Midcounties Co-operative – Induction training
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The Midcounties Co-operative is part of the Co-operative Group and the second largest independent co-operative in the UK, with gross sales of £787 million. Its stores are in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Wiltshire and Worcestershire.
In August 2009, The Midcounties Co-operative undertook a review of their current induction programme and established the need to update their current training. As a result of the review, their requirement was the development of an online core skills programme for Customer Service Advisors (CSAs).
The Online Core Skills Programme is completed in the first 13 weeks of employment and consists of 10 Core Skills lessons with topics ranging from values and principles to training on store replenishment. A further 12 more skills assessments are available, each one attributed to a specific job role within a store. The Core Skills lessons include a number of interactions: online buddies to guide the user through the programme with voice over; video; drag and drop exercises; and animations. As well as completion of the online programme, CSAs also complete a workbook which includes tasks related to the store in which they work. This blended learning approach facilitates discussion and support with their Line Manager during their probationary period. At the end of the probationary period and after completion of all online materials and workbooks, the CSA's training programme is signed off. The training programme was advertised internally through the use of promotional videos which were developed in conjunction with the online materials.
