Challenge
A financial services company needed to redesign its mandatory training to be more engaging, inclusive, and accessible to its workforce of 230,000+ employees. The client partnered with GP Strategies to transform the training program into an engaging, multi-dimensional, learner-focused solution that is accessible to a global audience while still covering all necessary risk and compliance topics.
The organization’s key goals for the project were:
- Reduce training seat time
- Refocus the training to emphasize changing behaviors
- Engage learners through a fresh visual presentation
- Meet WCAG AA accessibility standards, verified through an independent audit
Solution
The program that GP Strategies designed is now delivered as three modules focused on a particular theme, including risk management, financial crime risks, and personal conduct and ethics. Since 80% of the audience are repeat learners, the learning model has been switched from a traditional Learn-Assess model to a practice-led Apply-Learn approach that emphasizes changing behaviors.
The creative approach GP Strategies developed is video-based and includes a variety of scenario-based case studies using animated video, live action, and adaptive eLearning tutorials to tell stories, explain key concepts, and personalize the learning. The team also designed the learning pathways to be highly adaptable to the learner’s role, knowledge level, and learning style. These changes have reduced the average training seat time from 60 minutes to as little as 35 minutes per trimester.
The program is now globally inclusive, providing equal experiences to employees who rely on assistive technology while offering additional accessibility features such as varied font sizes, text labels for on-screen navigation buttons, a video-to-text mode that toggles to display closed captions, and an interactive video transcript. The design elements and on-screen text styles and colors meet the WCAG guidelines and are designed for AA accessibility.
Results
- 41.67% reduction in total seat time
- Saved 1.25 hours per employee and 8,333 working weeks in total productive time across the three trimesters
- Achieved a perfect score against WCAG AA guidelines and a Business Disability Forum audit
- The usability testing conducted by AbilityNet presented a significant improvement from previous testing with the average score improving by 15.8%.
- The training has received great feedback and unsolicited testimonials, with users of assisted technology reporting huge improvements in comparison to other online training programs
It flows very well. The training has continued to get better over the years, as more and more feedback has been submitted. – A learner who uses assisted technology
This program has been honored with a 2024 HCM Excellence Award by the Brandon Hall Group: Gold Award for Best Training Program for Global Accessibility Standard.
