The National Trust
e-Induction and Internal Communications
Background
With thousands of dedicated staff working in over 300 historic houses, 19 castles and numerous other buildings on 612,000 acres of land and more than 700 miles of coast across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the National Trust has faced real challenges in providing a consistent, in-depth induction to new starters.
Aim
The aim of the e-Induction project was to:
“…review existing Induction processes and develop an updated blended solution. This will include a generic e-learning Induction course (e-Induction) to be used alongside the current Induction ‘Welcome Pack’, face-to-face activities and any locally arranged events. Interactive e-learning modules will also be developed to cover specific statutory training obligations as well as some key Trust policies.”
Involving Stakeholders
As the National Trust is a highly consultative organisation, a wide range of stakeholders had to be involved throughout the development, both in defining the overall strategy and objectives, and in agreeing the tone, content and words used.
At key points during the development ‘work in progress’ was presented to the stakeholders for review and feedback. In fact the course is still evolving - a number of enhancements including adding music and audio have already been identified for version 1.5.
Content Development
It was clear from the beginning that the project would be more than simply a conversion of legacy materials into e-learning. The entire induction process within the National Trust was being reviewed and updated and the e-learning project needed to both reflect the larger process as well as feed into it.
The content was generated following guidelines from current National Trust induction materials including the national and regional induction processes, handbooks, presentations and ‘Welcome Packs’. Content was also generated following consultation, questionnaires and feedback from a number of existing staff, including many recent inductees.
The content definition phase of the National Trust e-Induction was the most demanding and ultimately rewarding part of the development. Although much of the information, ideas and processes that would be covered in the course were contained in existing documentation, the work needed to extract them and redevelop them into a clear, concise and coherent narrative was considerable.
In fact, by the end of the development the e-Induction turned into something of a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all the core ‘thinking’ on which the National Trust is based.
Media design
With such a wealth of information it was paramount to present the material in a rich and varied way to maintain the user’s interest and create an enjoyable and engaging experience, whilst at the same time being easy to use and understand.
The main menu set the tone. Based on a virtual National Trust property it shows a range of typical property features, including coast, woodland, countryside, offices, a stately home, shops etc. As the learner progresses through the course they navigate and explore the property.
In the modules great care was taken to use the different media available - animations, video, interactions, questions, slideshows - to make each screen interesting and unique. Comments from the pilot - “a great mix between listening, reading & activities…” indicate how successful this approach was.
Video development
Throughout the e-Induction video clips are used to introduce the learner to a wide range of National Trust people; from the Director General through to Property Managers, a farm tenant, shop / cafe assistants, wardens, volunteers and Trust members.
During the design phase, opportunities to bring the content ‘alive’ using video were identified. The video clips, expertly shot and edited by highly experienced ex-BBC director Richard Bunning, last anything from a few seconds to five minutes and illustrate how the National Trust’s ‘Ways Of Working’ are put into practice by National Trust staff. They also show the Trust’s ‘strategy in action’ and introduce learners to the variety of roles and responsibilities that exist across such a diverse conservation organisation.
The video clips were filmed at key National Trust sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as at the main central office, Heelis, in Swindon.
The Effectiveness of the Pilot
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-Induction the training team sent out a post-training evaluation of thoughts and feelings to people who had experienced the old style induction. The result was a noticeable change in all the areas that the training team hoped there would be an impact.
Highlights were:
- A 27% improvement in the score associated with the question “How important are the ‘Ways of Working’ to your role?”
- A 20% improvement in the score associated with the question “How would you describe your awareness of the current National Trust strategy?”
- An 11% improvement in the score associated with the question “How would you rate your Induction program with the National Trust?”
Client, stakeholder and National Trust employee feedback
“Light years ahead of anything we’ve had before”
- National Trust HR Director and project sponsor
Many congrats to you and others for bringing all this together so effectively. I think it covers the ground very well indeed, is easy to follow and very effective in terms of delivery of key messages in an engaging way.
- Regional Director
Just a line to congratulate you and the team on the new e-Induction. I went through it just to test it out and see what was involved, what information provided etc and thought it extremely helpful and informative and I even learnt a few bits and pieces having been with the NT over 2 years! It's really well thought out and to have 'live' people discussing their role and issues, brings it all to life.
- Asst HR Officer
“…in the twelve years I’ve worked for the Trust, we’ve never had anything like this before... a quantum leap forward”
- Area Manager, North West
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