Intelligent Training Built for the Frontline

Rachael Nemeth, co-founder and CEO of Opus Training, joined me to share how Opus leverages real operational data to deliver personalized, actionable training in over 130 languages through mobile devices to bridge the learning gap for the 110 million Americans who aren’t desk-based. This was a fascinating conversation, if for no other reason than so few companies focus on these front-line workers and that the training Opus provides isn’t your standard compliance-based stuff, but the education that will most benefit individual employees, teams, and sites based on their actual performance on the job. Rachael shared her own journey from the restaurant industry to building Opus. Our conversation explored the shortcomings of traditional training metrics, the importance of manager enablement, and the need for technology that truly serves and empowers America’s frontline workforce.Michael HornWelcome to The Future of Education. I’m Michael Horn. You’re joining the show where we’re dedicated to creating a world in which all individuals can build their passions, fulfill their potential, and live lives of purpose. And to help us think through that today, I’m really excited because we get to focus on an area we don’t talk nearly enough, in my opinion, about in the conversation around helping individuals skill up and figure out potential and so forth. And none other than Rachael Nemeth. She’s the co-founder and CEO of Opus Training, which we’re going to hear all about today. But I think the motto is turning training into traction. Rachael, thank you so much for joining us.I’m excited to hear about your story and about Opus.Rachael NemethYeah, thanks for welcoming me. I’m excited to be here.Michael HornYeah, you bet. So, why don’t you just start us off, like baseline, you know, tax, like what is Opus Training before we get into the backstory of how you created it?Rachael NemethYeah, so when you think about the 2,100 learning management systems that are in the world today, it’s obviously just from that number, it is a very fragmented market. Opus is a training operating system that’s designed specifically for the 110 million Americans who aren’t sitting at a desk all day. So, it is a big product for a big workforce that is largely underserved. What’s special about Opus, though, is that we aren’t just helping teams create training, which is kind of, you know, a lot of what you see in a traditional learning system. We’re actually helping operators change behavior in their workflow by using live operational data from the business, which we’ll talk a little bit more about. Yeah. But we’re sort of taking knowledge to the next level, knowing that this workforce is changing.Michael HornOkay, I have so many questions that I’m excited to geek out on this, but let’s back up a little bit. Tell us the story. Most people don’t focus on the frontline, as you said, right? And the people who are not in front of computers when they picture their upskilling or reskilling platforms. How did you decide to build Opus Training? What was the background that you brought to it and the problem that you saw that you wanted to solve?Switching careers to teaching EnglishRachael NemethIt was definitely not an overnight, you know, light bulb moment. Maybe just to rewind, so my background is not in tech. It’s actually early. It was not in teaching either. My background’s in restaurants. So, I worked for 13 years in the restaurant industry, most recently for Danny Meyer at Union Square Hospitality Group.Michael HornBest hospitality anywhere.Rachael NemethIf you’re a foodie, you know Danny. And before that, I cut my teeth in baking manufacturing. My mom worked in bakeries for 43 years. My grandfather owned a barbecue chain in Kansas City called Don’s World of Beef. So, I have this sort of rich family history of the food service. And candidly, I thought I was kind of destined for it. And also very candidly, I spent my whole life trying to get out of the industry. It is a terrible industry.You’re overworked, you’re underpaid.Michael HornListeners know my wife’s,, that’s her background and her industry and Some of the work conditions and personalities, shall we say, are not Danny Meyer. So, yes, I get it.Rachael NemethAnd I still eat spaghetti over the sink. Like, I do not go out to fancy dinners. I still eat on the go because that is the life I’ve lived. But maybe just fast forward to about 10 years ago, I was looking to make a transition. And so, I quit the industry to start teaching English as a second language. My second pass