An
online training site developed by Ladbrokes’ HR team will slash the company’s
training budget by 20 per cent, according to Bill Templeton, HR manager for
Ladbrokes.
The
Ladbrokes Learning Zone, launched last week, will enable staff to match their
skill competencies to more than 60,000 training courses on the company’s
intranet site.
The
site contains a competency framework which highlights any skills gaps
experienced by staff. They can then use an online link provided by training
consultancy Thinq to gain access to resources such as training, books and CDs.
Courses
include health & safety, financial management and industrial management.
Ladbrokes has also included specially tailored in-house courses such as
book-making theory.
Templeton,
who developed the zone, said, “There is growing recognition in this business
that the only way to maximise the learning capability of staff is to place it
in the hands of individuals.”
Another
benefit will be to reduce the amount of time the HR team spends on training.
The
HR team will also be able to benchmark the effectiveness of the zone, by
accessing employees’ appraisal forms through a central database. The appraisal
forms are used to monitor the skills development of individual members of
staff.
Ladbrokes
employs 11,500 staff across 1,863 sites in the UK.