Every year, The Open University produces Trends in Learning, their in-depth report into innovations in workplace learning. They identify emerging trends that are either already having an impact on the world of work, or will do in the future. They then analyse the trends and explore them further with subject matter experts.
We're delighted that this year, LAS Director, Tess Robinson, was invited to contribute to the report as one of the experts on the theme of climate action, looking at L&D's role and what sills are needed to ensure a bright future.
We are delighted to announce that we have passed our B Corp Recertification, improving our score from 92.1 to 108.
As any company who has been through the process will attest, it's VERY rigorous. It takes time and dedication, not only to prepare for recertification, but also to work towards improving in all 5 areas - governance, environment, workers, customers and community - year on year. It's a full-on commitment to better, more sustainable business that, at LAS, we are very happy to make.
We're particularly pleased that 'Customers' remains our highest scoring area. It is a huge privilege to work with global organisations - both private and public - who are making a positive difference in the world and to use our skills to help them be successful. We aim that both the process of working with us, as well as the product, is nothing short of excellent and we're very happy that this is reflected in our score.
As a guide to the score - the median score for ordinary businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9. You need to score a minimum of 80 to qualify for B Corp certification.
We're delighted that one of our Directors, Tess Robinson, was recently recognised as one of HR Magazine's Most Influential Practitioners 2024, for her work promoting sustainability in the Learning and Development (L&D) sector.
Tess works hard to encourage L&D practitioners to consider how their skills can support and elevate sustainability goals within their organisations, and also encourage them to be champions for sustainable learning and digital practices.
HR Most Influential is an annual list celebrating the most influential players in the field of people strategy. These are the people whose ideas and actions are shaping practices in HR, both in the UK and globally.
First published in 2006, the HR Most Influential list is compiled by HR magazine’s editorial team and research partners Hult International Business School.https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hr-most-influential-results/
Earlier this year Rob Hubbard talked to John Helmer of the Learning Hack Podcast on the topic of human-centred learning in the modern world:
John says:
‘In the age of AI, what do we need humans for? The latest advances in AI are highlighting human capabilities, and particularly shortcomings, in a way that causes us once again to re-evaluate what it is to be human.
Rob Hubbard is Founder of LearningAge Solutions, an award-winning provider of digital learning services that practices what it calls human-centred learning. What exactly does that mean in the age of AI – and what does the future, for people who want to continue to work and provide value in the learning industries, look like?’
Watch Rob’s episode here
Listen here
Few things in life are free, but the CIPD Festival of Work is - get your ticket booked.
Catch up with LAS Director, Tess Robinson, as she takes part in the people Library on day 2. Choose from a host of fascinating 'human books' and have a one-to-one discussion with them about heir experiences. Tess will be talking about her sustainability journey and why she believes that L&D holds the key
Find out more about the Festival of Work and book your ticket here
We are so pleased to have been recognised as Living Wage Employers. As a company that has always paid well above this amount it is important for us to now be accredited. As a BCorp we strive to always go beyond, certified B Corporations are companies that use business as a force for good by caring about their employees, the environment, and their impact on the world, and being able to join the Living Wage Foundation demonstrates this.
LAS is based in the West Midlands, a region where almost a fifth of all workers (19.3%) earn less than they need to earn to get by, with around 434,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Despite this, LAS has committed to pay above the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.
The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to almost 400,000 people and put over £2 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.
We are very proud to now be able to display this logo and show our team and customers that we have strong values and will always go above and beyond.
Find out more about the Living Wage Accreditation.
1000X Better
Breaking news from the B Corp movement…there are now 1,000 UK B Corps and LAS is proud to be one of them! 🎉
When a business becomes a B Corp, as a collective we get bigger, better, bolder and more impactful. Every new addition is further proof that businesses thrive when they act for people and the planet. The first #1000xUKBCorps have brought us a thousand times closer to achieving our vision of creating an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. Together, we’re #1000xBetter, and we’re just getting started... 👀
The UK B Corp movement has over 50,000 employees in over 58 industries. We can create much greater impact together, than we can alone — we must use our collective power to create the world we want to see, at the urgent speed required in order to meet the challenges of climate and social breakdown.
Let’s work together to be a force for good.
bcorporation.uk
Finalists at Personnel Awards 2022
LAS are over the moon to have been shortlisted for the for the L&D Supplier category at the Personnel Awards 2022.
The whole team are very excited.
Now to wait till November for the ceremony in London.
Find out more about the Awards.
T4S2 - Stepping up to the green challenge - L&D’s part in the journey to Net Zero
13 Oct 2022 11:15 - 12:15 Track 4 Future L&D
Do you feel like you’re living through a Netflix series? A big driver of the turbulence of our time is climate change - and it’s only going to get worse if we do nothing about it. Our planet is in trouble and business has a key role in putting things right.
With many organisations targeting carbon Net Zero by 2030, this is a pivotal moment. The actions we take now will determine whether we turn things around - or not. Organisations have a key role to play and we, in L&D, are ideally placed to facilitate awareness, action and learning around sustainability. This is no longer a nice-to-have, but will be critical to the bottom line as customers make increasingly ethical choices. After all, without a planet, there is no business.
Join us for this interactive lunchtime workshop to explore:
How green is L&D - from the perspective of organisations, vendors and industry analysts
How we can lead the sustainability revolution as a sector
How you can lead green change in your organisation
What practical steps we can take to be more sustainable
Each other’s sustainability stories and best practice
Join the conversation - L&D’s part in the journey to Net Zero
To bring L&D professionals together to discuss how we can lead the sustainability revolution as a sector, how we can support green change in our organisations and to share successes, failures, best practice and practical tips#greenerfuture #sustainablelearning
https://lnkd.in/eAQK4xgZ
LAS are very excited to launch a new service called L&D Evolution.
