Innovative local authority takes
business-like approach to personal learning
I think it was quite bold of the council to invest in a development partner rather than trying to do it ourselves. The expertise that was provided by TalenTeam was very helpful in guiding us, benefiting us from their experience. I think this has gone really well.
he long-term strategy for Central Bedfordshire Council is to simplify and reduce cost. Deploying SuccessFactors LMS meant there would be one platform for users, reduced support costs and integration with multiple modules. This was part of a wider SAP implementation programme over several years with several key requirements.
Central Bedfordshire Council had several different learning management systems in operation, and wanted to move them all into one integrated system for the whole council. Their previous system was flawed in that it did not record fundamental information about people’s learning. Requiring staff to login with a separate password, particularly occasional users, created an additional barrier to people taking up the training.
More importantly, there were concerns about the validity of the statistics generated by the legacy system. In the past the legacy system did not always keep up to date on new starters and leavers so there was some lack of confidence in the reports. Now the LMS is linked to the HR system and receives automatic daily updates of all staff changes, so it is always up to date.
The culture of learning is changing. Traditionally the public sector has operated well established classroom-based training, and this has suited their workforce demographic, which tends to be older. But the opportunities for digital learning are opening up.
The decision to change the LMS allowed the Council to think more creatively. Taking a more commercial approach, and engaging a specialist implementation partner, has benefitted the Council in implementing this project. It has allowed the project to progress quickly, making use of TalenTeam’s experience and knowledge of the system. It has also allowed the Council to learn from others’ mistakes.