WOODRIDGE, IL - You’re as strong as your partnerships, and Produce Pro Software has always been about making the fresh produce industry stronger. As the company celebrates its tenth anniversary of the Produce Pro University program with a new and improved PPro U logo, I spoke with Jenn Wilson, Instructional Design Manager, to learn more.
“Produce Pro University, or ‘PPro U,’ is an educational program that provides cost-effective group training for the Produce Pro Software user community,” Jenn began. “We deliver live workshops, Web classes, and on-demand training about varied topics throughout Produce Pro Software, for beginners who are new to the system as well as more advanced learners.”
To ensure that it is helping as many businesses as possible, the classes are built to support learners from companies of all different sizes and business models.
“We keep the attendance fees low, and even provide some classes for free. For those who would like to attend one of our live webinars, but can’t make it work in their schedules, we also keep an on-demand library of our webinar recordings. There’s great value and flexibility for anyone who wants to boost their skills, learn more about the Produce Pro system, or prepare for deeper consulting discussions,” Jenn explained to me.
The anniversary of the program is dear to the Produce Pro Software team’s heart, as it represents ten years of growth and connection. As Jenn noted, PPro U has evolved a lot over its ten-year run, starting with a small, in-person workshop at company headquarters on September 20–21, 2011.
“My colleague, Kate Smith, and I launched PPro U with our first workshop about the pricing tools in Produce Pro Software. We couldn’t have imagined what the program would look like in ten years!” she shared. “Now, we’re offering more classes than ever, for live and asynchronous audiences located throughout North America, and we’re tapping into expertise from all over the company. In the last couple of years, especially, PPro U has given us a great way to stay connected to the Produce Pro Software family and take good care of them. The pandemic has brought on some intense challenges throughout our industry, to put it mildly. As our customers have responded to all of the twists and turns that came their way, we’ve kept all hands on deck to support them, and we’ve kept looking for creative ways to keep delivering on our mission, safely and affordably.”
As it continues to celebrate the tenth anniversary of PPro U, Produce Pro Software is already looking ahead at what the next ten years mean for the program.
“First and foremost, PPro U will keep delivering new classes to support our growing user base. Whenever we can, we’ll keep creating opportunities for Produce Pro experts to share their knowledge. We especially want to get the word out about our on-demand library of recorded classes, and remind everyone to take advantage of what’s in there,” Jenn commented. “There’s also an exciting new branch of PPro U in the works: interactive E-learning, delivered through the Web. Over the years, we’ve seen growing demand for offerings that are flexible enough to support a variety of needs, on any schedule and at any pace. E-learning will give us new ways to connect with learners of all skill levels, whenever it works for them. Our classes will guide them through exercises and simulations that get them comfortable with Produce Pro, so they’ll be ready for new responsibilities in their live systems. We’re excited to see it take shape!”
As Produce Pro Software continues to develop solutions for the industry, we here at AndNowUKnow will be here to report the latest.