The world has changed and organisations now need to be able to adapt more rapidly than ever before. From this adaptability comes both agility and resilience - increasingly core survival attributes for all organisations. One of the most important enablers of adaptability are L&D teams. The challenge is that they must move beyond the paradigm of ‘creating courses’ and focus their approach whilst broadening their toolkit. For over a decade now LAS have been helping L&D teams evolve to approach their projects in the way we do - with a human-centred, problem-solving mindset.
Because of the increased need for this evolution we’ve put together the L&D Evolution service which has two parts; Catalyst and Coach. Catalyst builds capability in six evolutionary stages and Coach includes……you guessed it; coaching and mentoring. We don’t believe one size fits all - because it doesn’t - and so L&D Evolution is tailored to fit the needs of different organisations and teams. It includes a diagnostic, learning resources, practice activities and the tools and templates that LAS use on our projects. This is supported by coaching and mentoring from experts so that these new ways of working become business-as-usual for L&D teams.
Why do we know it works? LAS have developed our working practices over a decade and in the course of completing more than 300 projects. In this time we’ve won 17 international awards including notably; Learning Organisation of the Year 2021 and two awards for L&D evolution projects with large complex organisations. What we cover in L&D Evolution is how we approach our projects - it’s well proven and externally validated.
You can learn more about L&D Evolution and request a prospectus here: https://www.las-hq.com/evolution
Download your copy of the LAS Insights White Paper.
The LAS Insights: Impact of Covid on Work and Learning White Paper summarises all of our findings from this Insights session.
Many thanks to all the industry experts, colleagues and customers who contributed to this.
We take a final look into the Covid19 impacts on learning. Have L&D followed the right path and future-proofed their learning?
Download your copy of our White Paper for FREE.
LAS, has won Gold for Learning Organisation of the Year at the Learning Technology Awards, the ceremony took place at the Park Plaza, Westminster, London, 17th November 2021.
CEO, Rob Hubbard, says: “ Learning Organisation of the Year is the award we’ve always hoped for. We don’t tend to shout about what we do, preferring to let our work speak for itself; so to be recognised by our peers in this way really is a career highlight. It means so much to Tess and I and all of the LAS team to have won this.
We hope this award will show others that you can be successful and balance profit, planet and people. That it’s possible to do work that you’re passionate about, that makes a difference to your customers and that helps to make the world a little better. We’ve done this on our own terms by plotting our own course and surrounding ourselves with people who both support and inspire us. It’s been a real journey so far and many more adventures lie ahead.”
Find out more about The Learning Tech Awards
LAS wins 2 Bronze awards as well as Gold for Learning Organisation of the Year at the Learning Technology Awards, the ceremony took place at the Park Plaza, Westminster, London, 17th November 2021.
Bronze Award for Excellence in the Design of Learning Content - Public & Non Profit Sector - with pan-disability charity, Leonard Cheshire - The i2i Soft Skills and Digital Skills Programme is a three-year programme to enhance the life skills and employability skills of people with disabilities in Kenya and Bangladesh. The programme aims to increase the meaningful inclusion of both disabled women and men in paid employment in the private sector in those countries, through skills assessment, skills development, recruitment and support when in work. This project was enormously rewarding to be involved with and has made a real difference to disabled people’s lives in those countries.
Bronze Award for Best Use of Blended Learning - Public & Non Profit Sector - with the NPCC (National Police Chief’s Council) - The Police Uplift Blended Learning Programme was an ambitious three month (blended) learning programme to improve blended learning design expertise and provide ongoing support to 550 L&D staff across all 43 Police Forces. The medium was the message and the idea was to rapidly design, produce and deliver a flexible and agile blend to help L&D staff to both learn about, and experience, true blended learning first hand. The result was an energetic, enthused audience who are experimenting with blends, forming communities of practice and sharing knowledge and resources; ready to drive this important cultural change forward.
Find out more about The Learning Tech Awards
LAS is proud to announce making it to the shortlist for 3 Learning Technologies Awards for 2021.
Categories entered are;
Learning Organisation of the Year
Best Use of Blended Learning Public and Non Profit Sector - LAS and NPCC
Excellence in the Design of Learning Content Public and Non Profit sector - LAS and Leonard Cheshire
Rob Hubbard, CEO of LAS says "We are so pleased to have been shortlisted for 3 Categories for this years Learning Tech Awards. The awards are considered to be the one of the most prestigious in the Learning and Development industry, and we know we are up against some of the best. We are really looking forward to presenting to the judges in the next few weeks. Congratulations and Best of luck to all those shortlisted.”.
Find out more about The Learning Tech Awards
LAS announce its joining a growing group of companies reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit. LAS has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, as having met rigorous social and environmental standards which represent its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit.
Rob Hubbard, Director of LAS says "Together we are a force for good. During challenging times, we need communities to come together.” Today we are very proud to have joined that community as a certified B Corp. We believe business can and should be a force for good and B Corp has long been a status we have aspired to achieve. We strongly believe we have a responsibility to the planet and its people and that business must be a driver for positive change. LAS is a business with the B Corp ethos at its heart. Together we can build a better world”.
Find out more about what LAS have achieved here.
Towards the end of last month LAS joined other finalists for the aNewSpring Awards, hosted Live (virtually) from their Rotterdam HQ to find the answer to the question: Who has created the most inspiring learning journey of the year using aNewSpring?
