Most learning management systems and competency platforms offer comprehensive feature sets designed to serve broad markets. Avilar Technologies takes a different approach: building tailored solutions for organizations with specific workforce problems that off-the-shelf products can’t address. After nearly three decades in the business, this approach has positioned Avilar as a specialist provider for organizations facing complex skills management challenges.
Avilar operates with two core products that can work independently or together: WebMentor Skills (their competency management system) and WebMentor LMS (their learning management system). The company has evolved from serving general markets to focusing on specific sectors where regulatory requirements and complex compliance needs create opportunities for tailored solutions. Healthcare represents a significant portion of their client base, while government contracts provide another key market segment where Avilar’s ability to meet strict security and compliance requirements gives them competitive advantages.
Unique Value Proposition
Avilar’s fundamental differentiator lies in customization over standardization. As CEO Thomas Grobicki explained during a recent briefing, “Most of our clients aren’t interested in a fixed solution. They want something specific to their workforce problem that they have.” This philosophy extends beyond simple configuration options to address complex organizational challenges that generic platforms struggle to handle.
The competency system particularly excels in situations that go beyond traditional training scenarios. Avilar has built solutions for pandemic planning, retirement planning, succession management, mergers and acquisitions, disaster planning and workforce reorganizations. These applications require deep understanding of skills distribution across organizations and the ability to model various scenarios – capabilities that standard talent management platforms typically don’t provide.
Key Features and Capabilities
The WebMentor Skills platform supports comprehensive skills assessment through multiple methodologies. Organizations can implement traditional self-assessments, formal testing, or observational assessments where supervisors evaluate skill demonstration. One notable example involves video-based skill validation in healthcare settings, where employees record themselves performing procedures like proper hand-washing techniques, which subject matter experts then review and approve.
Career matching capabilities work bidirectionally, helping companies identify employees who could fill specific roles while simultaneously showing employees what positions they might qualify for based on their current skill sets. This functionality becomes particularly valuable during organizational changes or succession planning initiatives.
The system integrates with existing HR infrastructure and LMS platforms through cloud-based APIs, allowing organizations to maintain their current technology investments while adding sophisticated competency management capabilities. For clients using both Avilar products, course completions in the LMS can automatically update skill levels in the competency system, creating a closed-loop development process.
Innovation
Avilar’s approach to large-scale content management demonstrates practical innovation in the LMS space. The company has built tools to efficiently install and maintain massive course catalogs — handling implementations with tens of thousands of training items. This addresses a significant operational challenge that many organizations face when trying to leverage comprehensive content libraries.
The integration with external systems extends beyond typical LMS functionality. In Virginia’s security training market, Avilar has developed automated reporting systems that communicate completion data directly to state licensing authorities through APIs. This eliminates manual processes and reduces delays for professionals who need rapid license renewals.
Artificial intelligence integration focuses on practical applications rather than broad automation. Current AI capabilities help organizations build competency frameworks by analyzing job requirements and suggesting relevant skills. Grobicki noted that AI assists with “what skills does a job need” analysis and helps identify skill gaps across employee populations.
Benefits for Potential Clients
Organizations struggling with the limitations of standard platforms find value in Avilar’s configuration capabilities. The system allows collection of any type of employee data and can create custom forms, displays, and reports without requiring extensive technical development.
The competency system’s scenario planning capabilities provide strategic value during organizational transitions. Companies can model the impact of retirements, reorganizations, or expansions on their skill base and identify critical gaps before they become operational problems.
For compliance-heavy industries, Avilar’s ability to support multiple assessment types and maintain detailed audit trails addresses regulatory requirements that generic platforms often handle poorly. The Virginia security training example demonstrates how custom integrations can streamline compliance processes while reducing administrative burden.
Market Context: Competitive Landscape
The competency management space remains less crowded than the broader LMS market, though competition has intensified in recent years from Kahuna, TalentGuard and HRSG.
Kahuna: The Frontline Focus Leader
Kahuna has emerged as a formidable competitor, particularly in frontline workforce industries like healthcare, manufacturing, oil and gas, and construction. The platform positions itself as “built for operations, learning and human resources leaders” with an API-first architecture that emphasizes integration and automation.
Kahuna has demonstrated impressive growth, expanding its customer base by 300% year-over-year and deploying in more than 80 countries with over one million competency assignments. The platform has developed particular strength in healthcare with specialized offerings like Kahuna Ladder, a digital clinical ladder for nursing staff that addresses the 70% nurse burnout rate.
However, Kahuna’s focus on frontline industries may limit its applicability for organizations with different needs. While Avilar handles complex scenarios like pandemic planning and disaster response, Kahuna appears more focused on operational competency assurance and compliance.
HRSG: The Content and Framework Specialist
HRSG takes a content-driven approach through its CompetencyCore platform and Quinto AI-powered job description software. The company offers access to 350+ pre-built competencies, 500+ job descriptions, and thousands of interview questions, backed by 30+ years of competency research and development.
HRSG’s strength lies in its comprehensive competency frameworks with five-level proficiency scales and behavioral indicators that create consistency across the talent lifecycle. The platform excels at rapid deployment through pre-built content libraries, enabling organizations to implement competency-based programs quickly without building frameworks from scratch. HRSG’s approach works well for organizations seeking standardized competency frameworks but may not satisfy clients needing the deep customization that Avilar provides.
