New learning portal
After two years of preparations, the work to implement a new learning portal for the Academy for International Relations started in 2023. The new learning portal not only makes it easier for our colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government employees in international roles to find and book learning activities, it also brings us a step closer to achieving our goals and ambitions for learning and development at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
‘In order to support ministry colleagues and government employees in international roles in every phase of their career when it comes to developing the knowledge and skills they need to perform their work to the best of their abilities, we wanted our learning portal not only to make learning activities more accessible, but also to enable us to focus more effectively on learning and development,’ explains Mark Jacobs, senior learning advisor & ICT at the Academy.
Work in a data-driven way
‘At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we want to work in a more data-driven way,’ adds Frederik Birnie, senior learning advisor & ICT. ‘The Academy can use data to make better recommendations to colleagues so that they can really take control their own development. Data also gives the Academy insight into their learning behaviour, in other words, which learning activities they use extensively or rarely, as well as their personal wishes. This will enable the academy to create a greater focus in the curriculum and when developing new learning activities. Sharing data and reports with colleagues enables us to adopt a more cross-team approach with the information advisors at the Human Resources Department (HDPO) and to support managers in the supervision of their staff.’
Frederik adds, ‘In order to make it easier for our colleagues to continue learning and developing, we wanted to make our curriculum more accessible. In our learning portal, we searched for a solution that would make it easier for managers and staff to navigate through the Academy’s entire curriculum, to display specific learning activities per job, and to make recommendations.’
The project team was made up of Academy colleagues Sandra Kroes, Frederik Birnie, Rik Reuvekamp, and Wendel de Boer, backed up by project manager Ronald de Kruijf from the Information and Digital Innovation Department (IDI) and Richard van Vliet, information advisor of the Human Resources Department (HDPO), and they set to work on fulfilling the wishes people had expressed.
As Mark explains, ‘Together we looked at how we could make optimal use of the existing ICT infrastructure at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where there was room to purchase our own software, and what the Academy needed on top of this. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is, for example, essential that other departments also manage their own learning activities independently in the learning management system. There is also a desire for an online classroom, so that we can soon start providing online training courses globally within our own secure learning environment.’
Starting the work
Once the tendering process came to an end, the project team was introduced to implementation partners IJK and WorldofWork. At the beginning of March 2023, they started working on the design of the new Cornerstone learning portal. In the subsequent months, they focussed considerable time and energy on this design work and on training Academy staff. There were many ups and downs. The new system not only had to fulfil the security requirements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but also all the technical and functional wishes, for example in terms of multiple languages, being able to send emails to specific target groups, and making it possible for Ministry staff to log in directly on their tablets (Single Sign On).
As Mark explains, ‘We included all the Academy team members in the entire migration process. We gained their support for the change by enabling them to see and find out what we were doing. That is how you create space and understanding. Every Friday, myself and my colleagues, Anjalie Ramkisor, Rianne Zulfiqar-Wezendonk, and Irene Kessels, transferred the texts and learning activities to the new learning portal. That is good for team spirit, and that is what you need because things never go exactly as you hope they will go.’
‘The learning portal went live on 15 January 2024. We were able to deduce from the data that many of our colleagues have already had a look at the learning portal and have registered for a learning activity. Many colleagues have let us know that they are happy with the Single Sign On,’ explains Frederik.
Bert de Wilde, chair of the Works Council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, agrees. ‘Learning and development are extremely important. If you look at the Staff Satisfaction Survey (MTO), you can see that learning and development are often subject to time constraints. In my opinion, the new learning portal is more user friendly, mainly because of the Single Sign On which makes it easier to access it and have a look round. The new learning portal also has a clearer structure, mainly because of the personal homepage. There, you can see at a glance which learning pathway you can follow for your own job, and which Ministry of Foreign Affairs activities are essential in your case. The system is handy and intuitive, and you can quickly find out how all the buttons work. The new learning portal has removed any obstacles for our colleagues when it comes to talking about learning and development with their managers and getting more control over their own personal development.’
Further development
‘The real work actually starts now,’ Mark continues. ‘In 2024, we will continue developing the new learning portal. We are going to make sure that departments also get access to the system, so that they can input and manage their own learning activities. We also want to give managers more guidance when it comes to supervising the learning and development of their staff. Eventually, we are also going to use the learning portal in the Academy’s operations by automatically sending reminder emails, evaluations, and follow-ups automatically via the system. The learning portal will become the ultimate platform for learning and development, where everything comes together.’