Plateau, LearnWright to Provide Customized, Critical Training Solution
ARLINGTON, VA. and ROCKVILLE, MD. – November 19, 2001 – Two of the most established providers of e-Learning for the pharmaceutical industry today announced they will collaborate to offer an integrated training platform for companies that must meet strict regulatory requirements on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
Plateau Systems, a provider of enterprise-class software that manages learning and knowledge processes for organizations, and LearnWright, a provider of multimedia training courses tailored for highly regulated industries, have formed an alliance in which Plateau’s Learning Management System (LMS) will be a delivery and management vehicle for LearnWright’s course content. Both companies have years of experience in developing training solutions that help medical and pharmaceutical organizations comply with the government1s rigorous demands for quality control throughout a workforce.
Plateau’s LMS has been adopted by more than a dozen FDA-regulated pharmaceutical and medical device companies, which use the system to train and assess employees and to manage electronic training documents that are subject to the FDA1s rigorous 21 CFR Part 11 and GMP requirements. Plateau1s audit trail, secure electronic signature, document-tracking and configuration management features have proved to be key assets at companies facing regular FDA inspections. Plateau1s customers in the pharmaceutical industry include ALZA Corp., Genzyme, Alcon Laboratories, C.R. Bard, AstraZeneca and Zimmer Inc.
LearnWright1s Web-based courses mix video, audio and interactive components, and include built-in assessments so students can track their progress as they proceed. The course modules integrate smoothly with the Plateau LMS for easy reporting to FDA investigators. These courses as well as Plateau’s own system are based on straightforward, proven principles of instructional design. LearnWright1s courses are cross-referenced to the FDA and other international regulations themselves, and their effectiveness can be measured through the company’s collaboration with evaluation experts at the University of Georgia’s Department of Instructional Technology.
Pharmaceutical firms and health-related organizations using LearnWright1s training courses include AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, DSM Catalytica, and The American Red Cross.
“Today we are seeing the central role of FDA requirements for medical product manufacturing,” said Paul Sparta, CEO and Chairman of Plateau Systems. “The FDA has told the industry that failure to train employees is the single largest cause of non-compliance. Together, the staffs of Plateau and LearnWright bring a tremendous amount of experience with the complex cluster of laboratory, clinical and manufacturing regulations that companies in this position face, and it is reflected in our products and services.”
“The priority of training is even more obvious today, when pharmaceutical products must be delivered to market on time to protect our nation and the world,” said LearnWright President and CEO Bill Aggen. “But beyond the front page, for the hundreds of companies that make or handle medical products, the cost of non-compliance is measured in fines, eroded markets, lost production time and loss of consumer confidence. We’re pleased to be able to team with Plateau, whose technology has made the training process much easier and faster for FDA-regulated workforces.”
About LearnWright: LearnWright is a Maryland-based high-technology company that creates and delivers multimedia training programs to companies that operate in regulated industries. Their technology allows companies to provide high-quality, interactive training to personnel in multiple and distant locations, via intranets or the Internet, while improving training outcomes. Additional information about LearnWright is available at http://www.learnwright.com .
About Plateau Systems: Plateau Systems manages learning and improves business processes for organizations, saving them time and money by automatically delivering the knowledge employees, customers and partners need to excel. Plateau1s enterprise-class software supports online and traditional learning methods, and integrates seamlessly with other enterprise software applications to enhance their value and reduce the cycle of learning. Plateau1s Learning Management System (LMS) is currently providing blended learning solutions for organizations across the globe, including Motorola University, Federal Express, Bristol-Myers Squibb and the U.S. Air Force. The company was founded in 1996, and is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
