We accelerate competence by making learning personal.

We Accelerate
Competence
by making learning
personal.
The issue no one talks about

Most organisations invest heavily in training.

Few can prove it builds actual capability.

The gap between completion and competence is where performance is lost.

12%
of employees apply new skills from training to their jobs
75%
of training is forgotten within six days of completion
ATD / Torch Research
44%
of organisations can't measure the business impact of learning
£295B
spent on corporate training annually - most impact unmeasured
Training is measured by attendance, not ability
Completion rates tell you who showed up. They tell you nothing about whether your people can actually perform when it matters.
You can't see who's missing skills
Throwing blank cheques at training doesn't reveal who's missing skills. You can't target your resources where they need to be.
The cost of incompetence is invisible... until it isn't
Capability gaps hide in plain sight until: a project fails, a client is lost, or a regulator asks questions your team can't answer.

The Pilsdonpen Approach

The Pilsdonpen approach

L&D doesn't have a spending problem.
It has a performance problem.

Most organisations invest heavily in learning without knowing where the gaps are, or whether the learning actually closes them. Our ecosystem, comprising Mythoclast diagnostics and Athelion learning, is built differently:

How it works

Built on 30 years of learning science.
Delivered at any scale.

One ecosystem, three products. Mythoclast diagnoses exactly where capability stands, Athelion Learning closes the gaps the way memory actually works, and Athelion Analytics proves it.

Pilsdonpen ecosystem
Step 01 · Diagnose

Mythoclast

Most diagnostics point in a general direction. Mythoclast's purpose is to pinpoint exactly where gaps in performance exist, without guessing or over-testing. Adapted from scientific models including Gilbert's BEM and Moore's Action Mapping, Mythoclast's foundations are grounded in four key areas: Knowledge, Environment, Skills, and Behaviour.

The difference
You stop guessing who needs what. Every decision that follows is evidence; down to the key area and the specific gap.
Explore Mythoclast
Step 02 · Close

Athelion Learning

Where Mythoclast finds gaps that learning can fix, Athelion closes them the way memory actually works: cognitive load managed, spaced repetition to lock in retention, retrieval practice to turn knowledge into performance. The path updates in real time as gaps close, so no one treads over what they already know; across ten learners or ten thousand.

The difference
Time-to-competency shrinks, not because learning is faster, but because it's targeted, retained, and never wasted.
Explore Athelion
Step 03 · Prove

Athelion Analytics

Every diagnostic and every learning step feeds Athelion Analytics, giving educators and managers a clear view of how learners are progressing and where skills are still missing. Raw activity becomes actionable insight: verified competence you can report to leadership.

The difference
You can finally prove it: not who attended, but who can perform; with hard, exportable evidence.
See the analytics
The evidence

The research is clear.

Two high-stakes capability domains. The same systemic failure. And a growing body of evidence showing what precision learning actually changes.

Safety - Energy & Aviation
Outdated models

Everyone completes the safety course. Nobody can prove who's actually competent.

In Energy and Aviation, safety training is delivered by cohort: same content, same schedule, regardless of what each person already knows. Completion certificates are issued. Competency is assumed. The exposure hides in the gap between the two.

80%

of aviation and energy safety incidents involve human error, not equipment failure

ICAO (2019) / IOGP safety data

70%

of corporate training programs fail to meet their intended learning objectives

McKinsey Transformation (2019)

Our advantage

We pinpoint exactly who has the gap before the risk becomes an incident.

Athelion maps each individual's safety competency against their specific role requirements. Training is deployed only where real gaps exist, producing faster readiness, fewer wasted hours, and a defensible record of verified competence.

57%

increase in training efficiency when organisations shift from fixed-path to adaptive, competency-based delivery

Continu (2025)

Built on Knowledge Space Theory (Doignon & Falmagne, 1985) - the mathematical framework that enables precise, adaptive assessment of individual competency states without over-testing or over-training.

Soft skills - Leadership & Communication
Outdated models

Soft skills training is the most delivered, and the least retained, investment in L&D.

Leadership, communication, and collaboration programs are rolled out to entire teams on fixed schedules. Engagement is low. The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve is working against every cohort-based program that lacks spaced reinforcement and personalisation.

74%

of organisations are failing to develop the skills needed to execute their strategies.

Josh Bersin Company (2026)

~2%

average knowledge retention after 30 days without reinforcement; the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve in action

Ebbinghaus (1885) / National Training Laboratories

Our advantage

We make soft skills as diagnostically precise and as measurably effective as any technical capability.

Every behavioural competency identified by Mythoclast is mapped, individually assessed, and precisely targeted in Athelion. Spaced reinforcement and adaptive sequencing ensure what's learned is retained and applied, not forgotten by the end of the week.

59%

of studies confirm adaptive learning improves professional and academic performance outcomes

Du Plooy, et al (2024)

Grounded in learning psychology. Combining spaced repetition, retrieval practice, and cognitive load theory with evidence-based instructional design to ensure transfer from learning to real-world performance.

In the field

Proof from the people we work with:

The research points one way. Here's what happens when organisations put it to work.

Mythoclast · Operations Consultancy
“The [Mythoclast] report is very informative, useful and professional… We will start implementing the recommendations and have a more standardized process in conducting our services.”
Bader Al-Adulwahab Partner, Tarkiz

Mythoclast diagnosed process issues across the feasibility study team, pinpointing exactly where capability was missing.

Explore Mythoclast →

Our pledge

Built on a belief that learning changes lives

We commit 5% of net profit to organisations that improve access to education for children in the regions where we work and beyond. We are actively identifying partners whose values and rigour match ours. Because closing knowledge gaps shouldn't stop at the office door.

Get in touch

Contact Us

Want to see our ecosystem in action? Fill in the form and we'll be in touch to arrange a demo, answer questions, or explore partnership opportunities.

Or reach us directly

Pilsdonpen Consultancy, Sparkhouse, Ropewalk,
Lincoln, LN6 7DQ, UK

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