How Richmond Training is using Bud to streamline processes

Richmond Training delivers apprenticeships, qualifications and training within the healthcare and business sectors. The company wants to inspire employers to think differently about staff development and talent acquisition.

The challenge

Richmond Training is a small provider, currently servicing the North West. Their aim is to grow into a national organisation.

As a trusted provider that meets the needs of employers, their ambition is to play a key role in bridging the skills gaps across the UK. Part of this growth will include increasing their offer within the healthcare sector and the NHS.

However, they realised that their apprenticeship management systems were hindering progress. The systems had been in place for over a decade and didn’t sync with each other, meaning data had to be stored in multiple places and it was rare that these two systems matched.

The solution

Bud has provided many benefits to Richmond Training across the key areas of:

• Learning delivery
• Management
• Compliance

Learning delivery

Since implementing Bud, Richmond Training can offer a much better experience for learners.

Enrolment with Bud is all online, so learners can easily get set up regardless of where they are in the country. From there, the platform is designed for accessibility, so it’s simple and intuitive for learners to use.

Lorraine Sinnott, Quality Manager at Richmond Training said:

“Bud will have a positive impact on all aspects of the learner journey. The paperless enrolment helps to avoid bottlenecks, which result in delays. This means that we can easily reach out to our learners and employers to support them in completing the onboarding process.”

Having visibility over learner progress is something they’re particularly excited about. It means they can identify disengaged learners and take positive action, avoiding potential funding errors further down the line.

Management

After struggling to navigate multiple systems for years, Richmond Training are already realising the benefits of using a single, joined-up solution.

“Prior to Bud, we had to access multiple systems to effectively manage our delivery. We’re now using Bud in its entirety and it allows us to make management decisions based upon factual, live information,” Lorraine said.

Lorraine highlights Bud’s RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating feature as being especially useful. RAG allows trainers to rate learners at every caseload review, so management can instantly see who is on track and who’s not.

While trainers can RAG-rate learners themselves, it’s currently a task that Lorraine is doing herself as it helps her to identify any trends or issues with employers or tutors early on.

“The way in which Bud pushes for further explanations ensures a clear and full audit trail is always available. This information can also be tracked over time,” she said.

Lorraine adds that her trainers had initial concerns about moving out of their comfort zone and switching platforms, but Bud is already proving very popular.

“At first our trainers were understandably unsure, but now they absolutely love it. It’s really easy to use and provides better visibility of KPIs for everyone. They can be in control of their own caseload and see when progress reviews are due. It all helps with self management and I think they really appreciate that.”

Compliance

Lorraine sees Bud as an opportunity to move their apprenticeship delivery to the next level. She is confident that Bud will support their goal to become an Ofsted Grade 2 provider at their next inspection.

“The Bud system has already helped us to improve our programme design and delivery, and we hope to build on this further,” she said.

Cultural fit

Digital transformation can be a daunting prospect, particularly when you’ve been using the same systems for so long. To pave the way for a smooth transition, you need to make sure there’s cultural fit with your chosen platform.

Richmond Training completed implementation and attended training sessions over a three-month period. Lorraine’s team worked with Craig Robinson at Bud, who she describes as “fantastic”.

“The training was adapted to the audience. Lots of questions came up, but Craig always set aside time for that – he was great at planning and the sessions never went over. He made everyone feel comfortable enough to ask any questions they had. The skills coaches initially wanted to stick with our old platforms, but Craig was great at putting their minds at ease,” Lorraine said.

Find out more about Bud

Bud is the number one training management platform for apprenticeship delivery. Our single joined-up system is designed to streamline the processes involved in delivering training and give you peace of mind that you’re fully compliant.

Bud reduces the time your teams spend on repetitive administrative tasks, freeing them to spend more time using their valuable expertise to deliver high-quality training.

Get in touch with the team to learn more about how we can help you maximise your training performance or book a demo now.