Rob Hubbard, Director of LAS says ""We're delighted to have had our free Learning Experience Design course recognised with a Bronze from the . Both the Silver and Gold winners are brilliant and their victories well earned. ran a really fantastic online event - very slick indeed!"
This month Fosway released their much anticipated 9-Grid for Digital Learning Providers, and LAS are pleased with a highly ranking position.
Rob Hubbard, Director of LAS says "We're delighted to be ranked as one of the strongest performers on the 9Grid. There are some fantastic companies on there this year, so it's even more of a privilege to be placed where we are. It's great to have our focus on quality, innovation and impact recognised"
To download the report visit the Fosway website
LPI announces top 15 highest-performing learning technology providers of 2020 and LAS features on it for another year!
Congratulations to all our team, and wonderful customers for helping us achieve featuring again.
To download the report visit the LPI website.
Next month LAS will be hosting an exclusive webinar for all past LXD cohorts.
On 10th December at 2.00pm (GMT) Rob Hubbard will host the online event - Adventures in VR - what you can do yourself for low / no cost.
So If you've previously been on a course check your emails for your invite.
We hope to see lots of you there.
If you haven't received an invite, please contact us.
As LAS turns 15 years old Director, Rob Hubbard has been reflecting on all the hard work that goes into a company like ours.
'Blimey. LAS have made it to 15 stepping away from the pack and doing things our own way. This is down to our brilliant, talented team and our adventurous customers. We share the same outlook and ideals and together undertake projects that make the world a little better. Here's to the next 15 years'
Customer Success Manager
We’re looking for an exceptional Customer Success Manager so we can help more people and grow LAS. The role is home-based, part-time, freelance and flexible and you’ll be part of a lovely award-winning team. Get in touch hello@las-hq.com
By now you have probably begun to move your learning online, has it gone as expected? or is there still room for improvement? Talk to Rob Hubbard with a Free 30 min getting started session. At LAS we use a methodology called Next Generation Blended Learning its proven and award winning, and we can help you implement it today.Contact us to book in
We are here to support you and your organisation to adapt your learning in this time of extreme change and disruption. Need to learn about digital learning fast? Talk to Rob Hubbard with a Free 30 min consultation, we can help get you get started, today!
Contact us to book in
We have the privilege of working with some amazing multinationals, and during the pandemic they really are showing the world what they can achieve with hard work and dedication from their whole team.
Roche
Burberry
GSK
During this difficult time, we decided to run our new and updated LXD course for FREE. We wanted to support as many people in learning as possible during the pandemic. In return we asked if those who took part in the course might like to make a donation to our chosen charity instead of paying a fee to attend, and we are very pleased to announce we raised £200 for Help Refugees. A huge thank you to all those who kindly donated.https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lxd0420
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-52095552/coronavirus-protecting-yourself-in-a-migrant-camp
As everyone moves to home working, lots of organisations are looking at ways to continue important training virtually. Doing this at speed shouldn't mean forgetting about the human at the centre of it all. Here at LAS we want to help, so we are offering FREE 30 minute consultancy sessions to get you started with rapidly implementing Next Generation Blends in the current crisis. Contact us to book a slot
It truly is amazing how many multinational organisations have changed their production since the lockdown began, and how many have really been going the extra mile. We are very proud of our customers who have been going above and beyond, from those supporting the children homeschooling to those working around the clock to find a vaccine.
Here are some links to the amazing work they have been doing recently.
GSK
Sodexo
Burberry
Roche
BBC
We are here to support you and your organisation through these difficult days. Here at LAS, we are hearing from a lot of organisations who urgently need to blend their learning programmes in order to meet the new and changing needs of their learners in these exceptional times. Moving to online learning quickly shouldn't mean forgetting the human at the centre of your learning or forgoing effectiveness. We have a wealth of digital learning design and development experience that we can share with you to make sure you get it right:Find out more now #strongertogether
At LAS, we understand that the world of digital learning can feel confusing. With more than 30 forms of digital learning now available, it can be difficult to know what's right for your situation and audience. With that in mind, we've created a FREE Digital Learning Diagnostic. It will help you to explore your options and then narrow them down to those that might work best within the constraints of your project. Request access to the Diagnostic now
If you’d like to learn more about Next Generation Blended Learning we’re running a series
of free interactive virtual classrooms. If you’d like to be invited please Contact Us to request a place.
Rob Hubbard is pleased to be chairing two sessions at the Learning Technologies Conference in London on Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th February.
- Wednesday 12th Feb @ 13.55 Storytelling with Thomas Junod, Head of UEFA Academy and Danny Seals, Experience Design Consultant from GP/Mindchimp
Design Methodologies - Thursday 13th Feb @ 15.50 with Melissa Milloway, Learning Experience Design Manager from Amazon.
LAS are very proud to have won two Gold awards at the prestigious Learning Technologies Awards with customers, Sodexo and BBC Academy.
One of only two companies to win multiple awards, LAS scooped Gold for Best use of blended learning (public and non-profit sector) partnered with the BBC, to transform the way that their trainers designed learning. Becoming blended has modernised training delivery by immersing learners in a blend and encouraging them to think differently about design and also winning Gold for Excellence in the design of learning content (international commercial sector) partnered with facilities multinational, Sodexo, to design and build a unique space-themed learning experience to accelerate Sodexo's digital transformation, nourish an innovation mindset and hone employees digital skills.
