Aviva PLC - RBS Joint Venture -L & D Delivery                    

Website: http://www.norwich-union.co.uk

Contact:  Ms Nicola Heffner-Learning & Development

               Manager

   Aviva is one of the world's largest providers of life and general insurance, marketing its products in 27 countries to around 45 million customers. Here in the UK, Aviva
(formerly known as Norwich Union) is the country's number 1 insurer, employing 28,000 staff nationwide and delivering life and general insurance products via a number of partnerships, as well as directly to personal and business customers.
    Like every financial institution, Aviva is operating in an intensely competitive environment and facing tightening regulation in the wake of the global financial crisis. The need to reduce costs, improve efficiency, stand out in a difficult market and increase customer loyalty means that the quality of advice delivered by staff is paramount.
   Aviva's biggest joint venture in the UK is with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), through which the insurer delivers life, pension and investment advisory services to RBS and Nat West customers. Historically training delivery has focused on the 250-300 new entrants to the sales force every year but, driven by business priorities and a major competency review, the emphasis has recently shifted towards developing the skills and productivity of the existing sales team.
    Nicola Heffner is one of three Learning a Development (L&D) Delivery Managers responsible for co-ordinating training for the joint venture sales force through a 23-strong team of Delivery Consultants. 
  "Current uncertainties caused by market conditions and the change in focus for training delivery mean that we need to adapt very quickly to changing demands and a learning journey for our delegates that is far less prescriptive," she says. "We also need to deliver to our partner at the top of our game every time, adding value to everything we do, while always being cost conscious."
    Aviva already has robust people development measures in place to underpin  improved productivity and service quality: a new initiative called Talking Talent merges performance development with the aspirational needs of each employee, while the Trainer Excellence Programme motivates the L&D team collectively and consistently to deliver of their best.
    The extent to which the team achieves this aim is captured and reflected in customer satisfaction ratings which already stand at over 90%. The team has set itself challenging targets for 2009: an overall improvement in salesforce productivity of 10% and improved performance in 75% of participants through training interventions. Efficiency of delivery methods, both in raw cost and lost man days, is a key priority and this is reflected in a strong emphasis on blended learning.
     All of these factors have placed an increased focus on consistency of training approach and the need for quality benchmarking through an externally recognised qualification route, which is what attracted Nicola and her fellow managers to The Training Foundation's TAP Learning System
     "In this fast moving environment where speedy delivery to training needs is essential, we wanted skills-based development for our Delivery Consultants, rather than theory," explains Nicola. "The Training Foundation impressed us with its passion for trainer excellence and, specifically, the skills focus, structure, validation and questioning techniques that promised both the consistency we desired and the increased capability to meet our targets."
   With a close eye on cost, the option to buy a 'season ticket' and run programmes in-house at times to fit in with the team's commitments also appealed, as did the modular nature of the suite of programmes, allowing development to be tailored to individual needs. 
      Six trainers piloted the Training Delivery Skills programme at the end of 2007, with the remainder of the team completing their Certificate in early 2009.
    Delivery Consultant Rocky Riccalton is a highly experienced trainer, having been part of the team for over ten years. Despite his experience, however, he was not convinced that his personal style of delivery was delivering the best results for course participants.
  "TAP has transformed me from a presenter dumping information onto participants to a true learning facilitator," he says. "It's given me a real, proven structure and the skills to help learners to come up with the answers for themselves. It's also helping me with quite a tough design programme, in that TAP has made me think ahead about the structure and learning outcomes for this new programme."
     Although it is still early days for some members of the L&D team to feel the full impact of TAP, Nicola can point to the impact of achieving TAP Silver Partner status - an accolade awarded to organisations where all training is delivered by TAP qualified trainers.
   "It provoked an immediate reaction from our joint venture partner," she says. "They recognized it as a tangible symbol of our commitment to delivering the best possible quality of L&D to the salesforce. They know they can trust us and the external benchmark provided through TAP underpins this. It's also great to feel that we're part of the wider TAP 'family' of Partners, which will expose us to best practice across other businesses and sectors."
    The L&D team raised the expectations of their joint venture partner and while Nicola believes they have already gone beyond their delivery promise, the bar is set to be raised further still. Several members of the team are now working towards the TAP Diploma, as well as design and facilitation skills qualifications. The new Trainer of Choice programme, which develops the interpersonal skills that are vital to stimulating learner motivation, is also being piloted.
   "TAP is a thoroughly modern, realistic approach to skills development in today's L&D world," concludes Nicola. "It's given us an external benchmark qualification that the entire team could attain and rally behind and which positions us as top class deliverers."