COVID-19: Iskin have smoothed the transition to e-learning for hundreds of organisations
E-learning for Local Government
Here we look at the benefits of e-learning for local government
organisations, as well as examples of how our online training solutions
have helped clients in the public sector.
The question of how e-learning is implemented and used by local government has never been more relevant. Firstly, there is the sheer diversity of services that local government is responsible for, from child protection to recycling and the myriad of different training needs that represents.
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Then there is the complexity of local government structures in the form of county and district councils, unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs providing different types of services and on top of this the rapid move to remote working as a result of the Covid pandemic.
"The training and consultancy from Hubken has been excellent: extremely flexible and tailored to our needs." Julie Ryan at Stockport Council
A fit for purpose e-learning platform can simplify and unify training across your whole organisation while also allowing for the flexibility needed to address the unique challenges faced by L&D Managers in local government.
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The special case of local government
E-learning platforms have been widely used across industry for many years. However, implementation in local government has often been fragmented, inefficient and difficult to administer, often with several different platforms being used independently and all the challenges that poses.
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"Hubken's extensive provision of services, all met with our budget requirements." Anne Kirkman at St. Helens Council
Training challenges in local government:
Compliance training
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An essential need for robust compliance training to meet legal obligations.
Complex structures
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Complex organisational structures and the need for training to address this.
Variety of subjects
A need to distribute training in a wider variety of subjects than almost any other sector.
Variety of subjects
A need to distribute training in a wider variety of subjects than almost any other sector.
Consistent measures
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A need for robust and consistent measurement and reporting to monitor training efficacy.
Wide geographies
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Workforce and departments spread across wide geographies, often county wide.
Remote working
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The explosion in remote working (and therefore training), amplified by the Covid pandemic.
Constricted budgets
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Increasingly constricted budgets and a need for any new training solutions to be cost effective.
Why an e-learning strategy is essential for local government:
It’s clear then that those in charge of L&D in the charities sector have their hands full. Tight budgets to address skill gaps makes training charity staff and volunteers challenging. The training needs can be incredibly varied, and some staff simply don’t have the time to be away from their posts. Here are just some of the benefits of an effective e-learning strategy:
What different types of e-learning platform are there?
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E-learning can seamlessly replace existing methods and quickly become a key part of their training. Charities can deliver online training using either a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Learning Experience Platform (LXP).
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Here’s a mini-primer to each:
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Learning Management Systems (LMSs)
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You can make use of an LMS to not only administrate and distribute formal training online, but also to report on results and, if necessary, prove that compliance regulations are being met. A charity LMS could bridge many of the skill gaps facing charities and their staff. Two leading LMSs are Totara Learn and Moodle.
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Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs)
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When it comes to informal and social learning, LXPs are king. They offer the concept of ‘learning on the job’ and collaborating to help others learn in social settings. LXPs like Totara Engage allow employees to create their own content ‘playlists’ and share useful knowledge and training with others.
Performance Management Platforms
It’s also worth mentioning Performance Management Platforms which, while not learning platforms, are useful should you need to monitor and improve staff performance. They can help identify skill gaps to address using LMSs or LXPs.
Read our local government success stories
After initially failing to find a system that could satisfactorily manage both sides of their requirements (VLE and online booking), we recommended Totara Learn. Stockport Council now supports 850 learning event bookings a month.
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The council had a vital requirement to ensure compliance within it’s organisation and to meet their objectives we recommended Totara Learn. St. Helens Council achieved over 1,600 employee certifications within four weeks.
We also work with other public sector clients including: Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Why Iskin Group?
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Iskin Group is one of the UK’s leading e-learning service providers.
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Since 2004 we’ve helped countless organisations to achieve their training objectives, including many charities across the UK. Get in touch today to see how we could help transform training for you.