Admiral: E-learning easy and accessible to build future-ready workforce

Admiral Group’s story is one of rapid growth and innovation. In 1993, the then start-up had only 57 employees and no customers but has since grown to become a leading car insurance provider in the U.K. with operations in eight other countries. The company largely credits this success to its commitment to engaging and developing its people since day one.

Now, with 9,500 employees across Europe, India, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, it was clear that the company’s previous learning management system (LMS) could no longer support the scale of the company as it grew both geographically and in size. Admiral needed a cloud-based system that not only provided deeper insight and visibility into employee training needs and compliance, but also would be intuitive and easy to use. Having gathered employee feedback, Admiral realised it needed a solution that is as easy to use as services like Netflix, Facebook or Amazon.

Admiral searched for clear, in-depth reporting tools and a system that would encourage self-directed learning for its employees. Putting numerous vendors through their paces, Admiral chose Cornerstone to meet its learning and collaboration needs.

Admiral took a smart approach by gaining employee buy-in throughout the process of implementing the new system. This made sure that there was a true understanding of the purpose of the system throughout the workforce, even before it was rolled out. It was also important to Admiral that its employees’ preferences were taken into consideration. Employees were surveyed and took part in focus groups to identify the features users both liked and disliked.

Cornerstone could provide the user experience Admiral needed by ensuring the right content is easily accessible, by tracking progress and by facilitating collaboration.

Admiral was set on creating a learning experience that its employees would truly appreciate and be engaged with – making Cornerstone the clear choice. Admiral made Cornerstone ‘theirs’ by renaming it iLearn and shaping the system from its employees’ perspective.

Increased appetite for learning. Comparing statistics from the first half of 2016 (when Admiral was using its old LMS) and the same period in 2017, its Cornerstone LMS, the total number of online courses significantly increased from 26,394 to 40,193. The average monthly unique users logging on to the system has grown by 81% from 2,454 to 4,457. Admiral has all this visibility through intuitive dashboards which are updated in realtime with manager and employee activity.

Positive response to quality content. The quality is just as high as the quantity – demonstrated in the Reviews & Ratings functionality with the average rating of Admiral’s courses being 4.6 out of 5 stars. Moreover, Admiral can pinpoint areas of a course or assessment where employees are not getting it quite right. This level of detail helps constantly refine and optimise all learning content.

Focus on employee experience. Admiral’s employeefirst approach and determination to find a solution that would capture the imagination of its workforce is a true demonstration of what Cornerstone looks to achieve when it talks about embracing the learning experience. Cornerstone and Admiral are aligned when it comes to creating an environment which promotes self-learning and discovery of content that drive development.

Employee collaboration and knowledge sharing. In 2017, users have made a total of 975 posts in the iLearn Connect communities – a very positive start to achieving their goal of employees engaging in collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

Building a workforce that is future-ready. With the company growing at a high rate, Admiral’s strategic approach to learning and development of the workforce means it is better placed in the face of its competition. A more engaged workforce leads to better productivity, better retention rates as well as leading to a more attractive place to work.