Promotional products professionals are busy but need to stay current on trends to remain competitive and profitable.
PPAI Advance, the Association’s newly reimagined learning suite, just got a comprehensive makeover to fit the way members learn during their professional development journey, from online to in-person events. Professional development should be a practical, accessible and valuable part of every promo career.
A refreshed platform, modular course design, easier-to-follow certification tracking and flexible continuing education credits match the needs of professionals at every stage of their careers. Whether you’re in sales, marketing, customer support or tech, there are dozens of courses tailored to your area of expertise.
It’s Easy With A Reimagined Learning System
PPAI Advance has a new design with all the features you need for an enhanced, modern user experience: an intuitive search, sleek organization, self-paced modules and mobile-friendly. Busy professionals can easily track their progress on a personal dashboard and review transcripts all in one place.
Instead of needing to use multiple logins or visit different websites, industry pros can now access the PPAI Advance platform with a single sign-on via my.PPAI.org. Once inside, you’re quickly directed to a personalized dashboard that’s your professional development hub. Then, you can browse nearly 200 courses, resume those in progress and view the certificates you’ve earned.
Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, MAS
Sr. Manager of Professional Development, PPAI
While on your dashboard, you can easily track your progress across all enrolled courses. Whether you’re exploring an individual skill development session or completing a multimodule certification path, you can see your transcript updates in real time, all in one place.
PPAI Advance’s course catalog is easy to navigate, with better search functionality, logical category groupings and an easy-to-navigate interface. This makes it easier for learners to find new content that meets their goals and return to past sessions, following visual cues and simple icons. When users discover a new course to enroll in, they can simply select the course, add it to the cart, confirm enrollment, and start learning.
“Every piece of content, every page layout, every button – it’s all designed to remove friction and help members stay engaged and empowered,” says Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, MAS, PPAI’s senior manager of professional development.
It’s Quick And Designed For Daily Use
For micro-learning sessions or on the go, PPAI Advance’s modular course content is organized in easy-to-digest segments so you can fit learning into your schedule. This format also promotes retention and convenience, so you don’t need to put your learning on hold when you get busy.
RELATED: PPAI Advance Redefines Education For Promo Professionals
After each video or recorded session, users can take quizzes to reinforce the core learning objectives. You’ll immediately see which questions you answered correctly and where you may need to review. Since there’s no pass/fail pressure, users can retake quizzes as many times as they like until they pass.
Once a user completes a course, the system automatically moves it from the dashboard to their personal transcript. At a glance, you can see your progress within a clean, focused workspace on the platform.
It’s Free And Flexible With Universal CEUs & Unlimited Options
If you’re pursuing your Certified or Master Advertising Specialist certification, you can earn CEUs through a variety of experiences, including:
- Attending live sessions at events like The PPAI Expo, Women’s Leadership Conference, Leadership Development Conference or webinars
- Taking on-demand or self-paced online courses
- Volunteering, speaking at events or contributing to the promotional products community
- Serving on PPAI committees or task forces
“You don’t have to wonder whether a session counts for CAS or MAS – it does,” Gibbons-Rauch says. “All your learning is measured the same way.”
If your plans ever change, you can easily drop a course by selecting “request drop” on your dashboard. There’s no penalty for unenrolling, and users retain the ability to rejoin later when it fits their schedule.
‘A Modern and Personalized Path’
PPAI Advance’s learning platform is poised for growth, with new courses, certification levels and interactive experiences based on member feedback and industry trends.
“Our job is to make the path clear, modern and personalized,” Gibbons-Rauch says. “Your job is to keep showing up curious, motivated and open to what’s next.”