Read more on the Awards Here
Rob Hubbard LAS Director said ‘Delighted is an understatement! We may be small, but these international awards show that we punch well above our weight. They are testament to our wonderful, talented team and engaged, forward-thinking customers with whom we tackle the toughest people performance challenges their organisations face.’
'LAS also excelled this year, winning gold with both Sodexo and the BBC Academy.' Learning Technologies Awards Press Release.
Supporting our community is very important to all of us at LAS, we strongly believe in giving back to help others. Thats why every year we ask our Team to help chose charities to support. This year we have decided to donate to Plan International UK, Zoe's Place Baby Hospice Coventry, YoungMinds and Buddy Bag Foundation
We're very pleased to announce along with the BBC we've been shortlisted as Finalists for the Learning Awards in the People Development Programme of the Year category.
thelearningawards.com/finalists/
We are very pleased to have been short-listed for 3 Learning Technologies Awards with our wonderful customers the BBC and Sodexo. Our whole team is very excited, we're looking forward to the judging and then the award ceremony at the end of Novemberhttps://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/2019-shortlist
LAS is proud to be working in partnership with The Learning and Performance Institute to create their Digital Learning Academy. The academy stems from the capability map which defines the 25 essential skills for modern, effective and future-ready L&D teams. The Digital Academy will help to plug the main 5 gaps in learning.
The project is currently in build stages and more information will be released soon...
LAS are very proud to announce their first award win from America. The Sodexo Digital Passport project was awarded Bronze at The Brandon Hall Group's 2019 Excellence Awards, Human Capital Management Spring Program, in the Best Advance in Competencies and Skill Development category
'It has been a great privilege to work on a project of such scale and ambition and see it be so successful for Sodexo. It means a lot to have this project recognised by Brandon Hall Group for its quality and impact' Rob Hubbard Director and Creative Lead of LAS
The project was a great success and has been very well received by its users. LAS looks forward to working on more learning projects with Sodexo in the future.
Business partners enhance the LPI’s product and service delivery in regional and/or specialised markets, offering local expertise, resources and competencies for mutual benefit. The LPI Business Partner marks enable business partners to visually demonstrate the breadth and depth of their relationship with LPI and their specific capabilities and expertise.
LAS are very excited to have become a Content Partner with the LPI, as a business partner we provide premium learning resources and content for LPI technology platforms.
LPI Global Partners
Rob Hubbard will be attending #LEARNINGLIVE this September - An unmissable event for Learning Leaders. Rob will be delivering a session entitled “Your Secret Weapon for Competitive Advantage: Learning Experience Design”.
Are you coming to the event?
4th - 5th September
LAS make another donation to learn appeal from the royalties of Rob Hubbard's ‘The Really Useful eLearning instruction Manual’ Thank you to all the contributors Clive Shepherd, LauraOverton, Lars Hyland, Jane Bozarth, Julie Wedgewood, Jane Hart, Colin Steed, Clark Quinn, Ben Betts and Charles Jennings. Heres a brief video to show you a little more about the amazing work learn appeal do.
https://learnappeal.com/projects/lesley_v2-1/
Directors Rob Hubbard and Tess Robinson say they are proud of their team for signing up to LAS Environmental Responsibility Manifesto and taking steps to be even more green at work - doing what we can for our planet
We are delighted to announce that we have passed our B Corp Recertification, improving our score from 92.1 to 108.
As any company who has been through the process will attest, it's VERY rigorous. It takes time and dedication, not only to prepare for recertification, but also to work towards improving in all 5 areas - governance, environment, workers, customers and community - year on year. It's a full-on commitment to better, more sustainable business that, at LAS, we are very happy to make.
We're particularly pleased that 'Customers' remains our highest scoring area. It is a huge privilege to work with global organisations - both private and public - who are making a positive difference in the world and to use our skills to help them be successful. We aim that both the process of working with us, as well as the product, is nothing short of excellent and we're very happy that this is reflected in our score.
As a guide to the score - the median score for ordinary businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9. You need to score a minimum of 80 to qualify for B Corp certification.
Every year the LPI gather together people from the elearning industry to recreate iconic scenes from the movies, music and TV. These images are used to create a fun A3 wall calendar for your home and office.
D a registered UK charity that changes young lives through taking children with a serious illness or disability on the holiday of a lifetime to Orlando, Florida. If you purchase the Calendar you'll see LAS' very own Rob and Tess as you've never seen them before.
Help raise money for this fabulous charity by buying your copy here - https://www.thelpi.org/charity/
We are very pleased to announce that Rob Hubbard will be speaking at Learning Tech 2019. Rob's session Digital learning innovation: Reimagining induction is on 13th Feb.
Innovation – it sounds exciting and sexy doesn’t it? To gain the edge over competitors, organisations used to innovate every 5-10 years. Now it’s a daily requirement, crucial to their survival in business and ours as a species. The trouble is, to some innovation feels abstract and difficult. At its heart however, innovation is not a lightening-bolt of inspiration that the chosen few receive, but a thoughtful, iterative design process. Find out more
Since 1995, the Learning and Performance Institute has consulted with, evaluated, and mentored thousands of organisations worldwide to help them build internal capability and deliver notable performance improvement. This is done through the LPI’s accreditation service: a consultative framework that focuses on “Performance through Learning” – prioritising outcomes over delivery, homing in on the value, efficacy and business impact of learning, and aligning competencies with organisational strategy and goals.
This month the LPI announced the 15 Top Performing Learning Technology Providers that have been listed in their eBook. LAS are very pleased to have been named as one of those Top 15.
