What almost a decade of Totara Learn has brought Cello

A good life for people with disabilities. That is what they work on every day at Cello. So that the approximately 2,500 clients can live, work, learn and relax as they prefer. This requires professional and humane care and support. To make this a success, there is an organisation ready with proud and vital employees. There are 2,700 of them (including about 400 trainees and apprentices), plus over 1,200 volunteers. Cello is incredibly proud of all these motivated and skilled people. At Cello, attention to their well-being, growth and development is incredibly important.

The Challenge

Cello started offering online learning trough a learning platform in 2010. The original platform was very cumbersome to use and required a large investment. Cello’s team recognised that a learning platform could make a good contribution.

Therefore they decided to look for another platform that better met their needs. Cello’s team went into the selection process with specific requirements: a platform that was accessible to manage, with extensive reporting capabilities and fitting within the budget.

After an extensive search, the team chose TotaraLearn via Courseware, as this platform met all the key criteria. Implementation began in October 2014, with the initial focus entering all courses into the platform.

However, Cello, its L&D team and Totara as a platform continued to evolve. After six years, the need arose to redesign and optimise the platform. In 2021, Cello and their Courseware consultant started a re-implementation, with the employee as the starting point.

The Solution

Brainstorming sessions were held with staff, volunteers and clients to find out what their expectations and needs were. From this, a vision was developed on how Totara Learn could work for the whole organisation.
This intensive process resulted in a revamped Totara LMS that felt like new to users. With a contemporary design and a personalised offer for all users in the form of care programmes. In addition, the toolboxes were introduced, which are grouped by theme and help staff with their work within the client groups.

For more than 10 years, Cello has cherished the desire to give volunteers access to the “Development Square” (Totara Learn) as well. During the re-implementation, this wish emerged again, supported by the volunteers themselves.

Volunteers are invaluable to Cello. Offering e-learning and activities such as lectures and recreational outings helps attract and retain volunteers.

The Result

In the first half of 2023, this wish became a reality: volunteers got their own dashboard in Totara with a customised offer of e-learning modules and activities. Despite the challenge that volunteers are not all equally digitally proficient, 25% are already using the Totara Learn. This also saves considerable work in administration, as volunteers can now register for activities themselves.

Bart and Caroline are immensely proud of what they and the team have achieved with the Development Square (Totara Learn) in almost 10 years. The dashboard and offerings for staff and volunteers, the toolboxes and building blocks, the pursuit of the best user experience and the simple login method with the Single Sing On, these are results of almost a decade of Totara at Cello. Moving to the SaaS variant of Totara Learn has brought many benefits, including the fact that Bart and Caroline now no longer have to spend time on upgrades.

Everyone within Cello knows the Development Square; on searches within Cello, the it is in second place (the ICT helpdesk is at 1).

Bart and Caroline are very satisfied with their collaboration with Courseware. Caroline: “If we run into something, it is resolved incredibly quickly. We always receive a response the same day and feel we are taken seriously.”

“When there are issues about the set-up, they ask questions thoroughly, making it clear what we mean and how we want it,” she adds.

On to the tenth anniversary of Totara Learn within Cello Zorg!