Managed learning services
Managed Learning Services for simpler, smarter training
Managed Learning Services (MLS) take care of the procurement and management of your external training, helping you reduce administration, control costs and improve visibility and governance. With Optimus, your training remains high-quality and aligned with your goals, while helping you respond more easily as skills and business needs change.
What’s included in our Managed learning services
We provide flexible, end-to-end support across the training lifecycle, giving your team more time to focus on strategic priorities. Typical cost savings range from 10%–25%, without compromising training quality.
Explore each service area to find out more.
Who benefits most from a managed learning service?
Managed Learning Services are particularly valuable for organisations with:
High volumes of external training – reduce administration and complexity.
Multiple training suppliers – improve consistency, oversight and control.
Multi-site or decentralised training – create a more joined-up approach.
Limited visibility of spend and activity – improve reporting and decision-making.
Overstretched L&D or Procurement teams – free up time for strategic priorities.
Growing training requirements – scale delivery without increasing internal workload.
Complex compliance requirements – strengthen governance and auditability.
How our Managed Learning Service works
Every organisation has different learning priorities, systems and ways of working. Our managed learning service is designed around what each client needs, from support with individual training requirements through to a fully managed service.
1) Understand and design
We start by understanding how training is currently managed, including objectives, demand, suppliers, processes, systems, costs, reporting requirements and any existing challenges.
We then design the service with the client, agreeing responsibilities, workflows, governance, technology, reporting and how success will be measured. This ensures the service supports both day-to-day operational requirements and wider learning and business priorities.
2) Mobilise and integrate
We create a clear implementation plan covering processes, supplier onboarding, data, systems, stakeholder communication and governance, including integration with existing learning or business systems where required.
Where appropriate, the service can be introduced in phases, allowing the organisation to transition with minimal disruption while processes are tested and improved.
2) Manage day-to-day training
Our team manages the operational work involved in arranging and administering external training. This can include:
- Understanding and challenging training requirements
- Sourcing and comparing suitable training providers
- Managing quotes, approvals and bookings
- Communicating with learners, managers and suppliers
- Handling changes and cancellations
- Maintaining training records and certificates
- Coordinating invoices and supplier payments
- Resolving issues and keeping stakeholders informed
Clients can choose the level of support they need rather than having to adopt a fixed service.
4) Measure, report and improve
We provide clearer visibility of training activity, spend, suppliers, service performance and learner feedback through reporting and management information.
We can monitor measures such as costs, service levels, attendance and completion, learner feedback and, where available, training outcomes. Regular service reviews help identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary costs, consolidate suppliers, improve quality and efficiency, address emerging skills requirements and plan future training needs.
This gives L&D and procurement teams greater control and visibility while reducing the time spent on training administration.
How we manage your training suppliers
Effective supplier management involves much more than processing bookings. We help clients build and maintain a training supplier network that provides the right expertise, quality, compliance and value.
Supplier sourcing and selection
Our Optimus Approved network includes hundreds of specialist, national and international training providers across a wide range of subjects and delivery methods.
We are not limited to a fixed catalogue or supplier list. Where needed, we search the wider training market and recommend providers based on their subject expertise, relevant experience, delivery capability, geographical coverage, quality and value.
We can also identify new providers, learning technologies and delivery approaches as client requirements and skills needs change.
Supplier assessment, onboarding and compliance
Before a new supplier delivers training, we complete the appropriate due diligence and onboarding checks. Depending on the requirement, these can include:
- Insurance and company information
- Financial checks
- Information security
- IR35 considerations
- Policies and accreditations
- Contractual terms
- Client-specific legal, regulatory and compliance requirements
Where relevant, client priorities such as sustainability, social value and supplier diversity can also form part of the assessment.
We can onboard providers already used or requested by the client, bringing them into an agreed and consistent process.
Commercial management and cost control
We compare prices, benchmark training costs and negotiate with suppliers to improve value for the client. We look beyond the headline course fee, considering cancellation terms, additional charges, delivery options and opportunities to combine demand or agree longer-term pricing.
Our knowledge of the wider training market helps clients understand whether they are receiving competitive value, with the aim of reducing costs without compromising the quality or suitability of the training.
Performance and quality management
We monitor the areas that matter to each client, which can include training quality, learner feedback, attendance and completion rates, responsiveness, reliability, compliance and delivery against agreed service levels. Where a supplier falls short, we address the issue, agree the required improvement and monitor progress. If the problem cannot be resolved, we can recommend and source a more suitable alternative.
Regular communication, supplier reviews and performance management help maintain standards and identify opportunities to improve the learner experience and service over time.
Supplier rationalisation and continuous improvement
Over time, training supplier networks can become fragmented, with duplicated provision, inconsistent terms and limited visibility of performance and spend.We help clients understand which suppliers they are using, identify duplication or gaps and decide where relationships should be consolidated, developed or replaced.
We can also introduce new suppliers, learning technologies and delivery approaches as requirements change, helping the training supply chain continue to support the organisation’s priorities.
Client trust & proven results
Organisations including VocaLink, Maersk, Amazon, Arthur J Gallagher, TKMS ATLAS UK Ltd, Shelter and Ocado Technology trust Optimus to support their learning and development.
Our results include:
TKMS ATLAS UK Ltd – 40+ hours of administration saved each month, 10% reduction in direct training costs and 100% compliance and audit visibility.
Maersk – streamlined training bookings and approvals, saving administration time and improving the learner experience.
Explore our Managed Learning Service case studies.
Frequently asked questions about Managed Learning Services
When should an organisation consider a managed learning service?
A managed learning service can be particularly valuable when an organisation has a high volume of external training, multiple training suppliers, decentralised booking processes or limited visibility of training activity and spend. It can also help when L&D, HR or procurement teams are spending significant time on training administration and supplier management that could be better focused on strategic priorities.
How much control do I retain over the Learning and Development function?
You remain in control of your learning strategy, priorities and key decisions. We agree responsibilities, approval processes, governance and service levels with you so that it is clear what Optimus manages and what remains with your internal teams. Our role is to provide the structure, expertise and operational support needed to make external training easier to manage, without taking away your control over learning and development.
Can you work with our existing LMS or learning systems?
Yes. Our managed learning service is designed to work around each client’s existing processes and technology rather than requiring a single fixed system.
As part of service design and mobilisation, we establish how the service needs to work with your existing learning, HR, procurement and other business systems, including data, workflows, approvals and reporting requirements.
How can a managed learning service reduce training costs?
A Managed Learning Service can help reduce training costs by providing greater visibility and control over external training spend.
This can include benchmarking course prices, using our buying power and supplier relationships to negotiate preferential rates, consolidating demand, rationalising supplier networks and identifying more cost-effective delivery options. It can also reduce the internal time spent sourcing training, processing bookings and managing suppliers.
Can we choose which parts of the Managed Learning Service we need?
Yes. Our Managed Learning Service is flexible and can be tailored to your requirements, from support with specific areas such as sourcing, administration or supplier management through to a fully managed service.
Can we continue using our existing training suppliers?
Those are both stronger buying questions and make the FAQ section more useful without making the page longer.
Take control of your external training with Managed Learning Services
Whether you’re reviewing an existing Managed Learning Service or considering one for the first time, talk to us about how Optimus could simplify your training management, improve visibility and deliver better value.
