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eLearning Program Helps Reduce Evironmental Impact

Setting the Scene

NetRegs is a partnership between the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). It has been set up to give guidance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on their environmental responsibilities with the aim of helping businesses to reduce their environmental impact. NetRegs provides the most up-to-date information on environmental legislation and regulations to businesses across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Highlights

Using eNetLearn, together with our bespoke eLearning, NetRegs saw a 25% increase in visits to their website for training within the first year alone. Almost 2,500 people have taken the eLearning, from SMEs and multi-national organisations.

The Challenge

In 2012, NetRegs wanted to develop new ways of providing guidance to businesses. There was an objective to take their information to a wider audience and encourage more businesses to use their website. They wanted their guidance to be engaging, easy to use and in a format which encouraged interactivity with existing users and new audiences. eCom Scotland were the successful bidders in a competitive process to work with NetRegs on a suite of five eLearning courses to educate businesses on reducing their environmental impact and complying with environmental regulations. The eLearning program was to help businesses raise environmental awareness amongst staff, check their performance and put the right processes in place.

The Solution

eCom’s instructional designers worked with the NetRegs subject matter experts to structure the content and ensure the messages would be delivered effectively in an online learning environment. The content had to meet both Scottish and Northern Irish requirements.

The eLearning was developed using eNetAuthor™, eCom’s eLearning authoring tool. Interactivities such as simulation and quizzes are used to engage the learners with the content. The courses cover a range of environmental topics including Duty of Care for Waste, Generating Renewable Energy, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Sinks, Drains and Sewers and Pollution Prevention. eCom’s cloud-based learning management system, eNetLearn® delivers the learning via the Netregs website. It was a key requirement that the materials should be easily accessible. Learners complete a short self-registration and then get immediate access to the content. On completion of the five eLearning modules learners receive a certificate to recognise their learning. The system provides detailed reporting on the course uptake, completion, and abandonment rates as well insight on the types of businesses using the materials.

The Benefits

By introducing an eLearning programme, NetRegs has enhanced the range of options for businesses seeking guidance on environmental issues. It is a useful resource which businesses can get their staff to complete, to ensure they are aware of their environmental responsibilities. It has helped NetRegs to reach out to more businesses across Scotland and Northern Ireland and in the first year of launch visits to the NetRegs website increased by approximately 25%. By delivering the learning through a cloud-based LMS, NetRegs has succeeded in making the training accessible while also generating the data they need to understand the impact of their guidance.

The public sector eLearning has been a cost effective solution for sharing their knowledge and thought leadership to a wider audience. Learners can quickly get into the learning and complete at a time which suits them. Since launch 2,470 people have completed the five eLearning courses. Although the key audience are SMEs, analysis has shown that a significant number of employees from multi-national organisations with bases in Scotland and Northern Ireland are using the resources as a training tool.