TalentGuard: The AI-Powered Enterprise Platform
TalentGuard positions itself as an “AI talent intelligence platform” with WorkforceGPT technology that leverages generative AI for job profiling and skills management. The platform offers extensive content through Talent Frameworks, including over 4,000 job profiles and 3,000 skills across industry segments.
TalentGuard emphasizes scalability and enterprise capabilities, offering comprehensive talent management functionality including succession planning, career pathing, and performance management alongside competency management. However, this enterprise focus may make it less suitable for mid-market organizations or those needing highly specialized solutions that Avilar typically handles.
Broader Market Landscape: Additional Competitive Categories
The competency management market includes several distinct categories of solutions that organizations might consider alongside or instead of Avilar’s offerings.
Talent Intelligence Platforms
Modern talent intelligence platforms like Fuel50 and Eightfold AI represent a newer category focused on AI-powered internal mobility and skills-based workforce management. Fuel50’s talent marketplace uses AI to “smart-match” people to opportunities with a focus on creating unique “career DNA” for each employee. These platforms excel at internal talent mobility and career development but may lack the deep customization capabilities that Avilar provides for complex organizational scenarios like disaster planning or merger analysis.
Enterprise HCM Solutions
Large enterprise platforms like Cornerstone OnDemand, SAP SuccessFactors, and Workday include competency management as modules within broader human capital management suites. Cornerstone, for example, offers sophisticated competency framework capabilities and is “highly scalable” to meet the needs of large enterprises, but typically requires organizations to adapt to their standardized processes rather than offering the bespoke solutions that characterize Avilar’s approach.
Specialized Competency Management Tools
Dedicated competency platforms like Cognology and Cloud Assess focus specifically on skills tracking and development. Cognology offers real-time insights, automated processes and seamless competency alignment with over 30 years of HR experience, while Cloud Assess provides a visual approach to skills tracking and gap analysis with strong integration between skills tracking and training tools. However, these platforms typically focus on standard competency management workflows rather than the complex organizational challenge scenarios that Avilar handles.
Industry-Specific Solutions
Vertical-focused platforms like Mintra (for maritime, oil and gas, and energy industries) and Dossier (healthcare-specific) provide deep industry expertise. While these solutions offer industry-specific features, they lack the cross-industry flexibility and scenario planning capabilities that make Avilar valuable for complex organizational challenges.
Competitive Positioning Analysis
The competitive landscape reveals distinct positioning strategies across multiple categories. Kahuna dominates frontline operations with strong industry focus and user experience. HRSG leads in content depth and framework standardization. TalentGuard emphasizes AI capabilities and enterprise scalability. Fuel50 and similar platforms focus on internal mobility and talent marketplace functionality. Enterprise HCM solutions prioritize integration within broader HR ecosystems. Specialized tools like Cognology and Cloud Assess offer streamlined competency management, while industry-specific solutions provide deep vertical expertise.
Avilar differentiates through deep customization and complex problem-solving capabilities that span across these categories. While competitors focus on standardized solutions with broad appeal, user reviews of platforms like Kahuna highlight the importance of customization, with one reviewer noting: “Most providers say, ‘here is the system you make it work, ‘ but that isn’t Kahuna. They say, ‘How can we make it work for you?'” This philosophy aligns closely with Avilar’s approach, suggesting market demand for flexible, tailored solutions that can address unique organizational challenges beyond standard competency management workflows.
What Makes Avilar Stand Out and Areas for Development
Avilar’s primary strength lies in its willingness to build solutions for specific client needs rather than forcing organizations to adapt to product limitations. The company’s long history, with roots dating back to the mid-1990s and early SCORM certification, provides deep technical expertise and proven stability.
The focus on observational assessments and multi-modal skill validation sets Avilar apart from platforms that rely primarily on training completion as skill indicators. This capability becomes critical in industries where actual skill demonstration matters more than course completion certificates.
However, the company faces challenges common to custom solution providers. Implementation complexity can be higher than off-the-shelf alternatives. The user interface, while functional, may not match the polish that users expect from modern enterprise software, though marketing director Kerry Williams noted that UI improvements are part of the current roadmap.
Who Should Consider Avilar
Avilar appears well-suited for organizations with specific requirements that standard platforms can’t accommodate. Healthcare systems dealing with complex compliance requirements and skills validation needs represent a natural fit, as do government agencies requiring extensive security and audit capabilities.
Companies undergoing significant organizational changes — mergers, acquisitions, or large-scale restructuring — will find value in the platform’s scenario planning and workforce modeling capabilities. The system’s ability to analyze skill distribution and identify critical gaps becomes particularly valuable during transition periods.
Organizations with unique assessment requirements, whether due to regulatory needs or operational realities, benefit from Avilar’s flexible approach to skill validation. Manufacturing companies, healthcare providers, and other industries where hands-on skill demonstration matters more than theoretical knowledge find the observational assessment capabilities particularly valuable.
Avilar Technologies succeeds by focusing on problems that generic platforms can’t solve effectively. While this approach limits their addressable market compared to broad-purpose competitors, it creates strong value propositions for organizations with complex workforce challenges that require tailored solutions.
