Qarbon Aerospace is a leading manufacturer of advanced composite parts and structures for both aircraft and spacecraft. Qarbon builds structural components for an impressive array of aerospace leaders, including Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. They are a federal contractor and subcontractor on a variety of programs, and they operate under strict compliance and regulatory requirements.
As a manufacturing organization with operations in Georgia and Texas, Qarbon faces unique workforce training challenges—especially for safety, compliance, and technical skills.
Before adopting PlatCore, training was decentralized and tracked manually. Training records—especially for critical certifications like special process authorizations—were managed via Scantrons, printed PowerPoints, and physical files. While fast and familiar for audits, this paper-based system lacked the flexibility, traceability, and reporting capabilities of a modern LMS.
Additionally, Qarbon needed to accommodate various user types, including full-time employees, contractors, and external learners—many of whom don’t have LMS access due to role-based security. The LMS had to work within a blended training model (online, in-person, and hands-on), provide granular compliance tracking, and support lean operations without requiring a full-time LMS administrator.
Previous LMS platforms like Cornerstone had been deemed too complex and resource-intensive for Qarbon’s size and structure. “Cornerstone is a very powerful system," said Shaun Manning, Qarbon's Learning & Development Manager, "but it’s also very complex. Where there are three screens in PlatCore, there are ten in Cornerstone—with 15–20 things to select on each screen.”
PlatCore offered several transformative benefits for Qarbon Aerospace, including ease of use, secure federal-grade architecture, training flexibility, compliance tracking, cost savings, and support for Qarbon’s lean staffing model.
PlatCore’s intuitive design enabled trainers—without dedicated LMS admin support—to create, deploy, and manage training efficiently. Instructors at Qarbon can build learning plans, upload custom content (often built in PowerPoint with interactive buttons), and track completions with minimal technical knowledge. This usability allows Qarbon to operate with no full-time LMS administrator.
“PlatCore is a powerful, easy-to-use system with a very, very small learning curve.”
Shaun Manning, Learning & Development Manager at Qarbon Aerospace
As a federal contractor, Qarbon must comply with strict cybersecurity, access control, and export compliance requirements. PlatCore helps meet these needs by running entirely on ServiceNow, a FedRAMP-authorized platform that Qarbon’s IT team already trusts.
PlatCore supports role-based access control, ensuring that contractors or non-cleared employees only access what they are authorized to view. Employees are provisioned automatically based on their ServiceNow account and deactivated when they leave—minimizing manual risk. “You’re not having to call an LMS administrator to remove a user," said Mr. Manning. "It’s automatic.”
3. Flexible, Engaging, and Reportable Training
Qarbon delivers training through a blended model—online, in-person, and hands-on. PlatCore supports this flexibility with the ability to host simple PowerPoint-based courses, government videos, or SCORM/AICC content, depending on the scenario. “PlatCore enables us to run non-SCORM courses—basically a PowerPoint with interactive elements," said Mr. Manning. "It just works.”
Even for required compliance training, the LMS helps create more engaging and trackable learning experiences. There’s more interaction, such as video versus a simple description, which improves engagement.
PlatCore also makes it easier to report on learner progress, which is vital for audits, certifications, and security validation. According to Manning, “We can report quickly off PlatCore. We know when someone has completed the required knowledge or acknowledged a policy.” For example, Qarbon used PlatCore to distribute cybersecurity policy acknowledgements for CMMC compliance.
PlatCore has saved Qarbon tens of thousands of dollars annually by replacing expensive third-party content libraries with internally developed training.
“We just saved ourselves $30,000 by using PlatCore to deliver custom training content.”
~ Shaun Manning, Qarbon Aerospace L&D Manager
Because PlatCore is easy to use, instructors create and manage content themselves—eliminating the need for dedicated LMS admins or developers. “We don’t have a super administrator," said Mr. Manning. "Our instructors create and load the content themselves.” This model supports Qarbon’s lean operational structure. “If we had a different LMS, we’d need more staff to support it,” Manning said.
Qarbon Aerospace needed a training platform that could keep pace with its high-stakes manufacturing environment, strict federal security requirements, and lean staffing model. With PlatCore LMS, they found a powerful yet accessible solution that:
For Qarbon Aerospace, PlatCore isn’t just a learning platform—it’s a secure, scalable training backbone for a modern, federally regulated manufacturing operation.