Online Academy

Online Academy is a Dutch online learning platform that organizations buy for their employees. Its pitch is unlimited learning for a fixed fee: the All You Can Learn page says that at Online Academy "volgen je medewerkers al onbeperkt online trainingen voor een vast bedrag" (your employees already take unlimited online trainings for a fixed amount). The site, written in Dutch, calls itself "het online leerplatform voor organisaties" (the online learning platform for organizations) and centers on short daily learning: "Waarom zou je honderden uren studeren, als je hetzelfde resultaat bereikt met slechts 10 minuten per dag?" (Why study hundreds of hours when you can reach the same result with just 10 minutes a day?).

It is a training library for an HR or L&D team that wants every employee to have open access to a broad catalog, without approving each course one by one.

What an organization gets

The training catalog

The home page offers a "Keuze uit meer dan 400 trainingen" (choice of more than 400 trainings). The training overview page adds that, since Online Academy joined forces with SkillsTown in a strategic partnership, "Momenteel hebben we meer dan 1.000 online trainingen, webinars, podcasts en leerlijnen beschikbaar" (we currently have more than 1,000 online trainings, webinars, podcasts and learning paths available), covering fields "Van projectmanagement tot online marketing tot mindfulness" and growing continuously. Organizations can request the full overview by form and receive it within minutes.

Each title is tagged as a webinar, a training or a learning path (leerlijn), with a length in weeks. The home page shows samples by segment:

• IT: Cybersecurity (1 week), Low-Code with Mendix (2 weeks), Introduction to SQL (3 weeks), Programming with PHP (5 weeks), Azure Fundamentals (3 weeks) and a Front-end Development learning path (14 weeks).
• Leadership: conducting job interviews, output-based management, starting as a manager, team development, a Modern Leadership learning path (10 weeks) and social safety for managers.
• Learning and studying: Learning to Learn, Growth Mindset, Creative Thinking, Learning Skills, Effective Brainstorming and research skills.
• Sales and advice: Negotiation, key account management, a Strategic Sales learning path (11 weeks), presenting and effective influencing.
• Vitality and health: a 10-week learning path on staying healthy and sharp at work and at home, vitality, healthy home working, yoga and healthy eating.

The company says it works with recognized training providers ("Wij werken samen met erkende opleiders"), and the footer links to a list of participating providers and an awards page.

The learner experience

Learning runs on a responsive web app that people use "Tussen meetings door, op de bank of in de trein" (between meetings, on the couch or on the train). The home page describes a personal dashboard showing waiting trainings and achieved results at a glance, personal assistants that send reminders and motivation at times the learner chooses, learning goals set in advance, and certificates on completion ("Erkenning op papier", recognition on paper).

All You Can Learn

All You Can Learn is an add-on run with the other training providers of Salta Group, the group Online Academy belongs to according to the page. It extends an Online Academy subscription with "meer dan duizend extra opleidingen en trainingen van 17 topopleiders" (more than a thousand extra courses and trainings from 17 top providers), including longer programs and even full bachelor's and master's degrees, online, in a virtual classroom or in person. The page gives examples: classroom Power BI at Computrain or a full online HBO bachelor's at NCOI.

There are three packages, all on top of the Online Academy subscription:

• All You Can Train: a choice of 350 online trainings in hard and soft skills.
• All You Can Learn: 350 online trainings plus 500 short courses of up to 1 year.
• All You Can Learn Premium: the above plus "alle erkende MBO-, HBO Bachelor en Masteropleidingen en Masterclasses" (all recognized MBO, HBO bachelor's and master's programs and masterclasses).

The case for it is the removal of approval steps. The page argues that approval processes hold employees back, and lists benefits including a broad offer for the whole organization, a cheaper option than buying courses separately, a choice of online and offline learning, and no extra training costs per employee. The page also points to a podcast on how All You Can Learn works at UWV, the Dutch employee insurance agency.

Implementation, security and integration

The implementation page promises a fast start with "Geen ingewikkelde implementaties" (no complicated implementations): the company connects the platform, and employees can begin right away, with guidance where needed. Online Academy supports single sign-on with HR systems and other IT applications and names the standards "oAuth, openID en Saml2 en Active Directory."

An account manager supports rollout, helps make employees aware of their new options, can agree result targets with management and schedule result visits to review what works.

On security, the page states "wij in het bezit van het ISO 27001-keurmerk voor cybersecurity" (we hold the ISO 27001 mark for cybersecurity) and says the company's own ethical hacker runs regular penetration tests on the platform.

The web app supports Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox on Windows and Apple desktops and laptops, and Android and iOS on tablets and phones. Outdated browser versions no longer maintained by their makers are not supported.

Track record and terms

The site publishes no prices; organizations book a free demo, which the home page says takes 30 minutes, or call. Testimonials on the home page come from Simon Janssens of Boskalis, who says the company can offer the training to everyone in the organization "zowel nationaal als internationaal" (nationally and internationally), and Ellen Huizing of Totality: "Het is niet meer opleidingsgericht, maar ontwikkelingsgericht" (it is no longer training-oriented but development-oriented). The site menu shows Dutch, English and French language options, while the course titles shown are Dutch.

Who it suits

Online Academy suits a Dutch organization that wants a learning culture where any employee can start a short course without paperwork, and that values fixed-fee budgeting. Larger employers with SSO and security requirements will find the standards and ISO 27001 mark they need. Those who also want classroom training or formal degrees for staff can add All You Can Learn through Salta Group.

The catalog is aimed at Dutch-speaking staff, and the platform is a library rather than an authoring tool, so a company that mainly wants to build and host its own internal courses would need something alongside it.