Crisis drives change!

Today we enjoy an interview with Alexander Hicks our Business Apprenticeship Tutor here at System People to find out how he is adjusting to a new way of working in response to the Corona Virus outbreak…

Alex how did you first respond to the rapidly changing events?

“Overnight on March 23rd, 2020, it was clear that the established way of delivering training and support for our business administration apprentices had to change because of the partial lock-down of the UK.   At System People we were already well prepared as we had anticipated the ’new normal’ in which we would be working.  We had already looked at our teaching delivery options and it was immediately clear we needed to move to a virtual learning platform technology; one which has a Video App offering the right choice for us as a viable teaching aid. I quickly began streaming my lessons from my home office.”

Alex’s home office
How did you make sure that your Business Admin learners were your priority?

“Armed with the new technology I have been able to kept calm and carry on making the necessary changes in the way I work. This has allowed me to keep the progress of the learners on my program  at the forefront of my focus.  The way I create content for lesson plans, the way I interact with my learners and communicate about assignments,  have all changed but are still being undertaken without missing a step! The way I conduct 121 tuition and progress reviews has also changed but its proving to be very successful.”

What have you and your learners been able to do using your virtual technology?

With the virtual learning platform in place as a delivery mechanism for class-based sessions, I also looked at its other applications. It’s fully interactive so I have been able to run tutor lead sessions and each learner can also fully engage so sessions can be student led too.   For business administration apprentices I have already conducted live debates on key topics and used chat tools to enable learners to ask questions whilst classes are in progress.  I have also used to record group and 121 sessions as reference and revision tools for learners and for record keeping in each apprentice’s progress files. No break in learning required for my cohort!

How do you see the changes you have put in place having an affect on the future of your teaching?

“Crises and challenges drive innovation and change.  I believe much of what is now abnormal will become normal.  Some things may never go back to way they were.  The virtual learning platform is in “boom” at System People and beyond.  The recent surge in popularity with these technologies has not gone unnoticed by all, and its safe to say that people who usually shy away from video conferencing are now being forced to take part! It will no doubt become part of our future delivery once this is all over.”

How are you coping with working remotely from home Alex?

“Working remotely from home is not unusual for me so the transition to working in this way for a long period is not so different except that this is something we are now doing because we must. I have set up fully resourced offices at home and develop and implement structured daily work schedules that work in the new office environment.  I am in regular contact with the rest of the team and we take care to support each other and thereby maintain our effectiveness and our own well-being.”

             Alex Hicks – What a lovely view!

Alex is doing a wonderful job for us during this difficult time and it is great to see that he is getting on well, enjoying the lovely view and is supporting his business admin learners as he always has done!

Thank you Alex.

Lyndsey