For Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies, a decade-old learning management system had become stagnant, suffering from minimal user engagement and limited accessibility for their hybrid workforce.
Richard Game, Blended Learning Manager, recognised that simply implementing a new platform wasn’t enough; the real challenge was to ignite enthusiasm and motivate a diverse police force – from new recruits to seasoned officers nearing retirement, and office staff with varying career aspirations – to actively use it. The force needed a learning platform that could cater to distinct motivations, foster self-directed learning, and transform the perception of learning from a ‘tick-box’ exercise into an empowering tool for personal and professional growth.
The engagement challenge
Richard highlighted the distinct motivators for police officers versus police staff. For officers, a clear career path naturally fosters a desire for development, as Richard noted, ‘There has always been a pathway in place for police officers…as long as you go through the career pathway.’ However, for police staff, career advancement often lacks the same clear pathways, requiring more self-directed learning to discover growth areas. ‘It’s having that hook – why am I going to give up my time to go and learn?’ Richard explained. Additionally, engagement varies across career stages, with those nearing retirement often content in their roles, underscoring the need for a flexible approach, as a ‘one size fits all’ learning strategy wouldn’t work.
Flexible pathways for every learner
Thinqi’s features are proving instrumental in addressing these diverse engagement needs. Richard explained, ‘What the Thinqi system allows us to do is cross all those areas and all of those reasons why someone would want to develop – either personally or for their own career.’ For structured progression, the Badges feature allows the force to deploy clear pathways: ‘This is what you need to do, this is what you must look at, this will help you move through your career.’ Crucially, Thinqi also offers a ‘free view’ where staff can explore self-directed learning. ‘We also have the free view where people can go ‘actually I would like to learn how to communicate better, I want to have more confidence’ – they can put this into the Search and Discovery feature in Thinqi and it allows them to pick up some tips and tricks to improve these areas.’
Seamless access, enhanced engagement
Beyond structured pathways, Thinqi significantly removed barriers to engagement through enhanced accessibility. ‘We can give our frontline staff simple links to directly access the learning content they need,’ Richard stated, contrasting this with their previous, convoluted process. Now, communication includes a ‘single link from the Thinqi site directly to that piece of learning or material with single sign-on so they don’t have to remember a username or password… they go straight in and undertake the learning.’ This seamless, direct access ensures that vital updates and learning are consumed efficiently, directly supporting staff in staying safe, lawful, and effective, thereby boosting employee engagement.
Driving engagement through targeted communication
Ultimately, fostering engagement is linked to effective communication for Norfolk & Suffolk Constabulary. ‘We’ve got this fantastic platform with all of these fantastic resources on it… not everyone knows about the extent of what is available on there,’ Richard said. He believes that with targeted communication and marketing over the next six months, ‘the engagement piece will then naturally form because more people will be aware’. This awareness aims to shift the perception that learning is only for career progression, revealing the broader value Thinqi offers to all staff.
Transforming engagement: The Thinqi impact
Thinqi has proven to be the catalyst for a significant uplift in learner engagement across the Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies' diverse workforce. By providing a flexible leaning management platform that caters to various motivators – from career progression pathways to self-directed personal development – and crucially, by simplifying access to learning content, Thinqi has transformed how staff interact with L&D.
Richard is confident that as the awareness of Thinqi’s comprehensive capabilities grows, engagement will continue to flourish, cementing the platform as the go-to resource for all learning needs, ultimately empowering staff to deliver a better service to the community.
We partnered with Norfolk & Suffolk Constabularies to overcome challenges in engagement, compliance, and content creation within their learning and development strategy. Explore the other success stories here.