News story

Innovative induction wins shortlisting for Farmfoods and Sponge UK

Plymouth, UK26 Oct 2015Learning NewsSponge

An induction programme by Farmfoods that not only welcomes new employees to the company but helps to identify potential managers has been shortlisted for a top award by the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI).

The frozen food retailer worked with elearning provider Sponge UK to develop the new blended induction programme which includes multi-device elearning modules supported with on-the-job training and printed workbooks. 

Crucially, all employees are able to progress through the training up to branch manager level, no matter their job title. 

This innovative approach is helping Farmfoods to retain staff, identify talent and promote from within the company.   

The training has been shortlisted in the LPI’s Learning Awards 2016 in the category of Onboarding Programme of the Year.   

Ronnie Morgan, Head of Training and Development at Farmfoods, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted particularly given the high standard and number of entries for this year. 

“We’ve already started to see the benefits of our new onboarding programme which has not just enhanced our staff training but is helping us nurture our talent for the future.” 

Farmfoods is the second biggest frozen food retailer in the UK and one of the fastest growing food retailers in 2014 with 35% sales growth for the year. 

The company launched the new induction training in January this year. More than 3,500 staff throughout the UK have already completed it. 

Louise Pasterfield, Managing Director of Sponge UK, said: “Farmfoods have embraced innovative ideas in their onboarding programme and used learning technologies to their full advantage to deliver benefits to the business. 

“We worked really closely with the company to understand their needs and develop relevant and engaging scenarios that would help employees get the most out of the training.” 

Sponge UK used the responsive framework Adapt to create the elearning so employees can access the training via smartphones and tablets. 

The Learning Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Dorchester hotel in London's Park Lane on Thursday, February 4, 2016.