ILM blended training in action

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Libby Cross, Senior Marketing Executive

In September 2016, in partnership with Rutledge Group, we launched an innovative approach to providing our customers with the opportunity to deliver a blended programme of ILM Level 4 and Level 5 training to their learners.

Learners complete a flexible mix of e-learning, one-to-one telephone coaching and a final assignment to achieve ILM credits that can contribute towards an ILM award.

We launched this as a pilot with a small group of learners from across four organisations.

This case study provides more information on the pilot and how our learners got on.

The ILM Pilot

Learning Pool’s Leadership Skills catalogue (previously Business Skills) kick started Rutledge Group’s ILM training, with each learner completing the ‘Becoming an Effective Leader’ module.

They were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the interactive and engaging e-learning (which was built entirely in Adapt) to lay the foundations and manage expectations of what was to come over next ten weeks.

Richard Lee, General Manager at The Hilton Garden Inn and one of the learners who took part in the pilot commented on the effectiveness of the e-learning:

“It’s not like other e-learning; there was no page turning whatsoever! This was flexible, engaging, open and easy to access.”

Upon completion of the initial e-learning module each learner was provided with access to a collection of ILM online resources made up of webinars, PDFs and other tools.

Learners were able to access this at work or home, giving them the ability and freedom to learn at their own pace, in their own time and wherever they needed to.

Additionally, each learner also received two one hour coaching sessions ran by Lesley O’Hanlon, an ILM coach from The Rutledge Group. The sessions were one-to-one and delivered over the phone. They were extremely well received by professionals who appreciated that they could fit the coaching around their busy schedule and didn’t need to take time off work travelling to different venues for classroom training.

The delegates then progressed to complete an assignment. Another critical element of our approach is to provide delegates with options for how they present their ILM assignment.

For the pilot delegates completed a written assignment but in the future delegates will be able to choose between the written assignment or an alternative professional discussion.

The learners spent a minimum of five hours over a four-week period working towards the assessment whilst putting their newly acquired knowledge into practice in the workplace. During this time frame, Lesley also provided ongoing email support and an additional further individual coaching session.

John Ferry, Head of Communications at London Borough of Bexley comments upon the completion of his unit:

“I thought the pilot was great. There was no wasted time and the course was very tight and focused. In fact, it was one of the best learning experiences of my long career.”

Feedback and Results

Each candidate who successfully completed the pilot received an ILM stamped certificate in the post, outlining the five credits achieved for completing the unit.

These learners now have the option to come back and undertake further ILM units (based on the content in the Learning Pool Leadership Skills catalogue) to achieve ILM Awards at either Level 4 or Level 5 (depending on the Units chosen).

Helen Carters, General Manager at Jurys Inn said:

“I always wanted to do an ILM qualification but never got around to it. This unit was a great first step to getting the award and I’d love to complete my Level 5 now!”

Feedback from the course has been outstanding. 100% of learners who took the pilot would recommend the ILM unit to a colleague or friend.

The learners found the blended approach to training a more engaging and interactive experience that really helped to refresh their skills, with the one-to-one coaching providing an effective solution in delivering collaborative training that didn’t cause lots of time away from daily roles.

The one-to-one guidance ensured candidates felt supported and on track throughout the course, making this a highly successful blended programme.

Learners also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and focus on their professional and personal development. Many have already started to apply knowledge learned to their day to day roles.

Due to the success of this pilot, Learning Pool and Rutledge Group are looking to extend the opportunity for all Leadership Skills catalogue customers to provide their managers with a flexible and modern approach to professional development.