These organisations are shown to have a clear roadmap by which to build their capability and adapt their strategy for continual success. They demonstrate a strong customer value proposition and have a corporate culture that instils confidence throughout sales and marketing, to delivery and after-sales support. They are passionate and committed to developing their staff, their products, their market reach, and their performance.
Download the report here - www.thelpi.org/accreditation/top15-learning-tech-providers/
Design Series - Next week starting on the 25 June LAS will release one video a day for five days sharing our knowledge and experience on Design. Our first series is lead by Director and Creative Lead, Rob Hubbard. Join Rob everyday as he talks you through some vital information that we believe will allow you to create the best Learning you can. Make sure you follow us on Twitter to access the videostwitter.com/LASLearning If you'd like to suggest a subject for another series then please do get in touch. As a Thought Leader, Rob is always keen to share ideas and support people. Email us at hello@las-hq.com
Rob Hubbard will be speaking on 'Why design is key for successful learning programmes' at the event in Birmingham on 16 October at 11.30am. Further information can be found on the event websitewww.learnevents.co.uk
Rob Hubbard discusses 'The biggest anxiety within the world of learning and development at the moment'. If you're a member listen again herehttp://learningprofessionalnetwork.com/ld-questiontime-rob-hubbard/
Rob Hubbard has been asked to Chair a session at the Learning Technologies Summer Forum again this year which he is greatly looking forward to.
Other members of LAS will also be making the trip down to London for the Forum on the 12th June, so if you see one of us do come and say Hello.http://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/learning-tech-summer-forum
Here at LAS we are working really hard to unsure we are ready for GDPR come the end of this month. Our clients data has always been very important to us but you may receive double opt in emails from us to confirm we can stay in touch with you going forward.
Rob Hubbard speaking tour continues with an appearance scheduled for Monday 28 May in Copenhagen at the National PKL seminar in Sørup Herregård
Rob Hubbard will be flying over to Denmark to appear as a Keynote speaker at the University of Copenhagen who will be hosting their 4th Conference for teachers at the University 'Make a Difference – teach and learn with technology' on April 23rd
http://difference.ku.dk
LAS will be making the trip down to London for the Learning Technologies Summer Forum on the 12th June http://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/learning-tech-summer-forum
Case Study: Next Generation Blend
Emotive Transmedia Learning - LAS partnered with a large pharma company to create a next generation learning blend to support a new team in understanding and selling an innovative new drug.
The LAS Team have been hard at work refreshing the website.
Wanting to achieve a new look and feel, that reflects the bespoke nature of our work. We have been working with Jack Featherstone a talented Graphic Designer from Warwickshire to produce hand drawn/sketched artwork for the website.
Everyone is very excited to see the new look go live today and see the response from our customers.
Rob will be speaking on the exhibition floor as part of the 'Paralysed by choice : How to identify the right digital learning approach' Seminar on Thursday 1st February at 13.15. He will also be available on the eNyota Stand after the session for discussions.
Rob also has the pleasure of chairing 3 sessions from the main conference, be sure to check them out -
Wednesday 31st January, 13.50, Conference room 2
Understanding your users and designing for their needs - with Myles Runham
Phrases like user experience, user centred design and user needs are becoming increasingly prominent in the conversations and literature around learning. There is a growing recognition that technology and content are only two elements of a genuine digital transformation. The real change is built on proper user understanding. Experiences that learners love are most often defined by products and tools used outside of the working environment. In this session, Myles will explore how these products are created, how these ideas and practices can be introduced to the corporate learning world and how teams can organise to make them work.
Understanding what users really need - user research
The three P’s of a learner centred strategy - Purpose, personas and principles
The stakeholder challenge
Organising around user needs - skills and roles.
Nothing matters without marketing
Thursday 1st February 11.10, Conference room 1
Making the difference: L&D's role in today’s ever-changing world - with Patti Shank and Mirijam Neelen
Too many L&D practitioners are still order takers and content developers and this situation foretells the end of L&D, just as being able to build your own documents foretold the end of many administrative jobs. Our organisations are trying to adapt to the complexities and chaos of radical global changes (such as accelerating technological change and globalisation). There is great need to help people and organisations respond to these changes through training and performance interventions, but typical approaches fall short.
In this session, Patti and Mirjam will discuss:
Worldwide changes that deeply affect L&D’s role
How learning (and other) sciences can help organisations survive
Specific tactics that improve today’s most needed learning and training outcomesConditions needed for optimal outcomes
How to apply the tactics in typical situations
Visit the website for further details
Rob starts 2018 with a Keynote speaker slot and a visit to France for the Learning Technologies Conference.
Rob will be discussing "The death of elearning and the rise of digital" in Paris on Tuesday 23rd January at 14.00
The conference is set to see more than 4000 visitors attend the event, gaining access to 50 Free seminars and 130 exhibitors, providing the latest learning technology and innovations at the first major European event focusing on Learning and Development. Promising to be a perfect occasion to listen and interact with the best speakers from learning & development across the world.
More Information
LAS celebrate after winning gold for 'Best use of simulations or virtual environments for learning’ They partnered with
Unicorn Training Group and UCL (University College London), to design and build a complex and
highly immersive simulation which would allow groups of learners from around the world to
collaborate and work in teams over different time zones. This was ICARUS – a sophisticated, multi-
layered, immersive and above all, realistic business simulation.
The judges felt that the choice of an airport as the focus was inspired because of the wide range of
businesses and services and the complexities they introduce, that contribute to its success or
otherwise. Particularly impressive was the ease with which the simulation can be customised and
updated with real world events as they happen and how the impact of what may appear as an
isolated incident can affect different parts of the business in very different ways. Focusing on
demonstrable learner engagement and tangible outcomes required to secure the future of the
programme, this project has been an unprecedented success. It boasts a 40% rise in uptake, and
95% student pass rate!
