One of the largest vocational training providers in the UK, when Corndel’s apprenticeship delivery system came up for renewal in 2022, it did something few providers take the time to do: it started from scratch and reviewed everything.
Selecting the right technology platform for future growth
Corndel selected Aptem as its apprenticeship delivery system in 2017. Some are aware of the partnership at board level between Aptem and Corndel. With both companies in their infancy, the relationship was a consideration in the procurement of the Aptem system. However, by 2022, when the system choice was due to be renewed, Aptem and Corndel were no longer connected in this way.
At renewal, the team at Corndel challenged themselves to ensure that Aptem was still the best available product to service their business. “We have ambitious plans to continue our growth trajectory and bring exceptional training programmes to the market, so we needed to ensure that the technology platform could continue to meet these ambitions,” said Richard Bridge, Director of Learning Technology at Corndel.
900 learners
In September 2022 alone, Corndel onboarded 900 learners, making the ability to work at scale a non-negotiable requirement of any system under review.
Historically, we have very close ties with Aptem. Aptem is a valued partner. But the renewal presented us with an opportunity to review our technology to ensure Aptem remained the appropriate choice for the next stage of our business.
Richard Bridge, Director of Learning Technology at Corndel
Approach and criteria for selection
End-to-end systems took priority. “Delighting our learners and employers lies at the heart of what we do. It’s not a great experience for either party to have to log on to myriad systems, especially in the first few weeks when onboarding onto a learning programme. Follow this with several systems throughout the programme to access learning materials, record off-the-job hours, submit learning journals, and meet with a coach, and your technology really isn’t living up to the claim that delighting learners is of critical importance,” said Richard.
There were three additional areas of focus by which systems were measured.
Working at scale
Corndel onboarded 900 learners in September 2022 alone. “The system needs to automate basic administration processes, and create accounts for learners in bulk,” said Richard. Streamlining the onboarding process is also crucial to Corndel’s promise to deliver an exceptional learner experience. “Conceive a scenario where your system delivers no oversight of what 900 learners going through onboarding and induction at the same time need to do and when? For starters, it is extremely stressful for learners in the early days of an apprenticeship. Secondly, it puts immense pressure on admin teams. This is not something we want to put our learners or employees through; it doesn’t deliver on our brand promises,” explained Richard.
Working at pace
The apprenticeship landscape is in constant flux. Significant changes to the funding rules in August 2022 alone illustrated the need for a system that could adapt quickly. Corndel continuously evolves its programmes based on customer feedback, creates personalised modules and ensures compliance at every stage. The platform underpinning that work had to be equally agile.
Customisation
Corndel’s roots lie in industry disruption. “We had a simple goal when we conceived Corndel back in 2016: to deliver brilliant training,” said Richard. “In order to deliver brilliant training that delights our learners and employers we created a different kind of delivery model. Irrespective of our size, we still challenge ourselves daily to ensure we optimise this model. Crucial to that is a system that doesn’t constrain us.
“The ability to adapt language, processes and controls to ensure a truly personalised Corndel learning experience for learners enables us to both differentiate and continue to provide the highest-quality learning experience. Editing learning plans at an individual level for part-time learners, those with learning needs, or based on learner feedback allows for customisation that directly impacts learner achievement rates.
“However, we had to ensure the system we selected both allowed for customisation and did the heavy lifting. Things like the ability to sync changes across cohorts or defined groups was essential.” explained Richard.
The industry as a whole is constantly evolving, as evidenced by the significant changes to the funding rules in August 2022. Layer that with our curriculum demands, client requirements and growth ambitions. We needed a system that is agile and a team behind it that can react quickly.
Richard Bridge, Director of Learning Technology at Corndel
The choice to renew with Aptem
Having reviewed several apprenticeship delivery systems, Corndel shortlisted and ultimately decided to renew with Aptem. “Aptem was the only system that could meet our three goals. There were additional factors taken into account when we decided to renew,” explained Richard:
Aptem’s future roadmap and general direction of travel is in sync with Corndel’s requirements. Features like the ability to isolate and change part-time learners or breaks-in-learning learners on non-standard chronology.
Confidence in the system’s ability to help ensure compliance, because the platform has been deliberately built to service apprenticeships.
The security of the platform, with servers held in the UK and a single tenant set-up per customer.
The ability to build exciting content for the learning plan and upload it into Aptem using SCORM.
The new user interface in Console is “smart and intuitive”, receiving positive feedback from learners and employers.
The ability to use Aptem to help deliver a higher degree apprenticeship offering. Aptem has extensive knowledge in this marketplace and is the only viable provider.
Using Aptem to continue to manage the delivery of commercial programmes
Another large component of our decision to stay was the relationship we have with the Aptem team. We value their ethos and their ambitions. The way they have scaled and are improving the products aligns with our own ambitions.
Richard Bridge, Director of Learning Technology at Corndel
Measuring the impact of an apprenticeship delivery system
The simplicity of Corndel’s organisational objectives lie behind its impressive achievements. “Ultimately, any system we chose had to answer yes to these things,” said Richard:
- Will this system delight our learners, employers and staff?
- Will it help us to progress our learners?
- Will it help to keep us regulatorily compliant?
- Will it help us to remain commercially successful?
Having carefully analysed our choices, the system that best answered ‘yes’ to each of these was Aptem. On this basis, we were very pleased to renew our contract and look forward to continuing to work with the Aptem team.
Richard Bridge, Director of Learning Technology at Corndel
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Steve Willis
BMS Progress
