Unleashed partner product training – Totara to Totara interconnectivity

The Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) is the trade association that represents the interests of wholesale distributors of electro-technical products in the UK. Creating an essential link between manufacturers of electrotechnical products and the electricians and electrical contractors who install them.

The challenge

The challenge was to create a seamless sales, distribution, and assessment process for the EDA’s industry leading product training.

The EDA have spent years working with knowledge experts across the industry to provide a library of unrivalled product knowledge covering key topics and sectors. Traditionally these were available in hardcopy only and sold online to their entire membership. In 2023 their 12 existing modules were digitised into SCORM packages to further increase their reach and impact. However, the challenge was then to devise an efficient distribution system which most importantly had to provide a control system for the final assessment and marking system.

The solution

The EDA has over 250 UK wholesale distribution members but Edmundson Electrical are one of their very largest and were therefore most keen to access the new digitised product training. Cortexa have long been the leading LMS provider within the Trade and Federation membership programme within the UK and were fortuitously providers of Totara platforms to both parties. After exploratory discussions the Cortexa team went to work creating a custom cross platform signup facility to synchronize user access. It was established that Edmundson’s wanted their users to access all course content courses within their own site therefore providing tracking and activity monitoring within their own Totara LMs. However, the assessment courses which provided the completed course grading would always be retained within the EDA LMS. The initial course selection and confirmed payment system was completed via EDA’s CRM but thereafter both systems synchronised the user so there was no need for additional steps from beginning the course to its final completion.

Process steps:

1. EDA receives a request from Edmundson detailing the registered employees and corresponding course.
2. Once EDA have confirmed payment from Edmundson, they create each user on the EDA LMS and enrol them on the relevant exam courses.
3. Edmundson employees are enrolled on one (or more) of the content courses on the Edmundson LMS via a separate internal process.ment
   
4. When the Edmundson employees go to access one of the copies of the workbooks on Edmundson’s LMS, the Cortexa developed CTX Remote plugin will activate and perform the following checks…
   a. Does a user with this Edmundson employee’s email exist on the EDA LMS?
   b. If yes, is the EDA LMS user assigned to the corresponding exam that matches the workbook the Edmundson employee is trying to access?
   c. If yes, allow access, otherwise deny access.
5. Once the Edmundson employee has completed the workbook and/or feels ready to take the exam portion, they will access the EDA LMS to complete the exam.
   

The result

Both companies have already seen a positive impact through the inter connectivity of their combined Totara platforms. Matt Ward from Edmundson’s perspective is that “it’s gone really well and I’m actually quite surprised how quick and significant the switch has been from the paper-based workbooks to the e-version via the LMS. Since the e-version was switched on back in late October 2023, I think we’re already at over a 95% compliance with conversion to the e-version and I think around 200+ books have now been ordered and started in the e-format.” The project has importantly brought two partners even closer together and quickly increased the impact of EDA’s investment in digitising their core training. Based on this successful first implementation EDA are now keen to see the plugin used across its broader network of members and affiliates and Cortexa are keen support the rollout in the near future.