Managing Director, Rob Hubbard, says:
"This was one of the most complex projects we have undertaken. It simply wouldn't have been
possible without the way the UCL, Unicorn and LAS teams collaborated and pulled together to
support each other. Tough but deeply satisfying - a true team effort."
List of 2017 Winners
Rob Hubbard will be jetting off to Berlin for the second year running after being asked to speak at the event. Rob will be hosting a session on Designing Rapid Solutions to Emerging Business Problems at OEB 2017 Thursday, Dec 7 at 16:30
The key to successful change is people. In uncertain times, learning takes on new significance in terms of helping people to adapt to new roles or new ways of working and giving them the skills they need to be successful. Getting learning right at these times can give organisations and institutions an enormous competitive advantage, enabling them to be agile and adapt to new situations quickly. So what does ‘right’ look like? This interactive session will cover how to identify threats, problems or opportunities and how to design solutions that will enable a rapid and effective response. You will be expected to be active and will be encouraged to share experiences and help your colleagues with potential solutions through a series of activities.
Rob says 'I’m really looking forward to another year at OEB – it’s probably the friendliest conference I speak at and I always enjoy feeling European. The theme this year is ‘uncertainty’ which will certainly strike a chord with many people. In the past 18 months we’ve seen how rapidly the world can change and in my session I’ll be exploring what we can do, both as individuals and as learning professionals, to not just cope, but thrive in uncertain times.‘
OEB 2017 Berlin, December 6 – 8- The global, cross-sector conference on technology supported learning and training - Book your place online now
LAS are celebrating after being shortlisted for two categories in the Learning Technologies Awards. The announcement was made live on Twitter on Tuesday by @LTAwards. Categories LAS are competing in are Best online distance learning programme & Best use of simulations or virtual environments for learning
In 2016, the University of London (UoL) launched its international MSc in Professional Accountancy. An initiative between UoL, UCL and ACCA (the world’s largest accountancy professional body), this programme – the first of its kind – is unique in its virtual availability to students worldwide and the utilising of a complex and highly immersive simulation.
Unicorn and LAS were approached to design and build this simulation. Focusing on demonstrable learner engagement and tangible outcomes required to secure the future of the programme, this project has been an unprecedented success, boasting a 40% uplift on uptake, and 95% student pass rate.
Over the last 10 years we've refined the way we work based on the best design approaches, hard won best practices and brain science. The LXD course is your chance to learn from our experience in a free 3 week online course, tutored by Rob Hubbard. No catch, no sales pitch - we just like to share for the benefit of the elearning community. *Course date has changed due to a clashing commitment
Rob Hubbard is named in the Premier Platinum section of the 2017Corporate eLearning Movers and Shakers List . The list represents the views of a number of key people from the industry. People named on the list are deemed to be influential within the corporate eLearning sector within their country, continent, region and the world. Rob said 'I'm thrilled to be named in the top 50 most influential digital learning practitioners and thought leaders in the world and to be alongside people who I have enormous respect for".
Do you dream of being involved in interesting and exciting projects for some of the world's best known brands? Would you like to put your creativity to the test? We're looking for exceptional UX designers and technical project managers to join our happy team. Interested?
Get in touch
Rob Hubbard will be sharing his wisdom on memory and microlearning and will also be chairing two sessions at the Learning Technologies conference in London on 1 -2 February 2017.
Catch him at the following sessions:
Wednesday 1 February
Design Methodologies (13:50 - 15:00)
Gary Spring, Head of Design at Barclays UK will talk about 'Moving to UX Design for Learning' and Martin Sinclair, programme Lead at Health Education England, will discuss 'Growing your content design'.
User Experience (16:40 - 15:30)
Consultant Myles Runham talks about 'What does the web tell us about good learning tools and expeirences' and Laggi Diamadi, Head of Learning and Development at Fosters & Partners, shares his experience of 'The power of simplicity in learning.
Thursday 2 February
Learning and Performance (15:30 - 16:40) - Rob Hubbard
There is an elephant in the room. His name is Hermann. Hermann has known for over 100 years that humans rapidly forget what they try to learn, which makes traditional, preparatory training (in-person or online) largely a waste of time. This interactive session will bust some major myths of memory before identifying proven approaches that do work. It will also investigate how moving learning closer to the point of need will vastly increase the impact it has on learners.
• The evolutionary advantage of forgetting
• What humans pay attention to and what they don’t
• Making the most of memory
• Practical approaches for closing the learning gap
• Forms of learning that fit performance support
Book your place online
The LAS team will be jetting out to Berlin his week to OEB 2016 and Rob will be chairing a session on 'Supporting the Flexible Worker' with Clark Quinn, Geraldine Voost and Snorre Rubin.
As alternative employment arrangements rise and work spaces become ever more global and flexible, how can L&D align work and learning, engage the flexible worker and offer support to the needs and wellbeing of today’s workforce wherever they are? Join us at 2.30pm on Thursday 1 December for a dialogue on how we can adapt what we do, so that our workforces can do even better what they do.
Rob says 'It great to be working with such high calibre colleagues in this session. As a company, we're about as flexible as it's possible to get. This flexible philosophy is something close to our hearts and I'm going to really enjoy chairing a session on it'.
Book your place online
Microlearning is everywhere at the moment. In his session at Learning Live on 19 October, Rob will discuss what microlearning is and what it isn't, the key benefits and when to use it. He'll also look at how to design effective microlearning assets and what production tools to consider.
