Creating personalised digital learning in social care

Ceri Vaughan, Learning and Development Officer for the Social Work Development Team at Bradford Metropolitan District Council, tells us about their approach to adopting digital for better workforce development.

Before I came into this role, I spent a decade of my career teaching in schools. Having recently made the transition to learning design, it’s great to be able to use my experience to benefit those in the professional world. I’ve taught thousands of students in my time and I’m now responsible for supporting the training needs of nearly 900 colleagues in residential and community services.

Since joining Bradford Council in February of this year, we’ve embarked on a journey to create and improve learning projects for those involved in some of the most important work in society – adult social care. I wanted to share a little bit about my experience so far and how I’ve been using digital solutions, alongside other methods, to create better learning opportunities.

One thing that I’ve become convinced of over recent years is that tailoring the learner’s journey to create a truly bespoke experience is paramount. The learning we are creating at Bradford is not an off-the-shelf generic package but rather a personalised product that is made for a specific group of colleagues, which we believe is best achieved by using a blended style of learning.

By taking a blended approach, you can use any combination of digital, classroom-based, practical or self-directed learning you need to achieve a curated experience that suits the preferences of the workforce. I think it’s important to note that digital learning solutions are one piece of the puzzle that can be very convenient and effective, but often work best when combined with other forms of learning.

To me, digital learning is yet another tool through which we can achieve a personalised experience. As technology evolves and improves, we’re offered more opportunities to capitalise on what I see to be the main benefits of digital ways of learning – flexibility and accessibility.

The flexibility of digital learning creates more bespoke learning experiences by offering the workforce the ability to engage with materials at their own pace and through formats that suit their preferences. With options like videos, webinars, and interactive content, colleagues can select formats that resonate with their individual learning styles. This approach allows colleagues to focus more on areas they find challenging while moving quickly through more familiar topics, enabling a more personalised learning journey.

Accessibility and inclusivity within learning fosters a more bespoke learning experience by ensuring that materials are tailored to the diverse needs of the workforce. When content and digital learning platforms are designed to be accessible, it reduces barriers to learning that are sometimes presented to those living with physical disabilities or learning difficulties, allowing colleagues to engage with materials that suit their individual circumstances. Inclusive learning also means offering different formats and adaptive technologies, such as closed captions, screen readers, and various media types, which can cater to diverse learning styles.

Both the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital solutions have been great assets to our workforce. We have a workforce that’s spread out across a large geographical area and digital learning tools really help us coordinate workforce development much easier. Digital learning also provides an asynchronous model whereby an individual can log in and complete learning at point of need and fit it around their schedule.

In terms of accessibility, we have access to staff networks and opportunities to consult with neurodivergent colleagues and colleagues living with disabilities on the design and development of digital learning design. The feedback is invaluable in determining the accessibility of the learning. It’s important to note that there isn’t a one size fits all approach to this. Two individuals with the same learning disability may present with contrasting strengths and needs, and we should be mindful of this throughout design and development process, but there’s digital tools out there now to support a range of requirements.

The success we’ve enjoyed so far in implementing digital learning, and with our learning and development as a whole, I believe is largely down to the fact that we take a learner-led approach. We give colleagues the opportunity to participate in surveys, focus groups and working groups to shape the design of learning and development. We also look at the data of existing training offerings to understand the learning needs of the workforce and their preferences for future training. This consultative approach, combined with ongoing evaluation of the performance of our learning products, is what has made them so effective.

Earlier this year, I led a programme of evaluation with residential and community services. Colleagues were asked to give their views on current learning and development. There were three reasons for this evaluation:

• To understand the views of colleagues
• To measure the impact of previous training
• To understand current training needs.

This involved consulting with management, as well as frontline colleagues. These meetings took place online and in person, as well as a survey. Consultation revealed that:

• 95% of respondents said that they are likely or very likely to use the training in their role.
• 80% of respondents feel positive about the current training in terms of quality of learning, accessibility, and application to their role.
• 68% of respondents want a blended learning experience derived of face-to-face learning and digital learning.

I hope this overview of my experience proves useful to those who are considering taking the same route. I believe that digital learning can play an important role in learning and development, but that it really shines when it’s used alongside other methods of teaching to achieve a truly one-off experience for the workforce to address a specific training need.

Find out more about Skills for Care’s ‘Building digital confidence’ campaign by visiting our campaign landing page.

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