Holland & Barrett’s Apprenticeship Success with Onefile

Holland & Barrett is one of the leading health and wellness retailers in Europe, supplying its customers with a wide range of vitamins, minerals, health supplements, specialist foods and natural beauty products. During the pandemic, the company started it’s Level 3 apprenticeship programme for retail team leaders who were aspiring to become store managers.

The Learning & Development Apprenticeship (L&D) team were looking to setup a digital system so the programme could be run effectively and remotely. The team had looked into various Eportfolio systems and were recommended Onefile by several people.

Once the programme began, the team performed a mock inspection in order to ensure they were delivering to the highest standard.

The Challenge

Starting an apprenticeship programme during the pandemic meant that Holland & Barrett required a system that could store everything in one place seamlessly while allowing them to track learner progress and deliver a high-quality learning experience remotely. In their case, the apprenticeship standard was standalone, and no qualifications were associated to assess against. However, the team still wanted to do this to ensure quality of delivery and to show progress of learners up to the end point. The mock inspection would be performed to ensure the quality of delivery was up to scratch and find areas that required improvement.

The Solution

Onefile made everything much easier for the L&D team. The Learning Journal boosted engagement as learners would enthusiastically dive into the journal by uploading details using images, files and other evidence on how they had applied their skills.

The Scorecard feature allowed trainers and centre managers to have a clear view of learners’ progress by providing exposure and understanding of their activities on a day-to-day basis. This saved a lot of time as trainers could speak to learners more regularly: without a digital system they would have had to visit them in person to collect the required evidence.

Additionally, Onefile has many reporting options available and the ability to make learning plans on a monthly basis. This allowed the team to make a well structured and organised learning plan that impressed the mock inspector.

The Impact

The team at Holland & Barrett have since launched the Level 5 programme for the training of high performing store managers looking to further develop their careers with the company. They are currently looking into expanding their programme from retail to other areas of the business, from head office to distribution centres. They are also looking to launch a Level 2 retail apprenticeship aimed at identifying new, entry-level talent.

Useful Onefile Features:

• Learning Journal: easy to track progress and upload evidence remotely
• Scorecard: unique way for learners to see their own progress
• One-click integration with other MIS systems
• Use criteria to gather data when choosing Apprentice of the Month
• Creating forms & templates: so much easier having them ready

Looking to scale impactful learning across your retail teams and beyond? 

Find out how Onefile can support your model. Discover how Onefile supports structured, engaging, and inspection-ready apprenticeship programmes.

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