Learning Live takes place as part of the World of Learning Exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham. It's sponsored by the eLearning Network and is free of charge. There are some great speakers this year so it's well worth a visit.
Book your place online
Improve your learning design skills on us with our free Learning eXperience Design course. Come and learn from our years of experience.
LXD is a three week part-time online course hosted on our goalgetter platform and tutored by Rob Hubbard, one of the UK's premier learning designers. You will join students from all around the globe working on real life projects. On the course you will learn how to scope the project and how to generate and communicate creative solutions. We'll give you the tools and support that you need to become an excellent designer.
Book your place online
Rob Hubbard will be chairing a session on 'design thinking for learning' at the Learning Technologies Summer Forum in London on Tuesday 14 June at 15:00. He will share the stage with Sally Spinks from top design consultancy, IDEO.
In this interactive session, they will look at how design thinking can transform the way we approach workplace L&D. The key, says Sally is to start not with a solution, or even with brainstorming, but with observational study – taking note of how people work in practice, not what they say they do in theory.
Places are free and can be booked online
We are looking for a kick-@ss graphic / UX designer to join our award winning LAS team. The work will be diverse and challenging, for some of the biggest brands in the world. You need experience of designing for web and/or games and/or elearning and/or apps and should be skilled in interpreting design briefs and branding guidelines to come up with killer designs. We would prefer you to be in the same timezone as the UK (more or less) and you will work flexibly from home as part of our expanding team.
We will be at the eLearning Network's 'What does Excellence Look Like?' event on 28 April at University of Birmingham, UK, talking about the Vodafone project that won Gold for 'Best Learning Game' at the eLearning Awards 2015.
The Learning Technologies Awards – formerly the E-Learning Awards represent the best the industry has to offer. At this event, you can see for yourself what it takes to be best in class. Gold and silver award winners will be there to showcase their work, tell their backstories and pass on their experiences for you to apply in your workplace.
The event is free to members (membership is £29 well spent).
Ever wanted to be better at designing learning interventions? Perhaps you're new to it and don't know where to start? Come and learn from our years of experience. We pride ourselves on our design skills and processes. They've won us a lot of awards after all.
LXD is a three week part-time online course hosted on our goalgetter platform and tutored by Rob Hubbard, one of the UK's premier learning designers. You will join students from all around the globe working on real life projects. On the course you will learn how to scope the project and how to generate and communicate creative solutions. We'll give you the tools and support that you need to become an excellent designer.
Book your place online
Following Rob Hubbard’s 2015 Outstanding Contribution Award at the eLearning Awards, Rob has made it on to the influential Annual Top 10 eLearning Movers and Shakers List for the UK for the first time.
Now in its seventh year, the latest annual lists of the “Top Ten” most influential people in the corporate e-learning sector - in
the World, North America, Europe, the UK and Asia-Pacific - contain the names of 39 people. Of these, 26 are men and 13 are women.
These ‘movers and shakers’ lists are compiled from a corporate online learning perspective, on the basis of a person’s perceived current influence on the online learning industry – as a practitioner, commentator, facilitator and/or thought leader.
Rob Hubbard, says:
‘This list contains many people that I greatly admire and so I’m thrilled to have made it on there for 2016. I am a firm believer in sharing ideas and best practice throughout the elearning industry. 2016 promises to be an exciting year’.
Rob will be speaking at the Learning Technologies Conference in London on 4 February. Don't miss it!
LAS Managing Director, Rob Hubbard, has been given the top honour of the Outstanding Contribution Award at this year’s prestigious eLearning Awards.
The Award was given in recognition of all Rob has done to promote the elearning industry. Through his work with the eLearning Network and through the free training he has provided to hundreds of elearning professionals worldwide, he has worked tirelessly to raise standards and encourage greater creativity in digital learning. The Awards Ceremony took place in London on 25th November.
Rob Hubbard started life as an Engineer, graduating from the University of Warwick with a degree in Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology. After brief forays into CAD and website design he landed his first elearning role as Head of Online Learning for a training consultancy, sparking a passion for digital learning which has stayed with him ever since.
After setting up his own company, LearningAge Solutions, now LAS, in 2005, Rob has grown in stature within the industry. He has provided expertise and ideas, raised standards, taken on voluntary roles and offered free support and training to others. He is now seen as one of the leading lights in elearning and is often to be found speaking or chairing industry conferences or judging awards. Never afraid to question norms and take creativity to another level, he relishes being at the fore of learning technologies thinking.
Rob Hubbard, says:
‘Wow, I was overwhelmed to be nominated for this award and I’m absolutely blown away to have won! It is such an honour to have this recognition from industry peers and it really means a lot to me. I thoroughly enjoy promoting interesting and exciting elearning and working with all the students on our free Learning eXperience Design course. My time with the eLearning Network was also very rewarding. They are a fantastic group of people who work very hard in support of the elearning industry’.
http://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/Content/e-learning-awards-2015-winners
LAS has
scooped three awards at the eLearning Awards, including this year's Outstanding Contribution Award for Managing Director, Rob Hubbard. The Awards Ceremony took place in
London on 25th November.
LAS won gold for ‘Best Learning Game’. They
partnered with Marketing Consultancy, Oxford SM, to create an engaging learning game for Vodafone,
which has added energy and realism to their face-to-face marketing workshop on
maximising the use of customer data. Used in stages throughout the workshop,
the game reinforces learning points, encourages debate and allows participants
to try decisions out, resulting in a deeper understanding of the importance of
data and how it is used. The game is a fantastic example of how learning games don’t need to be expensive and
hand coded to be effective.
