How the Scottish Prison Service Built a Future-Proof Training Hub with Totara Learn

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an agency of the Scottish Government Justice Department and operates 13 custodial establishments across Scotland.

The Challenge

SPS had an existing Totara system and were looking for a new partner to help them upgrade and enhance their site. Cortexa responded to a request for proposal in August 2021 and following a competitive tender process were subsequently awarded a 3 year contract to migrate and update the Totara platform and offer solutions to some of the challenges SPS faced as a result of being on an outdated version.

The Solution

Scottish Prison Service’s ‘mylo’ online learning platform is a one stop shop for all training and development that operates in support of the SPS college.

Primary requirements were the need to uplift their existing system from their internal server, update the LMS version and deliver a fresh new site. It became clear early in the project that the system had not been updated for a number of years and daily use and workarounds was slowing the system down. Equally important was a future proofed solution that would easily upgrade as new Totara versions are released.

Following an extensive consulting exercise during which Cortexa unpicked the requirements of the various user groups, a latest version Totara LMS (version 15) was launched with a fresh new look and feel. Workarounds were replaced with new organisation and role hierarchies and a detailed phased administrator training plan helped the SPS team to master the intricacies of system administration including a new custom room booking option and detailed reports.

• Size/Number of Learners: 5,000
• Product: Totara Learn v15
• Challenges: Compliance Reporting, talent planning, room booking, learner engagement 

The Results

• 13,504 Course Completions
• 14,220 Certification Completions
• 134 User Audiences

“The SPS is a diverse organisation that requires our platform to be able to adapt to the needs our staff. Cortexa provided Totara Learn as the solution that allowed staff to migrate easily form our previous supplier. The implementation plan provided by Cortexa ensured a smooth transfer of information from our previous platform, this ensured a smooth launch. During the development phase Cortexa provided a range of solutions that has simplified our processes and reporting. Since implementation Cortexa has provided speedy responses to any queries with regular contact and a personal approach that is refreshing.” – David Chlad, Digital Learning Manager