The problem

The Finance Team needed to make available local training material so that staff could quickly find it and use it in a way that was effective and accessible to all. Providing easy access and bite sized implementation of specific videos material will help improve efficiency and allow staff to be more engaged in personal development.

The challenge

We are working on improving staff training by creating a portal that offers on-demand access to pre-recorded training videos. The reason behind developing this function is to enhance individuals’ knowledge of finance system functionality, enabling them to become more self-sufficient in a hybrid working model. We observed issues with staff training on the Finance system, with many repeated questions being asked, which consumed system admin’s time in delivering training. By providing training content through pre-recorded videos, individuals can undergo training in a flexible manner.

Initially, we deployed the training content on our Trust-wide IT training platform, which offered the advantage of subtitle capability. However, we aimed to offer more detailed video-based training material for specific modules on our Finance system. As we continued to develop video materials, we assumed that we would have to deploy it in the same manner as before.

Unfortunately, this approach had its limitations, including:

1. Speed of deployment: The time required to generate subtitle text, review it, and then get the IT team to stitch the video material together caused delays in deployment.
2. Inability to deploy training material on demand: We faced challenges in deploying our own training material on demand without the time delay associated with using the IT platform.

Despite these limitations, we were committed to finding a better solution that allows us to deliver efficient and accessible training to our staff.

The outputs

A specific MS Teams platform was designed for departmental training, encompassing the following elements:

• a comprehensive department SharePoint page featuring links and items related to training
• a dedicated SharePoint page (within the same team) solely focused on video material, supported by Stream v2
• Individual videos that make full use of the capabilities provided by MS Stream, including extra and video metadata such as transcripts for sub-titles, descriptions, and thumbnails.

This platform facilitates efficient and organised training, allowing for easy access to relevant training resources and enhancing the overall learning experience for users.

The outcomes

Having a generic departmental training portal provides staff with quick and easy access to training materials. Individuals can conveniently go back and review training at their own pace. The platform allows users to watch videos starting at specific points, and the videos are equipped with subtitles generated by MS Stream.

This approach enables the deployment of training videos without the delays associated with using a Trust-wide training portal. As a result, it empowers people to develop their finance system knowledge, contributing to improved performance within the organisation.