The Corporate Training Search Engine is a free vertical search tool for the training community, delivering only results directly relevant to learning and development, removing off-topic sites and eliminating the proliferation of websites focused only on selling, delivering malware, ‘SEO’ spam, or advertising that is often found in the results of generic search engines.
For this reason the selection of sites included has been hand-picked by trainers based on relevancy and utility (but not on whether we agree or disagree with the information provided). The model for the search engine is human-edited opt-in rather than elimination by computer algorithm.
The Origins
The search engine was created and is financially supported by TJ Taylor English Training. Originally designed as an internal performance support tool for their trainers to help with materials research and development, it was made available to the public in January 2007 following some requests and positive feedback from external trainers.
The Concept of Vertical Search
The Corporate Training Search Engine is part of a category commonly called vertical search – focussing on a specific topic or sector rather than drawing results from the millions of websites present on the internet covering every topic possible.
This approach produces more accurate and relevant results for searches consisting of 1 - 3 words, but as the selection of websites included is carefully edited, for obscure terms and searches a generic search engine will often produce a wider range of results as they draw results also from more obscure and possibly less authoritative websites.
For this reason, if the terms searched are very specific, or the searcher tunnels deep into the results, or the terms are not common training-related searches, the search engine defaults back to the more common general results in order to give more satisfactory search results.
The Technology
The technology used to index and create the search results is based on the Google® search engine using their public CSE tool. Using the same indexing and ranking algorithm, this guarantees the integrity, speed and accuracy of the results, though based on an edited selection of high-authority and useful training and learning websites.
Editorial Policy
All the websites included in the search engine have been manually inspected and included based on 1) relevancy, 2) utility, 3) authority, and 4) having a purpose that is non-exclusively commercial. The range of websites included are training magazines, industry associations and think-tanks, authoritative personal websites, official blogs, reference materials, and information portals.
User Feedback
If you have any feedback or comments about your search results, the design or concept you are very welcome to contact us. We aim to create a useful reference tool for the wider training community and any suggestions on how to improve the Corporate Training Search Engine are appreciated.
Suggestions for Inclusion
If you have any suggestions for a website, that fits the four criteria of our editorial policy, that you believe could be included in the index, you are very welcome to contact us and we will take it into consideration for inclusion.
Thanks for your interest, and happy training and learning!
Alex Taylor