Unison Networks
Levelling up to a better system
There’s nothing quite like bringing an outdated system into the 21st Century. We worked with Unison Networks, a New Zealand-based electricity distribution company, who manage networks of electrical and fibre cables in the Central North Island. We worked together to create a system that tracked and informed training requirements for the company’s large workforce.
What was previously a system of PDFs with training requirements that needed to be cross-referenced against personal records, is now a customised Totara Learning Management System (LMS) that tracks individuals’ training progress and shows what they need to meet compliance.
Smooth integrations make for happy systems
A Totara LMS represented a new journey for Unison and we worked with them to build their new system from scratch and we integrated it with their HR system, OneEnergy and other organisation specific software.
A clean user experience and seamless integration are important factors in making sure the training experiences and the administration tasks are easy and fast. Thank goodness for the flexibility of Totara LMS! The new system provides much better visibility and reporting opportunities for management.
Automatically assigning training
The old system of assigning required training for new staff was time-consuming and allowed for human error. When a new hire joined the company, the manager manually enrolled them in the required training. Changing their role in the system came with an obligatory headache for the manager, who then had to cross-credit training already completed, or double check where compliance may have lapsed.
Unison’s new LMS has all the training requirements for every role at Unison pre-loaded, and it keeps records of who did what training and when. The system checks and assigns people training in real time. Nobody slips through the cracks, and everyone knows if they are compliant for their role and when they need to recertify.
Eat the elephant one bite at a time!
By phasing in the new LMS in stages, Unison has been able to get buy-in and introduce it to the large workforce in manageable chunks. This avoided too much Business-as-usual (BAU) disruption and managed the support required.
Phase 1
Getting the training requirements, unit standards, and existing records into the system.
Phase 2
Bringing administrators up to speed with the Learning Management System.
Phase 3
Making the LMS available to managers for onboarding and feedback, before opening it up to Unison’s depots one at a time.
This is a great strategy for complex organisations, and it’s working really well for Unison.
Quick ways to handle big data
We were able to make use of a lesser-known feature of Totara— the ability to manage and create numerous courses efficiently.
Did you know that the ‘upload courses’ function of Totara can create hundreds of courses and unit standard records at once?
If haven’t used this feature before and you aren’t sure where to start, get in touch and we can help! With a little bit of support, this is a fast, effective, and very satisfying task to complete.
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