Case study

Whitebread: Safe and in your hands

The challenge

Whitbread plc operates under more than a dozen brand names in the UK. A glance at the list of these - which includes well known high street names such as David Lloyd Leisure, Beefeater, Costa, Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays as well as the hotel chains Travel Inn and Marriott - shows the wide diversity existing under the Whitbread umbrella. All of these outlets serve food and as a business, Whitbread serves some 2 million people a week.Whitbread required basic food safety training for staff working in these outlets. This training was intended as the first of a wide range of potential e-learning solutions, to be piloted for about 1000 employees across six hotels and six restaurants. The drivers were to standardise training across the brands and to save on training costs.

The solution

Epic developed the 'Safe In Your Hands' programme, liaising with a local Whitbread training centre to provide input and validate the course. The training uses a 'hands' metaphor in the graphical look and feel, to emphasise the purpose of the learning and trainees' personal responsibility towards food safety. It delivers learning on eight key areas of competence, via the Whitbread intranet. Trainees are tested on each area of competence as they learn, before taking a mastery test. The training is interactive, making use of animation and exercises. The focus is on interactivity and making the training rich in graphic content.

Outcomes

Feedback has been very positive in the Whitbread establishments where the training has been launched, and training costs have been lowered.

Stuart Branch of Whitbread, said "I am very pleased with the final product we have from Epic. I believe the programme is both first class and leading edge for our industry. Epic is a professional organisation which is reflected in their project management and content detail. I am sure this programme will lead to Whitbread's food hygiene training being delivered faster, better and at lower cost."