Introduction:
In today’s dynamic business environment, delivering effective training and up-skilling experiences to employees can be a challenging task. This case study explores how Tracy Walker, Learning Pool’s own Learning and Development Manager, successfully utilized our off-the-shelf library content to enhance employee experience . When creating the new Essential Skills
and Welcome to Management programmes, by leveraging digestible, modular learning materials, Tracy aimed to provide a solid foundation of knowledge to employees while enabling them to learn at their own pace and contribute to interactive sessions using blended learning experiences.
Background:
Our fantastic team members here at Learning Pool are located in cities across the globe, from Derry to New York, Nottingham to Zurich and many places in between. This meant that Tracy faced the challenge of delivering comprehensive training to a geographically diverse team, meaning the traditional classroom approach simply was not feasible. Recognizing the need for a blended learning approach, Tracy sought a solution that would allow employees to acquire essential skills and knowledge in advance of training sessions, and to provide further resources post training sessions, with the aim of fostering a more productive and engaging learning environment during virtual sessions. Where better to turn than our in-house Libraries!
Solution:
Tracy realized that the off-the-shelf content, our very own product, held immense potential for internal use. By tapping into the diverse range of lessons available, Tracy aimed to complement and enhance the learning experience for employees. This approach also served as an opportunity to align the organization’s employees with the content they were selling, ensuring a deeper understanding and appreciation for its value.
Creating a Thread of Continuity:
To ensure coherence and relevance, Tracy emphasized the importance of maintaining a thread of continuity throughout the training. By carefully selecting and referencing the off-the-shelf content, she ensured that the e-learning modules complemented and reinforced the concepts taught during virtual classroom sessions. This approach created a clear and cohesive learning journey for employees, enhancing their understanding and application of the material.
Furthermore, sharing our off-the-shelf content with partner providers allowed Tracy to demonstrate the areas of knowledge we required them to cover in these training sessions. This allowed the sessions to be tailored specifically to build upon learning objectives and gave the ability to create post learning tasks to encourage delegates to put their knowledge into practice, this inturn bolstering the learning experience for all employees. Our off-the-shelf content’s customisable nature seamlessly aligned with the adaptable requirements of these sessions, enabling providers to tailor both the content and appearance of the lessons to suit their specific needs.
The Power of Digestible Learning:
One key advantage of using off-the-shelf content was the availability of short, modular learning modules. Tracy recognized the benefits of delivering content in digestible chunks, accommodating the varying attention spans of the modern world and enabling learners to control when and how they consumed the material. This flexibility allowed employees to integrate learning into their workflow, promoting just-in-time learning that was both convenient and effective.
In Addition:
The OTS content has also helped Tracy to respond to the diverse roles and perspectives within Learning Pool’s workforce. Through utilizing OTS adaptive content, featuring pre-
assessments to understand the learner’s current knowledge to create a tailored learning path, Tracy engaged different audiences and facilitated unique learner journeys. By incorporating a mix of mandatory and optional content, she successfully integrated these into diverse learning programs, such as ‘Onboarding’ and mandatory training to build a comprehensive knowledge base that transcended departmental boundaries.
To date, 35 new team leaders and managers have completed ‘Welcome to Management’ a 3 month blended programme that used over 20 OTS courses as mandatory pre learning before delegates attended the virtual classroom session and optional learning to further develop skills. In the first year, over 104 managers attended one or more Essential Skills courses, aimed at both individual employees and managers.
These courses utilized OTS content to set up delegates for their facilitated sessions, providing a solid foundation of knowledge and skills development. Each of these programmes used our OTS content along with a series of putting it into practice post workshop activities to help embed the learning and practice how to apply the skills – the Learning Pool way.
Conclusion:
Tracy’s story demonstrates the efficacy of incorporating off-the-shelf content into employee training and up-skilling programs. By leveraging modular learning modules, Tracy successfully provided a foundation of knowledge to employees, fostered engagement, and encouraged interactive learning sessions, providing both pre and post session resources for learners to further their knowledge. Furthermore, the utilization of off-the-shelf content aligned employees with the organization’s products, enabling a deeper understanding of their value. This case study serves as an example of how organizations can leverage existing resources to optimize training and up-skilling processes, ultimately enhancing employee performance and development.
