Tag: Managed Learning Services

Why use a Managed Learning Service

    “What’s this about? Ah, yes, he is talking about outsourcing, isn’t he? I want to be in charge of my people’s learning – why would I want to outsource it?”

    I want to be in charge.

    That is a common refrain whenever anyone considers talking on a partner to help reduce their workload. Outsourcing is becoming a huge part of many industries for a simple reason – it doesn’t detract from you being in charge; it actually helps you feel even more in charge.

    For a busy (and critically overworked) L&D department, using a managed learning service (MLS) provider such as Optimus helps you with:

    • sourcing of high quality training that’s right fit for your staff
    • managing all aspects of the booking process
    • course evaluation/feedback….and more.

    This support offers many advantages to the person responsible for L&D, the staff and organisation as a whole:

    • You get one point of contact to oversee your organisation’s needs, collating and reflecting the views of your wider HR organisation without politics or agendas.
    • You share your challenges with a dedicated supporter who has lived through similar problems many times before – change is easier if there is a blueprint to follow.
    • Simplicity and scalability comes when you follow a tried-and-tested process that can be rolled out to all your stakeholders and can flex with variations in demand. 
    • The managed learning service provider handles all the admin. I have left this one until last for a reason. It is not until you outsource your training planning that you realize how much time you save.

    For me, an L&D professional being “in charge of training” means making the very best top line decisions about the needs of your colleagues and following them through with outstanding delivery.  The more time you have to make decisions the better, and the more informed those decisions are, the more confident you will be in the outcomes.

    Choosing a series of blended learning solutions is a little like standing in a sweet shop. We all remember that feeling of clutching our pocket money tightly and staring at the rows of jars wondering which one it would be this week. With learning solutions, most will make a difference to your people, but the key lies in understanding which ones will make the biggest difference.

    I would go for the fizzy cola bottles personally….

    At Optimus, we are here to listen, we are here to advise and we are here to create a win-win scenario.

    We want you to optimize your learning spend and resources, and we are confident that your investment in our services will be far outweighed by the improved outcomes.  We work with many big blue chips who theoretically could do it themselves, but they choose us because they know that we are the best at what we do in the managed learning service market.

    That is the thing with outsourcing, if you chose to work with someone who can raise the quality of your work streams, then you win every time.

    Get in touch with me if using a managed learning service sounds appealing or you have questions- call me on 0845 519 7408 or email blake.henegan@optimuslearningservices.com 

    Managed learning services: The importance of fabulous customer service

      Managed learning services are ideal solutions for when L&D want to focus on strategic governance of learning, improve learning efficiency and lower the overall costs of learning for their employees.

      But what’s the most important thing to consider when choosing a managed learning services partner or indeed any outsourced service partner?

      We think it just simply has to be the people.

      Your people, their people and most importantly their approach to delivering great customer service to create the best of working relationships to help and develop your people.

      Continue reading “Managed learning services: The importance of fabulous customer service”

      Hello Optimus Learning Services

        New name, same committed and thriving managed learning services team.

        We’ve been working across all aspects of L&D since 2009 so we thought it’s about time we changed our name to show exactly how much we love learning and show off what we know!

        It may seem like a small difference but our change to Optimus Learning Services is significant and fully reflects the wide range of L&D support and expertise we are providing to our clients.

        Whether you’ve worked with us for years, or you’re taking a look around to find the right managed learning services partner for you, you’ll soon find we do business through excellent relationships and delivering exceptional service.

        People work with people they like, trust and who deliver – which is why we’re chuffed that all of our clients stay with us for the long term.

        We’re on a mission

        To help the world of L&D showcase what they can do, Continue reading “Hello Optimus Learning Services”

        Managed learning services: 5 common false assumptions

          In an ever changing and challenging business world, many companies are increasing investment in maintaining and growing their market position and this often means investing in internal Learning and Development (L&D) resources and programmes. This can be enhanced by using Managed Learning Services (MLS), which is one of the most cost effective and efficient resources at an L&D manager’s disposal, yet despite its success, is often clouded with misconceptions.

          Any learning can present its own unique management challenges by requiring a certain skill set that may not always be available internally or is much needed elsewhere in the business, so drawing on essential expertise from an external dedicated resource rather than taking your in-house professionals away from business critical involvement, makes perfect sense.

          Continue reading “Managed learning services: 5 common false assumptions”

          Managed Learning Services: How to implement

            After all the decisions regarding the Managed Learning Services have been made it is time to implement it. Like any strategy, there are various steps that need to be completed in order for the strategy to run smoothly. We have come up with the following 5 steps that need to be accomplished to implement the best Managed Learning Service. Continue reading “Managed Learning Services: How to implement”

            Being a proactive Learning & Development professional

              Everyone must be proactive and do all they can to help themselves to stay employed. – Stephen Covey

              How can being proactive align the learning and development strategy to the needs of the business? We believe that an L&D professional working with the business on developing proactive plans to avoid anything becoming a problem can counteract the common complaints of the world of L&D being reactive.  Continue reading “Being a proactive Learning & Development professional”

              Managed Learning Services: How to choose a provider

                Choosing the right Managed Learning Services provider is an important decision. You are entrusting the future development of your team to an outside organisation, and need to be confident that the provider you select will be the best for you and your company.

                We are working with companies who have chosen us as their Managed Learning Services provider and are aware of the challenges they have encountered. Therefore, we decided to create this guide to help you choose a Managed Learning Services provider for yourselves so that you don’t have similar problems. Continue reading “Managed Learning Services: How to choose a provider”

                What is a managed learning service?

                  Managed Learning/Training Service

                  A Managed Learning Service (or Managed Training Service) is when an outside company provides a service to manage some or all aspects of organisational learning.  The functions that a Managed Training Service provider may offer include the following:

                  • Sourcing external training
                  • L&D Administration
                  • Supplier management
                  • Reducing costs
                  • Learning needs analysis
                  • Management Information

                  Continue reading “What is a managed learning service?”