Bauhaus employees stay bang up to date

Citation

(2012), "Bauhaus employees stay bang up to date", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 44 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2012.03744caa.006

Bauhaus employees stay bang up to date

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 44, Issue 3

Home-improvements retailer Bauhaus has selected Edvantage Group’s Learning Gateway learning-management system and CourseBuilder content-development platform to improve employee-training programs.

With 220 locations in Europe and around 120,000 products in each store, Bauhaus needs knowledgeable, customer-focused staff. Department managers, sales people and service representatives need to stay up to date on products, keep up with changes in building and safety codes and help buyers to make the right choices from project start to finish.

Learning Gateway will help Bauhaus to provide on-demand product knowledge that is relevant to people in every department. The company will also be able to track training costs, evaluate personal development and certify staff.

Rather than infrequent and long in-person training sessions, employees will be able to gain access to elements of learning whenever they need, with greater convenience and at a lower cost.

Bauhaus will produce its own e-learning courses in CourseBuilder and work with more than 4,000 suppliers and manufacturers, bringing e-learning into the delivery model to facilitate knowledge transfer.

The HR manager of Bauhaus Denmark, Gitte Astrup Melgaard, said: “It is essential that customers can count on our knowledgeable professionals to make their projects a success. With such a rapid rate of change in our stores, employees have to keep up, and they are proud of their ability to do this. E-learning is cost-effective, and we are embracing the opportunities available in our online and mobile world. Employees can learn in their own time, at their own rate and they can give feedback, helping everyone to learn more.”

John Tørring, managing director of the Edvantage Group Denmark, said: “Bauhaus has a clear vision for the future of customer service on the store floor. E-learning, not just courses, but immediate access to all types of manufacturer information delivered through a variety forms and devices, is central to achieving this.”

Bauhaus has 220 stores across 15 countries in Europe. The company, started more than 50 years ago, offers a range of services for do-it-yourself and professional builders and contractors covering everything for house and garden.