Kopta are a leading training and assessment consultancy, specialising in training and development for the railway industry. Accredited by City & Guilds as a provider of training at NVQ Levels 2, 3 and 4, their team of trainers and assessors has wide experience in human resources and NVQ provision. The majority of their awards are for NVQs in Rail Passenger Operations, covering such diverse careers as: Train Drivers, Despatchers, Gateline staff - and everything else required to successfully deliver rail services.
We know Learning Assistant is the best, but don't just take our word for it... here's
what our customers - and their learners - have to say about us.
KOPTA
About KOPTA
"I was looking for something that was simple to understand and easy to use, with a user interface that would work for both my Assessors and Learners. Out of all the e-portfolios I looked at, Learning Assistant was the only one that had that quality."
Their training is underpinned by an in-depth knowledge of the railway sector, gained through many years' experience of working with the industry. This is reflected in their impressive client list which includes: Virgin Trains, First Capital Connect, Heathrow Express, Balfour Beatty Rail and GB Railfreight to name but a few.
The following Interview was conducted with Gabriel Stroud, Training and Development Consultant.
What made you decide to look for an e-portfolio?
We had been looking at e-portfolios for some time and always found them to be wanting - by that I mean they weren't really what we were looking for as a business. In fact, they often seemed to be more work than a paper-based portfolio. I was looking for something that was simple to understand and easy to use, with a user interface that would work for both my Assessors and Learners. Out of all the e-portfolios I looked at, Learning Assistant was the only one that had that quality.
Why choose Learning Assistant?
Again it's really all about the ease of use, coupled with the excellent support we receive from them. But the main benefit is that we don't have to train our candidates on how to use Learning Assistant, they can watch a few quick videos and they've got it. We currently have 450 learners, so there's no way we could have trained or learners to use a complicated system on top of what they already have to learn for their qualification. They can all easily use Learning Assistant and that's why we chose it.
Has Learning Assistant changed the way you deliver qualifications?
It's starting to change the way we do things. Before Learning Assistant, I would describe our qualifications as being more Assessor-led, where candidates were working to keep up with the Assessor's expectations. But now Learning Assistant allows the candidate to take control of their NVQ - often racing ahead with their coursework and leaving our Assessors to play catch-up.
What do your Learners think of the system?
Our candidates are completing their qualifications in about half the time - but with double the quality. It's not about rushing an NVQ because that can't be done as it all depends on the candidate. But Learning Assistant is allowing the candidate to work on their NVQ at home - because they have it all in front of them. And what we've found is that because they understand it and have constant access to it, they get more excited about the course and do more and more work. That's why they're doing it quicker; they’re simply doing more work - at a higher quality - because it's easier to produce.
What do your Assessors think of the system?
Initially our Assessors took a bit of persuading - especially the older ones – but once I showed them how the system could be customised to suit their way of working (especially the Task features) they got right behind it. Now they are all in it together and if I were to take it away from them I think I'd have a mutiny on my hands!
Has Learning Assistant had a positive effect on you profits?
I was reviewing our accounts the other day - as I do every month - and I noticed that our business travel costs have halved - and I mean actually halved. At first I was concerned we weren't doing as much work (because of the recession) but it's simply because our Assessors are not travelling as much as they were. This is down to Learning Assistant allowing my Assessors to be more efficient; gone are the days when an Assessor will travel a long way only to discover the candidate hasn't done any work - now they check all candidate progress before they set-off.
Don’t get me wrong; we still visit our candidates - it's still all about face-to-face training - but Learning Assistant has allowed us to be much smarter in what we do. And that's something I can measure.
Would you recommend Learning Assistant to other Providers?
I would definitely recommend Learning Assistant, in fact, I've already recommended Learning Assistant to four other centres and they've all bought it. And they'll recommend it to other people because they're very happy with it too. It's brilliant.
Gabriel Stroud, Training & Development Consultant, KOPTA