Pizza Express' Training 'E-'ffectiveness Comes By Way of Virtual Tool

Pizza Express partners with ThirdForce, a UK-based technology enabled learning provider, to implement an innovative eLearning, training and development program. The two-phase implementation follows the completion of a successful pilot scheme across 35 of its sites and the organization, part of the Gondola Group, will complete the roll-out in 2011.

In the first two months of the pilot program, 83 courses were completed, generating savings estimated at GBP 5,000 when compared with face-to-face training. Regulatory compliance e-learning courses in Foundation Food Safety, Foundation Health and Safety, DDA and content developed in-house lead the program, with learning assigned, monitored and reported through ThirdForce's learning management system, AIMS. The potential for cost reductions across the wider business are self evident and high value is placed on the successful employee development opportunities that the program offers for more than 9,500 staff members.

"We want to attract really good people to our business. Those people coming in should feel that the standard of training and development that they receive is second to none and that they couldn't get anything else like it in any other casual dining business," says Mark Angela, CEO of Pizza Express.

The organization is delivering the training via ThirdForce's el-box, a tablet PC similar in size to a standard laptop, with a touch sensitive, flip-top screen and a robust design that is preloaded with the necessary catalogue of courses.

"Instead of touching a few people and making them travel quite large distances we can touch 9,500 people with the quality of training and development I think they deserve," says Pizza Express HR director Julie MacDonald.