For many companies, learning and development (L&D) starts with the basics: onboarding new employees and meeting compliance requirements. That’s exactly how things began at Badger Holdings.
Over time, their team realised that focusing only on compliance leaves a lot of untapped potential on the table. L&D presented the opportunity to drive employee growth and engagement. But they would need to shift training from being purely operational.
Today, Badger Holdings is actively working to transform their L&D programme into a cornerstone of the business—one that supports employees in growing their careers while driving company success. This transformation is still unfolding, requiring vision, the right tools, and ongoing dedication from the team.
In this blog, we’ll explore their journey in three parts: where they started, the changes they’ve made, and what’s next for their learning culture.
Adri, a longtime member of the L&D team at Badger Holdings, recalls how training began as a fully in-person process. Sessions were designed to teach employees about product knowledge and compliance, which were essential for working in the insurance industry.
Trainers like Adri spent hours repeating the same sessions (often multiple times a day) to accommodate large groups.The training team went to great lengths to make sessions dynamic and engaging. This hands-on approach fostered string connections and ensured personal interaction, but it also consumed a great deal of time and resources.
In time, the team adopted their first online learning system. This helped reduce some of the logistical issues and disruptions, allowing employees to access training directly from their workstations. However, the platform had challenges of its own.
The system wasn’t user-friendly and made it difficult to create engaging content. The system eventually became outdated, and their L&D team realised they needed more than just a basic solution.
Kyle, who joined the L&D team with a rich background across various roles in the company, saw the need for a new online learning solution as an opportunity to address an even bigger issue. Training was narrowly focused on compliance and immediate job needs. He believed there was a missed opportunity to develop employees holistically and tap into their full potential.
And so the vision for L&D at Badger Holdings expanded. The ambitious team wanted to create an L&D programme that would empower employees to build skills, advance in their careers, and feel truly supported in their growth.
Their goal was to build a learning culture where employees could engage with content that resonated with their personal and professional growth. To make their vision a reality and expand L&D beyond compliance training, the team needed a new approach.
As a first step, it was important for the team to understand what employees and managers needed from L&D. They began to actively seek feedback from managers about department-wide skill gaps. They also continually ask employees what skills they want to develop, ensuring their voices shape the training that gets created.
This dual approach allows the team to align training content with business goals while keeping it relevant to employees’ personal growth. By leveraging tools like PlutoLMS, Badger Holdings created a centralised platform where employees could easily access courses tailored to their needs.
Recognizing that some training is mandatory while other learning is self-driven, the team focused on blending push and pull learning. Push learning ensures compliance requirements are met, while pull learning provides employees with optional resources they can explore on their own time.
Kyle explained it simply: “Push training is about what employees must learn. Pull training is about what they want to learn.”
To make both approaches efficient, the team uses automation tools like MS Automate and MS Planner to streamline task management. MS Automate ensures that task management runs smoothly from start to finish.
For instance, when a new training request is submitted, MS Automate instantly assigns it to the right person on the team and adds it to the workflow. This eliminates the need for manual tracking and ensures no request falls through the cracks.
MS Planner then helps the team prioritise tasks, especially when managing multiple content requests. By organising requests into a clear, visual board, the team can see what needs immediate attention and allocate resources accordingly. These tools save time and reduce confusion, allowing the team to focus on creating impactful learning materials.
The team adopted PlutoLMS to make training accessible and engaging. Employees can easily access assigned trainings or self-enrol in courses via the platform. This reduces the burden on trainers and allows employees to learn where and when it suits them best.
Adri noted how AI tools like ChatGPT and ElevenLabs have transformed the way they create content. AI is helping them generate audio, animations, and text-to-video content in a fraction of the time. This makes it faster and easier to produce the content their employees request and helps them ensure continued access to a dynamic learning environment.
Another key win for the team is the way they are tapping into the wealth of expertise within their organisation. Informal trainings or sessions that take place within the different departments (covering topics such as successful sales strategies or communication tips) are turned into courses and made available on the LMS.
These peer-led resources provide enhanced access to practical and highly specific internal knowledge. The L&D team also sees this as an opportunity to encourage employees to share their experiences and foster a mentorship culture. They are finding that employees are more likely to engage with content created by someone they know and trust within the organisation.
As they reflect on their journey so far, Kyle and Adri are proud of how far L&D at Badger Holdings has come. They are allowing the lessons they’ve learned to shape their ambitions for the future and the team is already focused on what’s next. Their future plans centre on improving their programmes even further by leveraging AI, data, and gamification.
Analysing course participation data has become a key priority. By tracking which courses employees engage with most, the team can identify trends and improve content. They also plan to use data to personalise training recommendations for employees, making learning even more relevant.
To boost engagement, the team is exploring ways to gamify the learning experience and reward dedicated learners.They’re planning to use PlutoLMS to introduce leaderboards, real-life rewards, and other competitive elements to make learning more fun and rewarding for employees.
For Kyle, technology is the most exciting part of the future. He believes AI will continue to revolutionise L&D.
The team is also looking to build a stronger sense of community within the L&D space, both inside and outside their organisation. They hope to create forums where managers, employees, and L&D professionals can share what’s working and what’s not, ensuring they stay ahead of industry trends. If you would like to get involved, contact us at info@plutolms.com, we’ll connect you with the right people!
The journey at Badger Holdings is a shining example of the potential that L&D holds when organisations think beyond ticking boxes and onboarding new hires. Your training department plays a critical role in creating a culture where learning is part of everyday work and personal growth.
As you reflect on the progress you’ve made and look toward a stronger future, take these lessons from Badger Holdings to heart:
With the right mindset and tools, any organisation can build a thriving learning culture that benefits both employees and the business.
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