Vanguard Magazine

26 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com G A M E C H A N G E R See the full interview online Q How is your organization changing the game within your industry sector? LRDG has been changing the way the Government of Canada learns English and French from day one (2002). Rather than traditional teaching, typically done in classrooms using a "one-size fits all" approach focused on theory and vocabu- lary, LRDG's model is more personalized and flexible, focused on oral interaction and linguistic mastery. Each user has their own starting point, learning objec- tives, schedule, training frequency, and of course learning habits. Therefore the training model must match. LRDG uses an online curriculum and LMS to assess each learner and provide a custom course plan to achieve their objectives within their budget and frequency. Behind the scenes LRDG employs account managers and pedagogical experts to monitor the learner's results and progress and ensure they're progressing according to their plan, or adjustments can be made. The use of learning technologies has brought in important elements of data security, digital accessibility, gamification, and most recently a brand new more modern and mobile learning interface. LRDG's learning platform, online tutoring, and blended learning methodology is in use across almost every Canadian govern- ment department and they've recently been awarded a brand-new National Master Standing Offer for Virtual Lan- guage Training. The first of its kind and awarded to LRDG exclusively. Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your industry sector? Some of the impediments to innovation are due to the nature of government contracting requirements. While this ensures competitiveness, fairness, and of course quality assurance of provider, it places some restrictions on the adapta- tion and technology integrations that can be made in our service delivery, e.g. AI, digital accessibility. Additionally, all our resources and service providers need to reside within Canada due to Data privacy requirements. Compliance is crucial to secure contracts and funding, and these give LRDG huge competitive advantages and protection against inter- national competition, but of course it limits the access to resources that could potentially be used to make the product and service better. Another impediment is the nature of the language context (SLE) in which we operate. The end- game is simply to "pass the test" and obtain the required bilingualism desig- nation, not always to take training that promises to go over and beyond and master the language to live and work in your second language. LRDG has done well to succeed within the confines of both the Canadian Government Official Language Context (SLE) and the specif- ic contractual obligations within, having secured numerous tenders of all sorts, e.g. RFPs, ACANs, and Supply Arrange- ments and Standing Offers. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture and how is it being optimized? Innovation is actually one of LRDG's values, embedded in our DNA. LRDG also has Research & Development in our name, having secured important SRED funding from the government for many years. We are constantly looking to improve the user experience and learner journey through LRDG. We've brought in pedagogical expertise, UX experts, mo- bile and gamification experts, and many more. We've brought our learning cur- riculum from CD to DVD and now to a fully online LMS and Portal – to provide a complete turnkey learning management solution for tutors, government employ- ees and their managers and procurement personnel. Q What technologies, business models, and trends will drive the biggest changes in your industry over the next two years? AI is of course everywhere and will likely have some of the biggest impact inside and out of our industry. It's both an in- credible opportunity and challenge to navigate. It can help augment the learning experience ten-fold, help supplement and scale quality services to more learners, but can be a major challenge and distraction if not done carefully and deliberately. It's important not to jump in too quickly es- pecially in more regulated, safer industries like public sector education. Q How did you start out in this industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? LRDG is my family business. Outside of that I always loved languages (speaking 4) and travelling and learning the cultures of the world. Working in the business af- ter graduating from business school was a no brainer. 10 years later, after leaving the business temporarily for 2.5 years, and after LRDG completed succession planning, I'm set to take over officially in 2024. My early passion was in sales and business development, but it's been the most challenging and fulfilling pivot into management and leadership – and keeping the important family DNA that brought us here, while modernizing and improving the business around it. JEREMY FROHLICH CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER LRDG – LANGUAGE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT GROUP

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