ValvePro: Developing corporate training as an a standalone revenue channel

A sub brand of Sealweld Corporation, ValvePro is the name of the certified valve technician-training program offered by Sealweld and certified by the University of Texas.

The Problem: Gaining industry recognition as a high-level of training in an industry without a standardized training program with the goal of building ValvePro as a revenue-generating segment by increasing enrollments and secondary sales of product and services by extension.

The Solution: ValvePro was originally built as a sales tool for Sealweld Corporation to educate existing and potential customers on the proper use of their products and servicing techniques of pipeline valves under pressure. With little standardized training in the industry, the original computer-based course and text provided an avenue for a soft sales knowledge-based approach to gain new customers and accounts. Partnering with an internationally recognized university (University of Texas PETEX) gave formal certification and credit to the course as well as the ability to move the course from primarily CBT/text based learning to a combination of an online and in class hands-on experience. Along with these structural changes a rebranding of the identity, fresh learning interface and delivery mode was implemented over the course of a 2-year period. The new training center was built that included field simulations creating a truly one of a kind learning experience in this niche field.

This project involved the organization of external advertising agencies and contractors, internal and external content creators, external educational bodies and executive level stakeholders.

Key Benefits:

• ValvePro revenue increases year-on-year to 5% of total revenue (2016)

• International attention on new training center

• Increased brand recognition and growth which aided in the 2017 acquisition of Sealweld and related companies by a large publically traded US organization

• 25% of customer base has employee’s who are graduates of the ValvePro program