Taking on the world after graduation

Background

Founded as a franchise system in 1987, Academy of Learning Career College® (AOLCC) originally specialized in computer and business skills training for adult learners. Since then it has evolved into Canada’s largest network of career colleges, where they have nationally helped students successfully complete over one million training courses. The Academy of Learning network offers Diploma-level and Certificate-level programs in the areas of Accounting, Business, Community Support Worker, Customer Service, Healthcare, Home Inspection, Hospitality, Information Technology, Insurance, Legal, Office Administration, and Web Design.

Elmer and Audrey Brattberg purchased their first Academy of Learning location in 1996, in Edmonton, Alberta. The Brattberg Group now operates AOLCC campuses in four Alberta cities: Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary and Medicine Hat. As they successfully grew the organization, they introduced their two daughters, Holly and Susan Brattberg into the family business.

The Pacific Institute’s curriculum was already ingrained into the Academy of Learning course offerings when Elmer and Audrey Brattberg first purchased the school. After attending a training course, Mr. Brattberg realized what the potential could be for their business if the TPI concepts were applied. With a strong desire to maintain student retention, referrals and enrollments within the campus, the Brattbergs preserved The Pacific Institute® (TPI) program. They had already witnessed the benefit of the curriculum, and how the content had the ability to impact student success metrics. Thus began the 20-year, ongoing relationship between the Brattberg group and The Pacific Institute.

Through his love of engineering, Mr. Brattberg desired to expand the organization into drafting and design schools, and in 2003, after acquiring a technical training academy, the family opened Edmonton’s Digital School. Targeted to architecture engineering, manufacturing and construction, Digital School Technical Design College was the first private college in Canada to be licensed for online delivery.

Solution

The family’s newest venture is Global eTraining, a cloud-based, collaborative training platform. Founded by sisters Susan Brattberg and Holly Brattberg, Global eTraining was inspired by Digital School, and sells online courses to other training centers and corporations. Thus, The Generator was developed – a course offering technology, used to create courses for Global eTraining. Designed for technical material, this software compiles content from collaborators all over the world to create highly interactive, engaging, online programs.

After receiving TPI facilitated trainings, the Academy of Learning decided to train their own internal facilitators. Currently, every one of the students enrolled in a Brattberg Group AOLCC or Digital School participates in the TPI program Thought Patterns for a Successful Career®, resulting in over 13,198 TPI course participants, to date. Delivered by one of the three in-house TPI facilitators, the students receive the material within the first three months of their program. The results speak for themselves. At current rates of over 80%, both the graduation and placement statistics are well above the national average.

To ensure the success of the culture that has been created in the career colleges, the Brattberg Group believes in imparting the same knowledge to all their staff – who also participate in the Thought Patterns for a Successful Career® program within their first three months of employment. At the leadership level, the team participates in Thought Patterns for High Performance®, designed to align the goals and vision amongst the AOLCC management.

Susan Brattberg, who first attended the training as a teenager, stated “It gives the staff and the students – because they all take the program – it gives them a similar perspective and vocabulary, so they can hold each other accountable to the goals that they set. It’s a very positive environment to help people achieve their goals and our success metrics are very high, higher than portfolio_category standards.”

The application of TPI concepts does not stop with the program delivery. “The Pacific Institute is a part of our everyday culture,” Susan Brattberg notes. They sustain the TPI philosophies through coaching and mentoring opportunities. Every employee participates in quarterly ‘PEP Talk’ (Proactively Enhancing Performance) sessions, which includes goal setting and affirmations, to create individual action plans. Performance reviews are then based on these sessions. The executive team also applies the concepts during their team meetings and strategic planning sessions, where they continue to define the goals and vision for the organization.

Outcome

Susan Brattberg attributes a huge amount of the Brattberg Group’s growth to the 20-year relationship with The Pacific Institute, stating “This success has certainly been because of Thought Patterns; knowing you can achieve whatever goals you set, when you put your mind to it.”

The students also note the benefits that the TPI program has had on them, personally and as they begin their careers, as evidenced in these sample testimonials:

“I am deeply thankful for this course. I learned a lot, not only for myself but for those around me. There is a certain positivity, energy, life and encouragement in the seminar that will help me run the extra mile towards my success! I am very grateful.” ~ N.M “I feel so different after taking Thought Patterns for a Successful Career®. It has changed my life for the better. It has inspired me to be an amazing person! I now have the power to overcome anything that comes my way!” ~Anonymous “Thought Patterns for a Successful Career® has honestly changed my way of looking at things and my life! It taught me that changing my mind is essential on my road to success. I can achieve anything that I put my mind to. My goals are achievable with my determination to stretch my comfort zones and by using the tools that I acquired in this course! I recommend that everyone take this course at some point in their life!” ~ K.E

Susan Brattberg concludes, saying, “I have the privilege of going to the Academy of Learning graduation every year. I get to hear the success stories of people, where they might have been off track for one reason or another, and they have a second chance; to get an education. Having the tools that they learn in Thought Patterns helps keep them focused, and on track to excel not only in their program, but also in life. It is really rewarding. We have seen people take on the world after their experience at Academy of Learning.”