Remploy implement self-directed learning to support internal colleague development

Remploy is the UK’s leading provider of disability employment services. They offer a range of products and services which enable employers to confidently realise the economic, social and reputational benefits found in recruiting, retaining and developing people with disabilities.

Remploy’s mission is to transform society and the lives of disabled people by helping them find sustainable employment. Remploy exists to improve the lives of disabled people and those with complex needs through the power of work. We believe that everyone has something to offer. We work to find their strengths. Once we know their skills, we match them to proper jobs with carefully chosen employers.On 7th April 2015, 70 years after it was formed, Remploy left government ownership in a joint venture between MAXIMUS, an international company providing health & employment services on three continents, and Remploy’s employees, who have a 30% stake in the new business.

The Challenge

Remploy identified that there was a need for a more flexible and cost-effective approach to support the development of our colleagues, taking into account logistics and differing learning styles. This lead to the implementation of the Learning Community (a Sharepoint Platform) as a short-term solution while they identified a more suitable platform which would be capable of delivering a range of self-directed learning and e-learning solutions across the business.They were looking for a digital solution that could maximise the utilisation of current technological advancements, enabling them to:

• Create a one-stop-shop that facilitates blended learning interventions
• Track and report on learning and development progress
• Share expertise
• Prevent duplication of resource and effort
• Offer learning and development solutions commercially as part of our disability expertise portfolio
• Evaluate return on investment (ROI)
• 24/7 access to self-directed learning

The Solutio

Remploy provided TDM with a list of requirements. There were a number of essential criteria within this list that were a core part of Totara Learn’s functionality which were not necessarily available with other solutions, including:

• Many options available to make the learning more engaging and interactive for the learners, improving the learner experience
• The ability for learners, and their managers, to see their progress without asking for reports to be ru
• The option to ‘group’ learning together within a programme to help guide learners through their learning experience.
• The ability for managers to authorise learning for their team and to add content to tailored learning plans, supporting Remploy’s requirement for more self-directed learning
• Audiences – ensuring that specific roles/groups are automatically enrolled into specific learning modules.
• Certifications of learning to ensure that compliance learning can be completed with automatic prompts sent to colleagues when their refresher learning is due
• The ability to record learning that has taken place outside of the organisation.

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The Results

The LMS launched on 25th June 2015, with 730 unique user logins in the first sixth months following implementation. 59 courses have been set up, with more than 1,400 course completions. So far, a wide range of activities has been used, including quizzes, surveys, documents, folders, face-to-face sessions, SCORM files and videos.As a result of their Totara LMS implementation, Remploy has been able to automate the refresher learning for their compliance topics and automated bookings for face-to-face sessions, which has significantly reduced the manual input from the admin team.Remploy has been able to save on costs and also reach more learners using the platform – 1,400 course completions equates to 116 day courses – something which they have achieved less than six months after go-live.There is increased engagement and input from the business in the usage of the platform, with very positive feedback about the learning that is available.The flexibility of this solution is helping to support Remploy’s internal promotion of self-development and learning by allowing colleagues to access content as they need it rather than waiting for a face-to-face course to become available.Although they have achieved a lot in a few months, Remploy and TDM are expecting more tangible benefits as Remploy become more experienced with the system and its functionality.

“Developing our people is at the very heart of Remploy’s strategy, and it is vital to our success in a competitive and commercial environment. The new Remploy Academy provides a learning area where you can manage your own development needs provided in a wide range of learning methods to accommodate all learning styles. It is designed to enable collaboration, sharing best practice and expertise throughout Remploy, and to offer maximum flexibility to fit into our busy schedules.The Remploy Academy also provides comprehensive reporting facilities enabling you to access training records. This facility can be used for managers to identify team development needs and also to prepare for bids and tenders.We recognise that our people are one of most important assets at Remploy, and knowing what skills we have in the business will optimise our ability to gain and deliver new contracts. This is why I would urge everyone to upload their previous education and training courses within the Remploy Academy.” – Craig Scully, Service Delivery Director 

The Future

Remploy is continuing to develop the platform and to provide additional courses to our colleagues in line with business needs.They are looking at using the platform to host learning that will be available to our external customers. They will only have access to specific learning modules.They may also look at exploring the management of qualifications within the platform, and will be looking at the possibility of providing a coaching and mentoring framework via the system.

“Following the launch of the new LMS, the Employer Services team has fully embraced Remploy’s Academy as a one stop shop to access, undertake, deliver and record our Learning and Development.Not only is the system easy to use but it’s also now well embedded with our performance framework, enabling staff to take ownership of their personal development in driving up theirs and the team’s performance.  The ability to create an individual learning plan is great and the reporting function also enables me as a Manager to keep track of my team’s development, to identify any gaps and to evidence our expertise and qualifications when competing for new work.The functionality within the Academy is intuitive with easy navigation to a comprehensive catalogue of courses, designed to develop both understanding and technical skills; with some assessment inbuilt.  The content itself can be accessed either as an individual or used within a facilitated group session or through discussion forum.  With the system being available 24/7 we’ve found it to be a great way to learn at a time and place best for us.We’ve some way to go but excited to see how the discussion forums take off.  Communication is a key priority and with a remote team the Academy offers us another way to access expertise through online discussion.” – Deborah Lane, Head of Business Development (Employer Services), Remploy Academy