UITP academy delivers breakthrough mobile learning module

Thanks to the new training module developed by UITP, RATP Dev employees can now experience the ‘Public Transport Fundamentals’ training programme at any time and in any location. And this multilingual training course is just the beginning for UITP’s future development in mobile learning.

The concept of an on-demand, mobile training programme dramatically expands UITP’s ability to deliver training courses and materials to the public transport sector. New and future users of UITP’s learning tools will have the opportunity to receive valuable training content in an increasingly personalised way.

UITP delivered one of the most comprehensive training modules based on its flagship training programme ‘Public Transport Fundamentals’ for RATP Dev’s existing mobile learning application.

Conveniently named ‘Introduction to Public Transport’, the training module was launched by the global Paris-based operator of urban and intercity transportation systems at the end of April. It gives thousands of employees, from all levels of the organisation in 14 countries access to 9 capsules of learning. By going through the modules, users gain important knowledge that would have been logistically challenging to execute in any other way.

RATP Dev is committed to the continuous development of its employees. Approximately 2 years ago the company launched a mobile learning application to provide its staff with additional resources to improve their knowledge.

A wide range of training modules have been designed based on micro-learning principles on all relevant training topics. And it is quite simply that RATP Dev asked UITP to create a comprehensive training content about public transport.

The initial target audience of this new learning module is the organisation’s newcomers as part of their onboarding, particularly those joining from a different industry who need to build an understanding of the public transport sector. Also important are those experienced employees who need to reinforce their understanding of specific topics within the sector like new mobility.

Traditional training models till recent years provided adequate solutions for learning and skills development. The time and money invested equated to a real value. Technology however provides alternatives to the ever-increasing busy and complex lives of managers.

First, we saw the shift from in-person training to online channels, which was accelerated drastically by the COVID-19 pandemic. Then we added pre-recorded courses to augment ‘live’ training sessions on an ‘as needed’ basis. The real change has come as these pre-packaged digital courses evolved to allow interaction and engagement with learners.

A deeper engagement has evolved to where we are today in two forms:

• Interactivity and gamification: The use of activities (quizzes, leader boards, and rewards), and the images and sounds that amplify all this activity.
• As our small devices become more powerful and versatile, they can deliver communications that are so intelligent that fully customisable solutions can be delivered anytime or anywhere.

The recent global health crisis caused by the Covid pandemic all but sealed the deal, establishing a new normal in the way we choose how to experience many things including continuous learning.

In 2021 RATP Dev came to UITP with the need to create online training programmes that introduces public transport essentials to a large audience efficiently and reliably.

In the past, RATP Dev staff had participated in UITP training programmes, and had benefitted greatly from these trainings. Within the organisation, they gained a reputation as the optimal training tool in the public transport sector. Given the company’s commitment to training its staff, it became apparent that there could be more efficient ways to deliver the training on a larger scale.

Bringing the learnings to life in an interactive on-demand platform means it can be delivered at scale to hundreds of busy staff who would benefit from it.

UITP benefitted from being able to take its content and load it directly into RATP Dev’s existing and innovative digital mobile learning application.

As agreed, there was a focus on engagement with a lot of interactive, visually stimulating content, and a move away from heavy text-based education. The text would be developed in both English and French versions. The content needed to be repurposed into a micro-format for easy consumption, and the language had to be streamlined and technical terms simplified.

Initiatives like this help the entire public transport sector evolve as it continues to make cities more liveable and sustainable. The UITP Academy continues to innovate its training programmes to support this evolution.

Currently in development is a complete Learning Management System (LMS) that will revolutionise the way we learn. More options and various platforms will give users the opportunity to train and learn on their own terms.