Pollinators Inc Learning Marketplace need identification and platform specification. This will be created in 2014 to create an online marketplace for listing, finding, booking, requesting and evaluating learning and training activities in the Midwest.

1. Overview for Partners
Midwest
Community
Learning
Marketplace
Learning together towards our community vision
Learning
Marketplace

2. Growing groups and social impact
•
Community organisations and social entrepreneurs want to do better
– Always trying to do more with less
– Constrained by money, time, staff, volunteers
Insight: More than anyone else their leadership, learning and development has a social
benefit
•
Learning and development can fall down list of priorities
– ‘Professional development’ or ‘organisational development’ is always beneficial,
– In the face of needy clients, social problems or limited time, learning can come last,
– Organising or attending training, learning can be relatively complex, time-consuming,
Insight: Reducing barriers could lead to more effective and resilient community
organisations
•
Much of the learning is relevant across all local organisations
– Governance, financial management, marketing, technology are common topics across
social, environmental, cultural and sporting organisations,
– Micro, small and medium organisations, incorporated or not, often have same needs,
– Local and state government have a mandate to build capacity in all these groups,
Insight: A project that reaches across sectors, services and the region can help everyone
Learning
Marketplace

3. Problem
•
There is a learning need for community groups
–
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Geraldton is the base for organisations and services delivered across the region
Building capacity enables higher quality services delivered more efficiently (greater impact for same
effort and level of funding),
– Learning and development through training, courses and workshops build capacity,
Insight: No single mechanism / organisation to match needs to demand.
•
There are multiple providers, procurers and networks
– 20+ organisations delivering training, capacity building to community organisations
– Hundreds of individuals and organisations as the target audience
– Every organisation or offering is publicised through different channels, often ineffectively
Insight: No single way/place to find out what’s available or planned.
•
The current situation is less than ideal for everyone
– Courses / training doesn’t get filled or gets duplicated, and learners miss learning,
– Training happens in Perth when there is enough supply and demand locally
– Searching, networking, maintaining lists and reading newsletters takes time,
Insight: Money and time is wasted
•
Examples
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Governance training for treasurers not publicised to all community groups,
Free Digital training for community groups under-subscribed,
Cost and time of travel to Perth for courses available in Geraldton or via webinar
Learning
Marketplace

4. Current situation
• A better way is needed
– Pollinators convened a meeting or many partners, providers and
networks in late 2012,
– Opportunity to create a single ‘portal’ was supported as useful,
– No organisations had capacity or motivation to lead
• Funders and partners are on-board
– Partnerships developed with technology providers,
– Funders have requested funding applications,
– Solutions have been trialed and shown promise
• Examples
–
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EverythingGeraldton calendar and app have proven popular,
City of Greater Geraldton, Lotterywest are supportive,
Pollinators has receiving frequent requests to promote events,
CISCO WebEx and web-based platforms have been reviewed and
relationships developed with providers.
Learning
Marketplace

5. Solution
•
Bring all learning opportunities together in one place
– Aggregate the offerings from all learning and development providers in one place,
– Reduce the administrative cost & hassle of advertising or searching for learning opportunities,
– A better ‘marketplace’ for learners, local organisations, local trainers,
Benefits: A single way to promote and find learning opportunities
•
Enable better planning through surveys, suggestions and demand
– Rather than expensive audits, use surveys and test demand prior
– Avoid duplication across sectors/ niches by making all info public,
– Enable learners or trainers to suggest and vote for topics or courses.
Benefits: Money and time is saved, risk of under-subscription reduced
•
Enable new ways to deliver training and learn
–
Affordable access to webinar technology for providers and learners to avoid expensive travel and
increase audience for training,
– Enable an online community for peer-to-peer learning and post-training discussions to complement
formal training and courses,
Benefits: Greater impact and better services using existing resources
•
Examples
–
–
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Digital enterprise training can be delivered via webinar to the whole region
Non-profits can request courses rather than run expensive in-house courses, travel to Perth or wait
for irregular audits
Providers can reduce time spent on growing, maintaining individual databases for distribution
Learning
Marketplace

