Learning Legends of Morgan Recruitment Group

Morgan Recruitment Group (MRG) is a prominent recruitment agency in Amsterdam operating in the food, IT, laboratory, and pharmacy sectors. Founded in 2012, MRG consists of three prominent labels, each specializing in matching skilled candidates with roles in specific industries. Morgan Green, specializing in the field of Food & Beverages and Life Sciences, Morgan Black, focusing on IT freelancers, and Morgan Lab, concentrating on Laboratories, make up the entirety of Morgan Recruitment Group.

MRG consists of 60 dedicated employees across its various departments, including sales and support and is on a mission to empower every person to unleash their full potential by finding their perfect fit in the professional landscape, enabling everyone to be successful and shape their own future.

Everyone learns at their own pace

MRG is committed to connecting individuals with careers that align with their strengths and ambitions. MRG prioritizes their learning and development (L&D) initiatives to cultivate a culture of growth, where sustainability and high performance are fundamental for delivering excellent services.

Currently, sales consultants and management are the primary learners. Learning objectives for the consultants focus on fostering a culture of continuous learning, improving recruitment skills, and providing structured career development paths leadership, management and soft skills trainings.

Adaptive learning is the cornerstone of MRG’s L&D strategy. Adaptive learning, according to the learning theories of David A. Kolb, American psychologist, involves integrating activities and experiences that cater to each stage of the learning cycle which leads to a high learning effectiveness.

Recognizing the diverse skill levels among employees, MRG sought a flexible learning solution capable of accommodating their belief that “everyone learns at their own pace” which could adapt the learning according to the preferred learning styles of individuals.

Roadblocks to performance

MRG faced crucial difficulties in their L&D initiatives – there was a lack of flexibility, and everyone was expected to progress at the same pace despite varying levels of knowledge and skills. The company took a hard look at what was causing the challenges, as they also had exciting growth plans that were dependent on the scalability of employees’ skills.

They concluded that their learning system’s outdated authoring tool made customization difficult, the purchased content was not meeting employee needs, and it did not support the organization’s development plans.

The solution? Valamis LMS

Recognizing the importance of aligning learning with the company’s development DNA, MRG made a monumental shift from their old learning system to the Valamis LMS in 2023. The adoption of Valamis was transformative to MRG’s approach to learning, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous development. Recognizing the importance of effective learning engagement, they leverage Valamis across various use cases to cater to diverse learning needs.

The ability to personalize content creation and leverage interactive lessons has not only enhanced learner engagement but also provided invaluable insights through robust reporting functionalities.

MRG managers, who traditionally focused on KPIs and not necessarily what engages learners, have embraced their new learning paradigm, prioritizing initiatives that drive learning to empower individualized career development for their teams. Through brainstorming sessions, managers now actively contribute to developing monthly learning themes aimed at encouraging learning and fostering healthy competition among teams.

The MRG L&D team also now focuses on creating scenario-based learning tailored to individual roles, allowing for targeted content delivery. This shift not only addresses employee needs but also facilitated career development both internally and externally by enhancing upskilling opportunities.

With the new skills releases of Valamis LMS along with prioritizing learning and development decisions, the organization can position itself strategically for growth and scalability, aiding in both employee retention and recruitment efforts.

MRG Learning legends

One of the most successful learning initiatives, the “Learning Legend event,” exemplifies the innovative ways in which MRG has harnessed Valamis to enhance learning experiences. With the seamless onboarding process facilitated by the Valamis mobile app, MRG created a companywide game for participants to learn about their new Valamis LMS academy environment. The L&D team created learning gates through onboarding paths, and participants navigate the game through QR codes, which unlocked engaging learning content and activities.

Through interactive quizzes on company values, mission, vision, and Valamis company facts, participants fully engaged in a fun activity to hone their platform navigation skills. The gamification aspect, where teams competed for rewards, added an element of excitement and motivation for continuous learning.

This activity kickstarted the new MRG L&D program supported by the Valamis LMS and reinforced how learning can be fun and beneficial, aiding in employee retention and skill development. The event’s success highlighted the importance of creativity and interactivity for enjoyable learning, and made employees excited to continue learning on their own in the Valamis platform.

Connecting learning to business goals

At MRG, fostering a culture of perpetual learning is paramount, with unwavering support provided to employees at every step. The emphasis lies not just on learning itself, but on its direct correlation with enhancing business performance.

Before embarking on learning initiatives, thorough analyses of learning needs are conducted, ensuring alignment with sales objectives and broader organizational goals. Crucially, leadership plays a pivotal role in nurturing this learning environment, extending support to employees both professionally and personally.

Measuring success for the future

At MRG, the assessment of success in Learning and Development (L&D) is intricately tied to key performance indicators (KPIs) and OKR’s centered on behavioral changes. C-suite, business and team managers, floating trainers, or Senior Consultants with didactical skills, actively participate in the learning and development journey of their team members, leveraging evaluation forms and employing Kirkpatrick evaluation models to gauge progress effectively. Moreover, the establishment of L&D KPIs mandates a minimum passing rate of 80% during training sessions, ensuring a comprehensive grasp of the material.

This commitment to excellence extends further with a focus on achieving positive Return on Investment (ROI), ensuring a lasting impact on employees’ professional growth. This is achieved through various means, including skills management initiatives aimed at fostering employee engagement and the creation of tailored content by floating trainers.

Additionally, the implementation of performance-related tools enables targeted training interventions, aligning learning objectives with business needs. By addressing skills enhancement and performance growth through customized learning pathways, MRG demonstrates a dedication to empowering its workforce and driving sustainable organizational success.