The portal will scale to support the training needs of all active service personnel, reserve personnel, civilian Department of Defense workers and Navy retirees. The initiative provides a critical step in achieving knowledge superiority for both war fighters and support forces, according to the Navy. The portal also will act as a building block in the reengineering of the Navy training and education model.
"We wanted to provide every sailor with a personalized gateway to the Navy's knowledge base of information on a professional and personal development," said Rear Adm. Harry Ulrich, director of the Navy's Task Force for Excellence through Commitment to Education and Learning (Task Force EXCEL).
The portal will offer a holistic, life-long approach to professional and personal development through an easy-to-use Web-based learning environment. It is designed to distill the massive amount of information afforded to sailors and present each sailor with relevant and specific information. This will be done through personalized Web pages that act as a professional portfolio and educational portal.
The project will use portal technology from Appian, a software and professional services firm. The Navy has awarded a one-year contract with an estimated value of $3 million if all options are exercised.