Knowledgepool finds Enterprise Study’s LearningNetwork invaluable in Public Sector Learning Contract
One year on from contract award Knowledgepool discuss the success of the Public Sector Learning contact and how Enterprise Study’s LearningNetwork vendor technology is fundamental in supporting their end to end Managed Service Solution.
In August 2017 Knowledgepool, part of Capita plc’s People Solutions Division, was awarded a prestigious contract to provide a flexible, technology enabled, multi-tier procurement and administration service for external and bespoke learning to the Public Sector. This single supplier agreement enables Government and the Wider Public Sector (WPS) to call-off a full range of learning and development services, including an end-to-end Managed Learning Service (MLS).
The multi-tiered service includes:
Tier 1: Learning Portal and Catalogue
A free-to-access, secure, web-based public learning portal, hosting a catalogue of courses in a broad range of subject areas, which can be used either off the shelf or customised to meet specific needs.
Tier 2: Sourcing Services
The remit to source learning requirements that provide best value for money across all subject areas
Tier 3: Administration and Support Services
Customer-focused, end-to-end, scalable administration and learner support solutions that are designed to ensure the highest quality user experience whilst streamlining processes and reducing costs.
Tier 4: Contract Management Services
Act as the single point of contact for the ongoing relationship and performance management of third-party learning and development suppliers, assigned by the supplier to the Contracting Authority’s projects from initiation to close.
KnowledgePool needed a platform and support services that would:
- Manage the pricing and brokering of learning vendors
- Support dozens of training vendors, of all sizes and organisational infrastructure.
- Connect to the front-end LMS, enabling PSL (Public Sector Learning) customers to view and book courses without the need for manual intervention or booking agents.
- Collate the hundreds of courses, thousands of events into one combined catalogue, viewable via the LMS front end.
- Automate communication, streamline processes and save valuable administrator time.
Each of these challenges are overcome by using the Enterprise Study’s LearningNetwork technology infrastructure.
The team at Knowledgepool were already familiar with the unique power of Enterprise Study’s LearningNetwork platform following its extensive use within the Capita Civil Service Learning contract. Knowledgepool approached Enterprise Study early on, after contract award, to investigate how the LearningNetwork software and support provision could help them meet the needs of the Public Sector.
Following an initial scoping session, Enterprise Study, in partnership with Knowledgepool and the LMS provider, designed an API infrastructure that would realise the capabilities of the LearningNetwork within the incumbent LMS.
During the same development and implementation period, new learning vendors were on-boarded.
“Approaching Enterprise Study for their support following the PSL contract award was an easy decision to make. The LearningNetwork solution is fundamental in helping us meet the needs of this exciting contract, and Enterprise Study’s support, expertise and partnership is invaluable.” - Daniel Nunn, Business Analyst (Knowledgepool)
Enterprise Study onboarded the first 15 suppliers within the first few weeks of the contract. Learning vendors are organisations of varying sizes, with a range IT infrastructure and back-office platforms. Enterprise Study worked with vendors of all capabilities and capacities, helping them to on-board their catalogues and their agreed price lists. Enterprise Study would continue to work with vendors through the life of the project, ensuring catalogues are up to date and all event dates are available to the customer as well as providing platform support and maintenance.
Every vendor is provided with a LearningNetwork portal as part of the on-boarding process. They load their catalogues into their portal via API, XML or csv uploads and connectors, depending on the capability of their back-office platform. This is pulled through to the KnowledgePool portal where KnowledgePool can choose the courses they want to display to their customer and check their prices and discounts are correct. This is then transferred to the front-end LMS via the bespoke API. The Enterprise Study support team provide training on the process and assist with any challenges the vendors may face, ultimately ensuring their catalogue is available to the customer at the right time and the right price.
In providing a successful implementation Enterprise Study’s support team worked closely with Knowledgepool’s administration team, based in Poland, as well as the UK-based project management and procurement teams, to ensure the processes was as smooth as possible.
The contract is still in its infancy and will run until 2020. The next phases, to take further advantage of automation processes, will look to extend the LearningNetwork capabilities to include the brokering and purchase of e-learning, closed courses and learning resources.
“LearningNetwork is a valuable part of the KnowledgePool learning delivery eco-system, and we are proud to partner with them on a contract with such esteem as Public Sector Learning. Knowing that our software enables vendors large and small, of all specialisms to be accessible to Wider Public Sector and provides substantial productivity savings to KnowledgePool through automation gives me great satisfaction. I look forward to the next phases of the project and to seeing what we can achieve together.” - Shona Blackhall, CEO, Enterprise Study.