London, UK, September 2006 - OutStart, provider of software solutions for learning and knowledge sharing, today announces that Johnson Apparelmaster is using OutStart Trainer to roll-out induction training modules for all new employees, stretching from Perth in Scotland to Exeter in Devon.
Part of the Johnson Service Group, one of the UK’s leading support services businesses with more than 1,800 employees across the UK, Johnson Apparelmaster specialises in textile services for workwear, workplace and hygiene services. Johnson Apparelmaster, recently recognised by the Investors in People (IiP) Standard for its commitment towards training, has created two interactive courses with OutStart Trainer to introduce new joiners to the company. In 2005 Johnson Apparelmaster employed over 400 new starters. With a small training team of three, the online courses now enable management to reach out to all new joiners across the organisation’s 15 operating sites - the minute they start.
The first course, Johnson Service Group Induction: takes the new starter through the background and current structure of the Johnson Services Group. It then focuses specifically on Johnson Apparelmaster including key personnel, product range, service provision to customers, training and personnel information to ensure that new employees are integrated into the organisation as quickly as possible.
The second course, Johnson Apparelmaster Basic Health & Safety: takes the individual through the basic health and safety knowledge required to keep them safe in the workplace. It covers duty of care, manual handling, care of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) and basic food hygiene for the food garment processing plants. This ensures that new joiners are provided with vital information in the first 24 hours, it saves local managers time and allows greater control and consistency of information across the organisation.
Both modules have an interactive "quiz", which re-enforces the learning and enables managers to monitor the uptake of knowledge by the user. It is done within the first 48hrs of employment and the system allows Johnson Apparelmaster to check that all employees have completed the course.
David Kinson, Training Manager at Johnsons Apparelmaster says: “We chose OutStart Trainer because of its ease of use and speed of implementation. It enables us to provide employees with the knowledge they need from the word go and its easy to use drag-and-drop authoring tool allows us to create rich course content without any prior programming. Courses are delivered at PC terminals and are made available throughout the business via open access. This allows individuals to access information in their own time and at their own pace on any PC in the building. OutStart Trainer also delivers extensive assessment and remediation capabilities that help us identify knowledge gaps and help individuals or groups improve time efficiencies across the board. It’s an easy to use, straightforward piece of software that meets our needs perfectly.”
Peter Nicol, OutStart VP for EMEA says: “Recognising the importance of ramping up user understanding quickly and effectively, Johnson Services Group has developed an eLearning course that is engaging and easy to use. It also provides a monitoring database which enables line mangers to better evaluate the effectiveness of the training. Managers can track who’s been on the system and for how long, test knowledge with built in multi-choice questions, track answers and print evaluation reports. Because training effectiveness can be assessed quickly, it’s a great way for Johnson Apparelmaster to integrate employees into the business quickly and efficiently – it’s good for the business and good for the employees ”.
About OutStart
OutStart eKnowledge software powers formal and on-demand learning, knowledge sharing and community/expert collaboration solutions that enable knowledge workers - employees, partners, and customers - to perform their roles far more efficiently and effectively. Customers like the U.S. Navy, AgustaWestland, ADO, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps Additional Government and Defence customers here – update from KR expected) Empire BlueCross BlueShield, Tweeter, ING, Sara Lee, Steelcase, Verizon, and Unilever rely on OutStart to increase individual and organisational performance, improve knowledge transfer and lower operating costs. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., OutStart has offices throughout the US and Europe and can be found on the Web at www.OutStart.com.
About on Johnson Apparelmaster, a service arm of Johnson Services
Johnsons Apparelmaster is part of the Johnson Service Group plc, which provides essential support services to businesses and consumers through a national network of workplace and retail support operations. Johnsons Apparelmaster is the UK's largest workwear rental provider; we have over 40,000 customers ranging from FTSE 100 companies to small local businesses. We collect , launder & deliver garments to over 1 million people each week from a fleet of 250 vehicles which are on the road every day. From a UK wide network of 15 service centres we have a combined sales and customer service team of 160 people. www.johnsonplc.com
About Johnson Services Group
The Johnson Service Group is a long-established company with a modern approach to partnership, innovation and service. We have built market-leading positions across a unique range of support services. Our customers range from FTSE-100 companies to small businesses and individual consumers.
In the past twelve months we have strengthened our traditional base in textile-related services, including workwear and linen rental services, garment sourcing and dry cleaning,. In addition, we have also continued to expand our hospitality services business and develop our facilities management offering. www.johnsonplc.com
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