Case Study: Xcel Energy achieves consistent, compliant technical training and major cost savings with Anthology (Blackboard Learn)

Xcel Energy Supports a Distributed and Technical Workforce Using a Transformative LMS

Xcel Energy, a Minneapolis‑based utility serving 3.7 million customers with a 12,000+ workforce and 6,000 union contractors, faced inconsistent, time‑inefficient technical training for a distributed, non‑desk workforce and needed a way to prove competency, mitigate risk, and control costs. To address those challenges, Xcel turned to Anthology and its Blackboard Learn (with Blackboard Collaborate) learning management solution to standardize curricula, improve accessibility, and better manage training data.

Anthology’s Blackboard Learn was implemented as a learning ecosystem to deliver virtual and classroom instruction, support communities of practice, and track evidence‑based competency for compliance and operational excellence. The change cut travel and instructor time, enabled oversight of roughly 750 courses, delivered 100% instructor buy‑in among 55 reporting instructors, allowed some classes to run twice per year instead of once, and generated cost savings that Xcel repurposed internally—delivering measurable improvements in proficiency, access, and budget efficiency.

Xcel Energy

Tony Gagliardo

Vice President of Enterprise