Openreach needed to train engineers remotely without having to recall them from the field and lose productivity and time. With a remote theory delivery, engineers need to prove their learning by way of a multiple choice quiz and practical proof of compliance via photos. Managers and subject matter experts had an online dashboard to remotely prove compliance, leave comments on jobs and provide an aftercare service to their engineers.
In the UK, Openreach is responsible for building and maintaining the country’s digital network, which connects homes and businesses. The ability to bring strategic programs to life through innovation is something Openreach has mastered, as it is always looking for ways to improve employees’ skill sets and ultimately benefit its customers.
Problems:
- A large distributed workforce with a considerable workload to process is unable to take time out of their day-to-day job to be upskilled.
- Training schools are regularly at capacity with large waiting lists to cope with training demands.
- Managers and trainers are not always able to devote the required time to engineers to provide field buddying.
- No method of engaging with engineers in the field once training has been completed.
- Poor installation practices were not being captured in the training schools and being remediated.
Solutions:
- Digitised and created interactive training (360° Tour, step-by-step videos, animated guides, quizzes) content to be easily digestible through a mobile app.
- Remote pre-training allows engineers to learn at their own pace.
- A quiz question bank allows Remote proof of learning with manager alerts when assessments are failed.
- Engineers can upload their evidence of practical learning in a location and at a time convenient to them.
- Managers and trainers can use an online dashboard to provide engineers with remote proof of compliance.
- The online proof of compliance dashboard enables Openreach to provide a remote aftercare and follow-up service to ensure engineers don’t experience skills fade.
- Ongoing photo uploads by engineers can be used to validate that they are still compliant with work practices.
Outcomes:
- Saves engineers, managers, and trainers time, allowing them to focus on critical activities.
- Training school resources can be reallocated to focus on critical training activities by deploying simple theory-based content, which takes time to teach.
- Work practices can be issued to the field instantly through a single location with no need to inform via email.
- Engineer’s learning retention has been enhanced with pre-learning and combining app-based training with face-to-face education.
- Openreach was able to use the app data and engineer photos to increase their field intelligence to adapt training procedures and processes – a feedback loop.
- The feedback loop assured Openreach L&D of new ways of process and product changes.
