United States Air Force, the Defense Information Systems Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency, the Social Security Administration, the Veterans Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Departments of State, Transportation, and Energy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Since the attacks on September 11, the government has been quick to adopt more Internet based technology into its training and practices.
Most recently, a coalition of Inktomi , Virage
and Artesia Technologies out of Rockville, Md. joined forces to help U.S. Army National Guard soldiers train in virtual classrooms via the Internet.
Other companies riding along with the armed forces include a university training package partly powered by PeopleSoft and new partnerships for Tarantella
.