Turner Construction Company is one of the largest builders in the country, with over 10,000 employees and $12 billion in annual work completed. The company has earned recognition for undertaking large, complex projects, constantly innovating, embracing emerging technologies, and making a difference for their clients, employees, and communities. Continual learning is part of the company’s culture, and with OpenSesame, Turner can provide high-quality training courses easily and cost-effectively to its entire workforce.
Single source provider saves weeks of hassle
“Before OpenSesame, we relied on several different curriculum vendors,” says Chrisie Ambrass, Senior Development Manager at Turner. “We switched to OpenSesame because we wanted consistency. When a new topic came up, we wanted one source for training on that topic. OpenSesame has an enormous breadth of quality content that makes that possible.”
Previously, Ambrass recalls that it could take six to eight weeks to launch a new training course. “We’d need to find a vendor that had the curriculum, vet the content, vet the vendor, and then negotiate a licensing agreement,” she says. “With OpenSesame, we can have a new training class in front of learners in just a few days.”
Partnering with a single source provider provides Ambrass with the luxury of more time in her day. “Rather than Googling course topics, I can take a deeper look at the variety of courses in OpenSesame’s catalog and include new and interesting courses in our library. I feel like I’m doing more than checking a box — I’m finding classes that people enjoy and find value in.”
“A well-trained, highly-skilled, informed and empowered workforce makes us a better company.”
Chrisie Ambrass, Senior Development Manager, Turner Construction Company
Comprehensive content library
Ambrass appreciates the breadth of content available from OpenSesame, and the quality and variety of that content. “I’ve yet to search for a topic that OpenSesame didn’t have a course for — and usually multiple options,” she says. “I recently went looking for courses on a new trends in sustainable construction — and found them on OpenSesame.”
Turner makes all of its courses available to all of its personnel, encouraging them to browse the catalog and follow their interests. Some courses, like compliance training or career development paths are required. Other courses cover technical skills, leadership skills, computer training, and cybersecurity.
“I like that for every topic, we can offer two or three choices to employees — and they’re all great,” says Ambrass. “I’ve even gotten positive feedback from employees about a compliance course. That speaks to both the quantity and quality of courses in OpenSesame’s catalog.”
Compliance training forms foundation
Compliance training courses through OpenSesame have been one of the biggest wins for Turner. “We have offices all across the country, and compliance mandates vary by state,” explains Ambrass. “Many states have different requirements for harassment training, for example. I’ve always been able to find
every course we need in OpenSesame’s library. I can’t imagine how much time it would take me to stay current on the changing mandates and then locate updated curriculum. OpenSesame does that for me.”
Optimal pricing and licensing model
OpenSesame’s pricing and licensing model is ideal for Turner. “We have access to a multitude of courses, swapping them out frequently to meet changing training needs,” Ambrass explains. “And OpenSesame is very flexible in the way they license seats for the software, which is ideal for us since as a general contractor.”
“I feel like I’m doing more than checking a box — I’m finding classes that people enjoy and find value in..”
Chrisie Ambrass, Senior Development Manager, Turner Construction Company
LMS integration
Turner uses a Learning Management System (LMS), and OpenSesame makes it easy to upload courses to the LMS. “That, of course, is important to us,” Ambrass says. “It provides a seamless experience for our learners while ensuring we can track and manage training throughout the organization.”
Above and beyond during a crisis
“During the pandemic, OpenSesame made an amazing gesture to their clients,” explains Ambrass. “They made dozens of courses available to customers for free. There were courses on meditation, working from home, and disease transmission, for example. Our CEO spoke about the courses at weekly online meetings and got tremendously positive feedback from staff who’d taken some of the courses.”
She concludes, “Continuous learning is part of Turner’s corporate culture — we place a very high value on it. A well-trained, highly-skilled, informed and empowered workforce makes us a better company.”