BNPP IRB L&D: a new mobile learning offer for international use

BNP Paribas is the largest bank in the Eurozone and has an international presence in 74 countries. The International Retail Banking (IRB) division alone employs 42,000 staff in branches and Business Centers worldwide. Training them is the mission of the L&D team based at the company’s head office in Rueil-Malmaison. With help from the Teach on Mars platform, learning has been given a new lease of life in the IRB division by adapting programs to the expectations and new mobile lifestyle habits of learners.

Simplicity and speed

Flexibility and independent content creation were the key requirements of the L&D team, and precisely what attracted them to the Teach on Mars solution. Christian de Broissia, Training Project Manager, explains: “We wanted to be able to adapt to our learners, and offer them the training content they need right when they need it, and that’s exactly what Teach on Mars has allowed us to do.”

As well as satisfying end users, the bank also needs to ensure that in-house training requirements are met: “In today’s world, our in-house customers are looking for short, time-efficient training courses. We need to be ready to act fast so we can create interactive, fun and engaging modules quickly.”

The ATAWAD model, an invaluable asset for large-scale training

The L&D team also uses an in-house video studio to create interactive training capsules. The ATAWAD (Any Time, AnyWhere, Any Device) format is perfect for learners on the move who don’t always have a good Internet connection. Yong Liu, who joined the Mobile Learning team a few months ago to help create and deploy content, is particularly aware of this advantage: “Users simply download the training program and can then follow it wherever they want, when they want, and on the terminal of their choosing. They don’t even need to be on-line. It’s very helpful in Africa, where mobile usage is even more widespread than in Europe.”

Mobile-device technology is well established as an effective way to reach the youngest populations in countries where mobile use is particularly prevalent. The pilot scheme was therefore initially launched for managers in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

First mission: train project lead managers in lean management

Before any mobile content could be created, Teach on Mars had to first undergo a series of security audits. After getting the green light from IT, the dedicated team at BNP Paribas created its first course consisting of 7 training sequences on lean management. The learning activities put heavy emphasis on interactivity, videos and gamification to keep learners engaged. Quizzes and battle activities are used in the learning program to consolidate knowledge acquisition.

“The initial feedback we’ve had has been from our sponsors. They really liked the punchy text which had to be adapted for mobile use and the attractiveness of the app.” As the solution was only launched in early January, it’s still too early to measure its impact and significance. This hasn’t stopped work on new mobile learning projects, however. “We’re the first entity at BNP Paribas to have launched a dedicated training app. After presenting it, we felt a real sense of enthusiasm from other departments who are keen to get started on their own Mobile Learning adventure.”

“Journey to the heart of relational excellence”, one of the new mobile learning initiatives about to be released for employees in the BNPP IRB division. 

Four best practices for successfully launching a Mobile Learning project

1. ANTICIPATE SECURITY ISSUES AND GET IT DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED
   “Security is of course a critical issue in a group such as BNP Paribas. Teach on Mars passed the security audits of our IT department, but it’s important to anticipate this audit phase well ahead of time.”
2. ENGAGE SENIOR MANAGEMENT
   “Engaging senior management in the undertaking is a key factor in determining whether this type of project will be successful. In our first lean management learning program, we added an introductory video from a senior executive explaining the importance of lean management to the bank. The video encouraged everyone to get involved.”
3. SET UP A DEDICATED TEAM
   “At the start of the project, you don’t necessarily realize how much work will be involved. It all looks very exciting and a lot of fun, but it’s also very hard work and if you want to produce content quickly, you need genuine commitment from the team.”
4. COMMUNICATE ON THE NEW LEARNING OFFERING
   “Employees need to be fully aware that we’re offering them a bona fide learning programme here. Mobile Learning isn’t a gimmick and it’s not a one-off event. It’s something new that requires effective communication.”

The BNPP IRB L&D team are already at work creating new training programmes to expand the catalogue of their mobile learning app. Upcoming publications will include an onboarding module for new employees and a training course on icebreakers.

Whatever the topics they focus on, these new programmes will always reflect the philosophy of “the bank for a changing world”!

Marielle Baudet

Marielle has been travelling in the Teach on Mars rocket ship for 6 years. After having contributed her skills in pedagogical engineering and training facilitation to guide clients towards success, she is now Product Owner, in charge of designing the new features of the solution.