Case Study: GirlguidingUK

Learning platform procurement

 

Girlguiding UK is the largest girls’ empowerment community in the UK, relying on over 100,000 volunteers to serve their 400,000 young members who meet regularly as Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers. They are a member organisation of the World Association of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, the largest global movement dedicated to girls and young women, representing ten million girls around the world.

Girlguiding UK wanted to improve their volunteering experience, which was part of an ambitious strategy for 2020 including a digital L&D platform connecting volunteers to all the learning content they need for their role.

Key aims:

 

  • The aim was to provide a personal and tailored experience offering clear progression paths through qualifications as well as recognition of prior learning and experiences outside of volunteering. The impact of COVID and national lockdowns had also accelerated the need for deploying mandatory training digitally and enabling central administration.

  • The requirement was to procure a digital L&D platform to improve the learning experience of volunteers, provide recognition for their diverse skills and achievements and empower them to provide exceptional experiences for girls and young women.

The process

 

We worked with Girlguiding UK to review the pros and cons of several approaches for their innovative digital learning product, including a fully bespoke solution, SAAS off-the-shelf LMS/ LXP solutions and open source options.

Mapping the functional requirements to the user stories, we worked with key stakeholder groups to prioritise these identifying the top criteria for a suitable platform ensuring alignment with the overarching strategy.

We then carried out an extensive market evaluation exploring several categories of solution and managed an in depth screening process to narrow down the options exploring functionality match, pricing, and other key differentiating criteria such as cultural fit, human factors and use-case experience. The external audience of volunteers was a unique and important consideration in this selection as providing value and relevance through an engaging user experience and high quality content were critical to the overall digital learning strategy.

Throughout the process Learn Fox founder Laura Lee-Gibbs presented regularly to the project board to take them on the necessary journey to clarify and crystallise selection of the right solution. We worked closely with the project team managing the procurement process, developing the RFP documentation and score cards for RFP demos, and supporting the development of the business case.

“Laura joined our team as an independent consultant to review the learning technology market and see what kind of route would best meet our needs and requirements. She was absolutely brilliant and helped us navigate this very diverse field. She reviewed bespoke versus off-the-shelf / learning management systems versus learning experience platforms and hybrids of those. She also managed our procurement process and supported us with the development of our business case.”

Tessa Adelaar | Digital Lab Manager | Girlguiding UK

Outcomes

 

Following a formal procurement process, Girlguiding UK were able to start contract negotiations with their preferred supplier and embark on implementing their transformative digital L&D platform for volunteers.

“Laura helped us navigate the complex world of LMS/LXP/Open source and clarify our requirements of what we actually needed. She supported us throughout the whole procurement process, doing a lot of the leg work that was needed and was an independent voice which helped us get sign off for the project. Laura is incredibly easy to work with, instantly felt like part of the team and brings a huge wealth of industry knowledge and experience with her.”

Arnika Knight | Volunteer L&D Manager | Girlguiding UK

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