First Intuition revolutionises learning with bespoke platform for commercial and apprenticeship learners

First Intuition is a UK-based private training provider offering routes both commercially and through an apprenticeship in a range of accountancy and leadership and management programmes.

First Intuition was opened in 2007 with a strong focus on the learner as an individual and responding to those needs. With over 10,000 students annually, First Intuition helps their students achieve industry-leading results.

The Challenge

In 2019 First Intuition was experiencing rapid growth in the delivery of apprenticeships and expanding programme offerings. At this point, two different learning platforms were being used to support different types of users. Each student type had a unique challenge regarding the capabilities of those systems and how they worked together.

For commercial learners, the existing platform did not offer the scope to develop innovative ways of delivering content or the reporting capabilities the company required to develop adaptive learning journeys and meaningful feedback back to students to support exam preparation.

For apprenticeship learners, the journey was disjointed with two separate systems being used; for technical qualification delivery, it was the same system as used for commercial learners, but for the apprenticeship delivery, a separate system was required to meet the regulatory needs of the programmes.

The Solution

Whilst searching for a solution, First Intuition reviewed many of the leading systems available on the market for commercial and apprenticeship delivery. The overwhelming view was that no system seemed to do both with all the required functionalities. First Intuition was also keen to be able to develop a system that could keep up with its changing student demographic and respond to the growth and development they were experiencing.

Totara offered a platform that could be moulded around the company’s requirements allowing new ideas to be realised and staff and student feedback to become actionable. The ability to use existing plug-ins was also attractive as it further increased the system’s flexibility.

First Intuition wanted to develop bespoke dashboards for different user types, manage performance metrics, meet regulatory requirements, and improve internal reporting, and Totara offered the solution to all those requirements. The biggest development area for First Intuition was in the apprenticeship space. Learners are required to have regular documented reviews, keep logs for off-the-job learning hours and develop a portfolio of evidence ready for their endpoint assessment. First Intuition developed performance banners for student dashboards to deliver key metrics back to apprentices and similar dashboards for the apprenticeship coaching staff to improve how they monitored apprentices and supported them on their journey.

Bespoke reporting replaced the need for admin-heavy external trackers and, for the first time, brought all of the information about a student and their learning journey together in one place.

More recently, First Intuition has introduced the Perform product which has allowed them to build on the foundations of the work they have done since 2019. Perform is another step forward to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the platform for both staff and students.

The Results

For First Intuition, the move to Totara was about being able to deliver more to our users rather than saving money. Any efficiencies realised have allowed for an increase in service primarily around the action taken from data.

Key results discussed in more detail below are:

• Being able to review engagement and track progression across an entire programme for coaches and apprentices.
• Detailed reporting on key elements of a student’s journey through a course or programme.
• Improving the learning experience for apprentices and commercial learners.
• Improved access to data to support regulatory requirements and to support future developments.

Our skills and development coaches manage our apprentices, and one of the biggest results for the coaches is being able to see the progression of apprentices across the whole programme. In the past, with different elements across different systems, the coaches had experienced hidden elements with difficulty accessing some data. The impact of this is a better experience for students as well as an impact on how teams interact with each other internally. Coaches are better aligned with teaching staff and work together to manage students’ requirements.

For First Intuitions apprentices, the biggest result was completing the learning journey on one platform rather than two. For an apprentice, they saved approximately 5 hours per year. However, the time saved was not the key result for First Intuition. In the past, apprentices had struggled to see how the apprenticeship fitted together and how the technical qualification supported the apprenticeship and vice versa. By having the journey in one place, students can better see the whole journey and understand how elements fit together.

As an organisation, First Intuition has a range of complex reporting requirements, from regulatory requirements to meeting employer expectations. Moving to a single system with such powerful reporting tools has allowed First Intuition to provide better information back to senior management; this has led to the development of improved apprentices reporting that supports identifying students who need additional support or changes to their programme. Clients have benefited from improved insights into student progression, performance, and engagement with online content. These improvements have supported a reduction in learners leaving programmes early or taking time away from the programme.

The move to Totara has improved the user experience for both commercial and apprenticeship learners. The bespoke dashboard allows apprenticeship students to see how they progress through the chosen study route as soon as they log into the system. Commercial students now see content in a way that demonstrates a clear learning journey with more support and better analytics provided on performance.

In 2022 First Intuition received an outstanding Ofsted grade; this stamp of quality is a fantastic achievement and is reflective of the quality of delivery achieved. This quality has been greatly supported by the move to Totara.

Another significant result for First Intuition is improved access to data. We can see on a granular level the content students consume, how they engage with the system and what content is or is not being used. This data has allowed First Intuition to explore adaptive learning possibilities and gamification to engage students better and provide real-time feedback to improve student outcomes.

“Moving to Totara has revolutionised how we deliver content to our students and manage the performance and interaction of our students to inform future development. We control our system and are free to respond to new requirements.”

– Becki Hunter, Head of Educational Services.