Hello, my name is Chief Inspector, Alan Green from West Midlands Police.
I am the head of operational learning.
West Midlands Police is the second largest force in the UK
with approximately 11,300 employees
and about 7,000 police officers.
We're embarking on this change program and procuring Blackboard
because learning and development departments nationally
are changing and need to change.
We need a more flexible approach
and we need to reduce the reliance on classroom based training.
The modern learner doesn't always want to sit in a classroom
for eight hours and learn at the same pace as everyone else.
some prefer to learn from home which is more flexible
and they can often do it in less time
There are also a multitude of reasons why our
colleagues can't always attend training
some of those are through sickness, some are due to
operational policing, some are welfare
some of those are ill health reasons.
What we don't have at the moment is a solution
to offer that learning for colleagues who miss it
or want to work more flexibly from home
or in another location.
We need learning to be at the point of need
anytime, anywhere.
What we currently have at West Midlands Police
isn't effective and we don't have an effective IT solution.
We are now confident that Blackboard will change this
for the long term.
Currently, we don't have an effective
learning management platform.
We are confident now that with Blackboard,
we will have that flexible, engaging solution for all of our colleagues.
Adopting a strategy of learning anytime, anywhere
we needed a learning management platform
that not only offered effective and engaging virtual classroom learning,
it also needed full content management capabilities.
With that in mind, it excluded many of the current learning products
in the market
and only a handful of companies were able to offer the learning solution we required.
Following extensive market research, it became apparent that
Blackboard were only one of a small number of companies
that had the expertise, experience and
top quality learning offer we needed.
Their experience in this area was extensive
and following numerous demonstrations of the system
we knew this was the solution for us.
They also offered the package at a very competitive price
and were able to train all of our staff
to use the system and how to operate effectively
in the virtual learning space.
No other company could match that offer.
In short, their product is best in class,
offers best value for money
and comes with ongoing support and training for our teams.
Working with the team from Blackboard,
was nothing less than seamless and a real pleasure for me.
From my very first encounter with them
until the last, they were truly professional, polite and responsive.
They always responded to enquiries quickly and effectively
Nothing was too much trouble for them.
Their whole demeanour was engaging, friendly and supportive.
I've thoroughly enjoyed working with every member of the Blackboard team.
They continue to provide ongoing support
not just for me, but for everyone in our department.
Genuinely, I can't fault anyone from the Blackboard team
and I want to thank them all for getting us to this point.
It's been a pleasure and i can't recommended them highly enough.
The implementation went really well.
Blackboard provided a full project management structure
to ensure it went smoothly and effectively.
They appointed a project manager to work with our PM
to ensure we hit the time scales we set.
Our trainers completed a comprehensive and detailed learning
program, delivered by Blackboard.
That ensured they had the appropriate skills
and knowledge to deliver effective and engaging virtual learning.
Without this, I don't believe the implementation would
have been as successful.
They delievered what they said they were going to.
and the whole implementation plan came in, as agreed.
Their experience in this space clearly showed
during the implementation phase and justifies the
reason why we chose Blackboard in the first place.
Looking ahead, Blackboard is going to fundamentally change
the way we deliver learning in West Midlands Police.
It's going to offer more flexible solution that puts the learner in the driving seat.
It will provide colleagues with a best in class learning platform
that they'll be able to access from home or work and from any device.
It will increase the number of people we can train each year
and also offer them a much better quality product.
For colleagues with additional learning needs, who previously were forced to sit in a classroom,
Blackboard offers them a range of alternative tools
to ensure that all colleagues can access the learning whenever they want,
and in a way that suits their individual needs.
It's a truly inclusive learning experience
because it offers everyone, regardless of their personal circumstances
the ability to access high quality learning.
It's simply a game changer for inclusive learning.