How a datalake at Defense paves the way for truly personalized learning

Defense's vision of learning

In the official Defense Vision 2035, the ambition is clear: an armed force that is information-driven, with people who have the right skills at the right time. Learning is not an afterthought, but a strategic part of daily work. There is a focus on development, supported by technology. Yet something essential is still often missing: overview. Who has what knowledge? Where are the gaps? What really works?

Data as a foundation for change

To answer these questions, Defence is building a powerful, secure and innovative learning infrastructure together with TNO, NLR and NLV. The heart of this is the datalake: a central repository in which all relevant learning and HR data come together.

Max Mertens, involved on behalf of NLV, explains:

"We bring everything together: profile data, job expectations, qualifications achieved, deployments, learning activities, HR information from PeopleSoft, and even data from simulators or external learning systems. This creates for the first time a complete and up-to-date picture of the employee."

The datalake runs on-premises and is designed with maximum data security in mind. It stores not only what someone learns, but also how, when and why. It contains data from the Learning Record Store (LRS), content metadata, performance data The Ministry of Defense faces a huge challenge. At a time when threats are constantly changing and technology is developing at lightning speed, the organization must remain agile. That requires people who can continue to develop, at every stage of their careers. Whether it's onboarding, professionalization, re-skilling or up-skilling: learning must be relevant, quickly applicable and aligned with real-life situations.

But therein lies the immediate pain. Too often, employees are presented with learning paths that do not match their experience or role. Learning feels like an obligation instead of an opportunity. Time and resources are wasted unnecessarily, and motivation drops. Defense wants to do this differently. Smarter. And above all: more personal.

and historical learning experiences. External systems such as games or simulations are also connected.

What this yields in practice

Bringing all that information together in one place creates huge benefits. First, efficiency. Once it is known what training someone has already taken or what skills are already in place, duplicates can be eliminated. No more unnecessary e-learning modules. No more repetition.

Second, effectiveness. Personalized learning means that employees learn exactly what they need - no more, no less. This increases motivation as well as the applicability of knowledge in practice. You learn faster, more focused and with more engagement.

Innovation that moves with you

The data lake also forms the basis for all kinds of innovations within L&D. Think of Learning Analytics that predict where knowledge gaps exist. Think of AI that puts together customized learning paths. Think of chatbots that support employees in real time during their journey. Or think of automation that makes learning experiences automatically available at the right moment in the workflow.

With a solid datalake, this will not be a future, but daily practice.

What's coming?

In September 2025, Next Learning Valley will launch the first phase of the AMALT project. In this phase, the datalake will be developed and linked to other smart components, creating a cohesive learning cycle in which data, insight and action are seamlessly connected. Thus, we are building a learning environment that not only facilitates, but also thinks ahead - an environment that constantly adapts to the individual employee and knows exactly what is needed, at the right time, for maximum development.

Do you want this too?

Wondering how your organization can also build such a foundation for personalized and data-driven learning? Then get in touch with NLV. Max Mertens will be happy to show you how the datalake works - and what it can do for your learning strategy.

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