How our Training Champions are building a learning culture and driving compliance

Hear from our Head of Learning and Development, Natasha Furness, about how our Training Champions helps to build a learning culture and drive compliance, as well as providing development opportunities for colleagues.

High-quality training ensures that our colleagues have the required behaviours, skills and knowledge to deliver high-quality, safe and person-centred care.

Our roots began as a training provider, and we’re proud to have continued our passion for learning and development through our network of Training Champions.

Alongside our managers, Training Champions help build and promote a learning culture across our care homes and central services.

Introduced in 2020, they ensure compliance with mandatory and statutory training (MAST) and job essential training, and promote continuing professional development through apprenticeships, diplomas and in-house training programmes.

Our champions are passionate about learning and development – they champion it to everyone in the home.

They’re also ‘super users’ of our eLearning platform, Exemplar Learning Management System (ELMS), to support colleagues in its use.

What do our Training Champions do?

Our Training Champions play a key role in our learning and development ambitions.

They’re passionate about learning and development and use this enthusiasm to explain the benefits of learning to promote a learning culture in their home.

Through our champion training, they become ‘super users’ and act as a local point of contact for our eLearning platform, Exemplar Learning Management System (ELMS).

This enables colleagues to get advice or support quickly in their home, so they can complete training online and maintain compliance at ease.

Our champions are knowledgeable about the learning and development opportunities we offer, and offer support and guidance regarding training enquiries. 

As a Training Champion, I sit down with colleagues and talk them through the eLearning system and what they need to do. I enjoy it because I like knowing that my help can make someone feel more confident to complete their training. My biggest achievement is supporting most of my colleagues to get to 100% compliance.

Beth Heaton, Training Champion at Fairburn Vale care home in Castleford

 

Why did we introduce the Training Champion role?

At Exemplar Health Care, we believe that having a confident and competent workforce is vital to delivering the highest standard of care.

We’re proud to offer a range of learning opportunities and invest in our employees.

With such a diverse workforce, one of our biggest challenges is making sure that everyone knows about them!

We introduced the Training Champion role in 2020 to bridge this gap.

We’ve found that colleagues respond better when they can ask, or hear about things from their peers.

We wanted to bring together a community of colleagues who are passionate about learning and development, to help us to promote a learning culture in our homes.

Our Training Champions ensure that everyone’s aware of their responsibility to complete mandatory training and the ongoing learning opportunities.

I became a Training Champion to instil relevant up-to-date practice in our homes and ensure the correct support, skillset and training is in place for our colleagues. In turn, this ensures that our residents are well cared for. I enjoy being able to spend time with colleagues to support them to feel confident in their role. I’ve done training myself and am able to train my peers, so that our homes stays compliant with training targets.

Jack Kirkman, Clinical Nurse Manager at Copperfields care home in Leeds

What do we look for in our Training Champions?

Our Training Champions are:

• excellent communicators, who can listen and understand the needs of colleagues to help to create a learning culture
• passionate about training and enjoy promoting both internal and external development opportunities

• encouraging and innovative, passionate about finding new ways to drive performance
• capable of making learning experiences fun
• role models for celebrating success and offering praise and encouragement to colleagues when they achieve their targets.

What are the benefits for our Training Champions?

Being a Training Champion is a great development opportunity for colleagues.

Our champion development and ongoing training gives them the chance to learn new skills such as digital, communication and mentoring skills.

They network with other champions to share best practice and learn new techniques to motivate their colleagues.

Doing the Training Champion role is also very rewarding. Champions get recognition from their Home Manager, care colleagues and support functions, which is very motivating.

Knowing that they’re an integral part of their home achieving 100% compliance provides great job satisfaction.

Champions also get a £25 voucher when their home meets their targets, which is an extra added benefit!