Blended e-learning: a new way to train staff on the go

Our award-winning training team is now offering e-learning to customers as part of our ‘blended learning’ approach.

Bibendum head of customer training, Julia Bailey, says, “In a fast-paced, information-overloaded and convenience-led world, it’s increasingly challenging to engage staff and keep training relevant. As a result, we’ve added a digital element to our training offer through this new e-learning platform.”

We teamed up with The Wine Show’s Joe Fattorini to create a short video that explains the benefits of this new e-learning platform, as well as how it fits into our overall blended learning approach.

Joe explains, “This new e-learning platform enables staff to dip in and out of the training anytime, anywhere. It has dozens of films, articles and quizzes, with each introducing new knowledge and skills in no more than a couple of minutes. It is designed to give users the confidence to talk about their venue’s drinks and to bring them to life. It also enables managers to keep track of staff’s training progress.”

Julia says, “Our content is designed with the end user in mind. We have not just created what we think the learner should know, but what the learner actually wants to know. Spanning topics such as ‘What are the current trends in wine?’ and ‘We’re all having different dishes, what wine should we have?’ to ‘Is expensive wine worth the extra?’”

While e-learning is increasingly important, it’s not simply a matter of taking it online. Julia explains, “It’s about an entirely new approach to the way we help people to learn. Blended learning is our way of combining e-learning with traditional classroom methods and independent study to create a new, more impactful, hybrid teaching methodology.”

So what makes this blended approach different?

Specific customer needs

Effective e-learning must appeal to users and meet their needs. This platform offers the flexibility to create besoke content specific to every one of our customers.

Focus on the learner

We have worked with learning consultants and test groups to develop core content that is concise and useful. Learners want to upskill themselves in the shortest time possible, and we've researched and developed content that those working in hospitality need to know to be successful.

Easy to access

Content is in bite-sized chunks and easy to navigate. Users can take learning at their own pace and in an order that suits them, with lots of quizzes along the way to test their learning. We expect the vast majority of our users to be learning on the job, so an on-the-go mobile solution is vital.

Analytics

For managers we can track engagement and measure success by reporting on quiz scores and resource completion, while learners can also rate topics and leave chat comments.

Tech for all

We have the flexibility to work with customers who already have their own e-learning platform to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to use the technology to enhance their training offer when it comes to wines and spirits.