A LEADING LEARNING EXECUTIVE BRIEFING

The Strategic CE Playbook
Personalization, Portfolio Thinking, and Performance

• Personalization: Tailor learning to goals, needs, and preferences for stronger engagement..
• Portfolio Thinking: Build coherent, aligned offerings that support the full learner journey.
• Performance: Track outcomes and impact to drive improvement and show value.

We're grateful to BenchPrep for sponsoring this executive briefing so that we can make it available to Leading Learning subscribers at no charge.

We encourage you to find out more about how BenchPrep can help you straegically grow your continuing education, professional development, and exam prep business.

From the Introduction

Continuing education (CE) is more essential—and more strategically valuable—than ever.

The world of work has changed. Career paths are no longer linear. People move between jobs and entire professions with increasing frequency. Skills have shorter shelf lives, and what’s learned today may be outdated tomorrow. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is just the latest example of how fast knowledge evolves. As a result, employers expect constant upskilling, and adult learners must return to learning again and again throughout their lives

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The old model of front-loaded education—where you learn early and work forever—is no longer viable. For past generations, that model made sense: earn a degree, enter a stable career, and rarely look back. But today’s learners need flexible, relevant, and high-impact continuing education to keep pace. And they have more options than ever for where to turn.

Competition is growing—not just from traditional providers like associations, training companies, and academic continuing education units but also from tech giants, massive open online courses (MOOCs), and alternatives to formal offerings. At the same time, learners themselves are more selective. They demand convenience, relevance, and clear outcomes. Learning businesses must compete not only for learners’ dollars but for their attention, time, and trust.

In this dynamic environment, CE is no longer a supporting function. It’s a front-line driver of a learning business’s strategic growth, learner engagement, and organizational value.

That’s true for both required and optional CE. Some learners engage to fulfill mandates tied to licensure or certification. Others choose CE for professional advancement or personal growth. While the motivations differ, the expectations do not—both groups want learning that respects their time, supports their goals, and delivers meaningful value.

This executive briefing introduces a practical framework to help senior leaders strategically design and deliver CE programs that will succeed in today’s complex and competitive market. It focuses on three essential levers:

• Personalization: Deliver experiences tailored to learner goals, preferences, and performance.
• Portfolio thinking: Design and manage offerings as part of a coherent portfolio aligned with learner needs, competencies, and market demand.
• Performance: Measure what matters—learner outcomes, engagement, and business impact—to improve continuously and communicate value.

Together, these levers provide a path forward for learning businesses delivering continuing education that is responsive, sustainable, and future-ready.

To learn more about why and how to lead the growth of your learning business, download the briefing today!