One of the most essential parts of working at ADAPT Community Network is receiving and keeping current on the training to work with the people we support. Currently, Workforce Development is utilizing a new platform called the Learning Management System (LMS) to help train both old and new employees.
The LMS “automates the delivery and development of training programs including tests, e-learning modules, surveys, and course evaluations,” explains Kate Cleary, Learning Management System Administrator, who reports to Bobbi Jo Yeager, Senior Vice President of Workforce Development. Kate works with subject matter experts within ADAPT to create e-learning modules and build upon current ongoing training. She also oversees the operations of the LMS, uploading content, enrolling staff into courses, and helping answer questions.
Currently all Pre-Service Orientation training, mandatory annual training, Training Collaborative courses, Vehicle Safety training, and a host of resources and “how-to” videos and recorded webinars are already on the LMS. An advantage of the move to the LMS is that it makes training consistent and easier to manage for both employees and staff. It helps supervisors, trainers and employees track training—even calculating when it’s time to for staff to retake annual trainings. Valuable resources, including training certificates and other materials that aid in daily job functions, are now accessible 24/7. “The ability to receive training through the LMS minimizes the amount of time that employees have to spend away from persons supported,” says Kate. “It also allows supervisors to have informed discussions with staff about the content learned and build upon topics in the online training.”
Kate and Learning Coordinator Brandy Green have already completed the rollout of the LMS to all Day Habilitation and Education programs, and to 11 Residential programs, with continued rollout throughout ADAPT underway. “The LMS has been great, both for the staff and program administrators,” says Kelly Spina, Day Hab Director for Brooklyn Day Hab 1 and 3. She especially likes that staff “can take the trainings at their pace and also have the option to go back [and] review past content.”
Other plans for the LMS include more updates to existing trainings, new trainings, and more episodes of “On Location”–an LMS series which familiarizes new staff with various ADAPT locations and programs. The live webinar-format features a panel of staff who field questions and introduce a video recorded at their program site. The next “On Location” will highlight the housing supports provided through ADAPT’s Family Support Services, to be followed by another that features TRAID and SHARE. Stay tuned for dates, which will be posted on monitors throughout ADAPT.