LAS
also won bronze in the category of ‘Best Use of Social and Collaborative
Learning Technologies’ Sector’ for a project with one of the world’s largest
energy companies. LAS helped them to roll out a methodology for organisation
design and provide online opportunities for their people to collaborate and
share knowledge and best practice. The project has resulted in significant cost
savings for the organisation, has boosted their internal capabilities and
helped them to develop and connect their staff. It is now in use over more than
50% of the organisation.
Managing Director, Rob Hubbard, says:
‘We are delighted to have, once again, beaten
off stiff competition from the biggest players in the international elearning
industry to win these awards, particularly in the categories of social and
collaborative learning and learning games, which are at the cutting edge of
digital learning.
As a company, we are celebrating our 10th
birthday this year. We have always prided ourselves on being at the forefront
of new thinking in elearning. This recognition from the eLearning Awards, our
industry’s most prestigious awards, reinforces our position as innovators, as
we look to the next 10 years and beyond.
None of this would be possible, of course,
without forward-thinking clients who are prepared to try something different and kudos should go to
them for their vision and support.’
http://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/Content/e-learning-awards-2015-winners
LAS, in partnership with Sara Dunn Associates, has won one of 16
coveted Ufi Charitable Trust Vocational Learning Tech grants.
Selected from over 180 applications, the Cuppa project, so called because Cuppa resources, or ‘sips’, are bite-sized – a skills boost in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea – focusses on supporting staff in their everyday care work. Sips are rooted in care activities on topics such as how to talk to relatives, write handover notes, and understand a care plan.
As much of the care workforce is dispersed and mobile, the learning will be delivered to mobile phones, enabling staff to learn on the job. Cuppa will be free or low-cost to use, reducing
training costs in a sector where budgets are tight. This project aims to have a huge positive impact on a hard-to-reach sector, improving the skills of care workers and also the lives of the people who they support.
Sara Dunn, Chief Executive, said:
“Care work is so important, and yet so undervalued in our society; this Ufi innovation grant will help us develop a vitally needed performance support service for care workers. We have many years of experience in the care sector, and in teaming up
with LAS for the digital development we reckon we have a really winning combination!”
Rob Hubbard, Managing Director, LAS said:
“We are really delighted to be a part of the Cuppa project. It has great potential to help transform an entire sector and the lives of people receiving care. What better use of innovative learning technologies could there be?”
Funded by Ufi charitable trust:
Award winning elearning company LearningAge Solutions is celebrating its first decade in business with a new image and a new name - LAS.
Managing Director Rob Hubbard said:
‘LearningAge Solutions was established in 2005, initially as a small consultancy with one consultant. Having experienced strong growth, in what has been a difficult global climate, we now have a much larger team, an array of awards and satisfied
big-name clients under our belts. Our reputation is growing and we’re delighted this year to be celebrating 10 years in business.
eLearning has evolved so much over the past decade and we have enjoyed being at the forefront of that, creating imaginative
and effective digital learning. As the pace of technological change is so rapid, this industry is certainly never dull. We’re learning and adapting our methods all the time in order to maximise the benefits of learning technologies for our clients.
Just as the industry has evolved, our brand must evolve too to reflect our dynamic approach and our commitment to innovation and partnership, so we felt it fitting to mark our 10 year milestone with an image update. We have long abbreviated our company name to LAS informally and the majority of our clients refer to us in this way. It’s snappier and more memorable. The cog represents the way we drive innovation, performance and change. We have a brand new responsive website
www.las-hq.com and are looking forward to a successful next decade and beyond.’
Rob Hubbard will be speaking at OEB, the global cross-centre conference on technology supported learning and training in Berlin in December. OEB is known for pushing boundaries, challenging preconceptions, catalysing new ideas and fostering exchange between the corporate, education and public service sectors. Rob will be running a session on how technologies can capture and enhance collective intelligence across organisations. The conference takes place on 2-4 December.
Rob Hubbard has been nominated and short-listed for this year's Outstanding Contribution Award at the eLearning Awards
in recognition of all he has done to promote the elearning industry.
Rob was nominated because he has given hundreds of hours of his time, energy and enthusiasm to voluntary work within the sector. Through his work with the eLN and through the free training he has provided to hundreds of elearning professionals worldwide, he has worked tirelessly to raise standards and encourage greater creativity in digital learning. Good luck Rob!
Here at LAS HQ we are celebrating being short-listed for two eLearning Awards; Best use of social and collaborative learning technologies with BP and Best Learning Game with OxfordSM and VodafoneUK.
LAS partnered with BP to create online learning, resources and social
media to support their new organisation design (OD) methodology. Technology was used to create a platform
for a community of practice, enabling enterprise-wide collaboration and sharing of best practice to
deliver better business outcomes. This has also enabled them to develop internal capability and make the OD process consistent across the organisation. You can read more about it in our ODV2 case study.
The Vodafone CVM (Customer Value Management) Data Game is a fantastic
example of how learning games don’t need to be high budget and hand coded with long
timescales to be effective. LAS designed this engaging game, in partnership with OxfordSM and Vodafone, to be used in a blend within a F2F marketing workshop. The game has added energy and
realism to the workshop, which is on maximising the use of
customer data to drive brand value and improve customer experience. Used
in stages throughout the workshop, the game reinforces learning points,
encourages debate and allows participants to try decisions out,
resulting in a deeper understanding of the importance of data and how it
is used.
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