4 elearning tricks the NHS could borrow from retail

Retailers are among the most innovative when it comes to elearning, but what can they teach the National Health Service (NHS) about harnessing learning technologies?

Despite the obvious differences, there are common challenges and some of the elearning practices being used in the retail sector could help deliver change for the health service.

Retail is leading the way in the use of elearning to deliver tangible business benefits. According to the Towards Maturity Retail Sector Benchmark Report, retailers score much better than the private sector for the impact their elearning has on learners. They are using it to cut costs, increase productivity, improve quality, enhance customer service and retain good staff. The way they do this could offer lessons for NHS trusts grappling with similar challenges.

Here are some retail innovations that could work equally well for the NHS and other healthcare providers:

• Just-in-time

Just-in-time elearning allows employees to access training at the moment they need it most. Within retail this can work well to help sales staff stay on top of information in a rapidly changing environment, for example getting to grips with new product lines. It can help knowledge retention rates because there is only a small gap between learning and doing. To be effective, just-in-time elearning needs to short and focused; a lengthy module would defeat the object of in the moment training. It’s a strategy that could benefit NHS staff who need to refresh their training frequently or keep up to date with changes.

• Pre-induction

Also called pre-boarding, this is the practice of providing part of an induction training programme BEFORE new employees start work. For retailers, this strategy cuts down on the time it takes for new recruits to get up to speed and helps them feel more prepared for their new role. Research suggests that companies with pre-induction are 11% more likely to retain staff in their first year than businesses without pre-induction. Elearning is ideal way to deliver pre-induction training because it can be accessed remotely and completed using a variety of devices. With recruitment and retention problems in certain healthcare roles, pre-induction may be worth considering for some areas of the NHS.

Sports Direct - Pre-induction

New starters with the high street and online retailer must complete the initial section of the induction elearning so they are familiar with the company in advance of their first day at work.