Case study
Highlands and Islands Airports
Achieving 95% compliance in a highly-regulated sector with Learning Pool.
Key results
95%
100%
Better visibility
Background
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) operates 11 airports across Scotland, from Sumburgh in Shetland to Wick in Caithness.
With around 700 employees working across diverse areas, HIAL plays a vital role in connecting communities and serving as a lifeline service to help get people in remote locations to hospital for medical care.
Challenge
As an organisation in the highly regulated aviation sector, HIAL must ensure all employees consistently meet strict compliance and safety training requirements. However, in 2023, HIAL’s compliance with mandatory e-learning stood at just 31%.
Until 2012, when HIAL adopted Learning Pool, the organisation had no LMS in place and relied entirely on paper records. This made it difficult to track progress, resulting in low completion rates and inconsistent engagement.
With frequent audits from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and a Learning & Development team of just three people, HIAL needed a reliable solution that could quickly and effectively:
- Drive compliance for mandatory and regulatory learning across all sites
- Improve employee confidence and engagement with learning
- Monitor and record compliance effectively and efficiently for auditing purposes
- Provide insights into mandatory training gaps by region, role, and function
- Improve buy-in from senior leadership and airport managers
- Increase trust amongst regulatory bodies
Solution
In August 2023, HIAL upgraded to Learning Pool's professional tier, a move that ignited a complete transformation of its L&D strategy.
This wasn't just a technical update—it was a strategic investment that empowered HIAL to adopt a smarter, more impactful approach to learning across the entire organisation.
The upgrade delivered a suite of powerful changes that directly addressed HIAL's challenges:
- Improved auditor standing: As a highly regulated organisation, HIAL is under constant scrutiny from auditors, including the Civil Aviation Authority, the Transport Scotland, and Scottish Government. The new platform's robust reporting features provide instant, accurate records of compliance, significantly improving HIAL's standing and building greater trust in their data.
- Enhanced reporting and compliance: HIAL now has unprecedented visibility into its compliance metrics. The new system streamlines the monitoring, recording, and reporting of mandatory training, allowing them to produce accurate figures at the push of a button.
- A culture of success: The proven success of the new platform has bred ambition and confidence across the entire team and organisation, sparking a renewed drive to continuously improve their learning initiatives.
By addressing immediate compliance issues, this strategic investment has not only created a more skilled and confident workforce but has also fundamentally transformed HIAL’s learning culture, paving the way for continued innovation and success.
“We cannot praise the support team highly enough. They have been invaluable to our success. It’s like phoning a friend. They always pay attention to what we ask from them. Without Learning Pool, we simply wouldn’t be as compliant.”
Helen Robertson, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited
Outcomes
The impact of the upgraded platform was immediate and significant:
- Compliance: Mandatory learning completion soared from 31% to 95% in just over a year.
- User engagement: The new platform achieved 100% user access, with every employee logging in and completing their required learning.
- Cultural shift: The platform is now viewed as a central, valuable tool for professional development, not just a compliance checkbox.
- Strategic insights: Detailed reporting provides leadership with the clear data needed to inform corporate and strategic planning.
Looking ahead
HIAL is continuing to explore new opportunities with Learning Pool, with upcoming plans to roll out a programme for leadership development on the Learning Platform and improve operational training.
With compliance firmly under control, the focus is now on growth, development, and innovation.
About Highlands and Islands Airports
Use Cases
Upskilling
Industry
Public Sector
Audience
700 employees
Location
UK
Products