6. Marketplace Components
•
Listings/directory and calendar of all training and learning
–
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•
Network of all community organisations and contacts
–
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•
User-friendly way to suggest or request courses, training and test demand before going ahead,
Aggregate feedback on each/all training offered
Payment system for listing, promoting and booking training
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•
Using existing technology (laptops, webcams, smartphones) and better quality/reliability than VOIP (Skype),
Can be used by all to broadcast, communicate in small groups, or access live/recorded training
Feedback and survey capability
–
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•
Each organisation can manage its own communication preferences
Send out regular updates on upcoming opportunities
Enable individuals and organisations to connect, converse online
Webinar system for broadcasting or receiving training
–
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•
Website and mobile application
Listings be listed and then filtered by type, price, timing, location, audience
Easy upload via website, easy integration into existing calendar (outlook, iCal, google)
Enable training providers to list tickets and receive payments via the site
Avoid 3-6% charges from overseas e-commerce or events listings providers
Avoid administration of registrations via paper, email
Transparent price differentiation and discounts for NFPs, community organisations
Examples
–
–
–
Digital enterprise training can be delivered via webinar to the whole region
Non-profits can request courses rather than run expensive in-house courses, travel to Perth or wait for irregular audits
Providers can reduce time spent on growing, maintaining individual databases for distribution
Learning
Marketplace

7. Roles and timing
Pollinators
Consult
(October 2013)
• Distribute survey
• Host and facilitate
workshop
Project
Contractors
Partners
(community)
• Respond to survey
• Attend workshop
• Functional and
aesthetic design
Design
(November
2013)
• Detailed review of
existing offerings,
demand
• Attend training
• Upload listings
Other training
providers
• Provide logos
• Confirm org
contacts, settings
• Lead training
Users
• Respond to survey
Build
(Dec-Feb 2014)
• Provide technical
training to all
partner
organisations
Launch
(March 2014)
• Organise launch
event and promo
campaign
Operate
(Mar-Oct 2014)
• Send regular updates
on events
• Provide training for
partners, users, provi
ders
• Promote heavily
throughout region
• Provide technical
support
• Use to list events
• Use webinar service
for own meetings or
training
• Use to find events
• Use to register for
events
• Use to list events
• Use to suggest and
test topics
• Pay fee to list if they
are a for-profit
provider
• Identify
improvements or
problems
• Update or change as
required
• Suggest and test
topics in planning
• Suggest topics or
events
• Suggest and test
topics in planning
Evaluate
(July-Oct 2014)
Learning
• Business plan for
sustainability
• Conduct evaluation
• Respond to survey
• Attend workshop
• Respond to survey
• Respond to survey
Marketplace
Sustain
•
•
• Continue to use
• Continue to use
• Continue to use
Publish evaluation
Introduce any
• Attend training
• Upload listings
• Promote to
networks
• Plug-in to own
website or calendar

8. Marketplace Components
LEARNING HUB
Website + App
Component
Listings &
calendar
Network &
contacts
Webinars &
conference
Feedback &
suggestions
Ecommerce &
ticketing
• One-stop site for
all learning and
training
• Easy to read,
share and find
out more
• Higher traffic
increases
participation,
reach
• Enables better
planning,
reduced clashes
• Larger reach for
promoting
events
• Organisations
can adjust own
details settings
• Reduce
duplication of
mailing lists
• Pre and posttraining
discussion
forums
• Cheaper for
remote
organisations to
experts
• More reliable,
higher-quality
and cheaper than
VOIP
• Each
organisation
allowed private
use
• Enables
collaboration
• Easy testing of
demand for
training
• Easier to ‘audit’
needs
• Easy to collect
feedback and
evaluation
• Easy to suggest
ideas, topics,
fixes
• Enables
evolution
•
Features
• Integrates with
existing calendar
software
• Single log-in
• Manage
contacts, topics,
frequency of
notifications
• Automatic email
notifications
• Hosted
technology
• Uses existing
hardware in
every home/org
• Seamless
integration with
site + app
• Integration into
existing
accounting
systems
Technology
(examples)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Benefits
Learning
Marketplace
WP Listings
Ning
BuddyPress
CISCO WebEx
Google Hangouts
UserVoice
•
•
Reduced fees for
ticketing events =
lower prices
Reduced
administration of
RSVPs, updates
and reminders
Enables
sustainable
business model
WooCommerce
Shopp
Coord &
support
•
•
•
•
Local online &
face-to-face
support for orgs
Help with listing,
promoting,
featuring events
Training for new
users
Enables all local
organisations to
access
• Pollinators to
coordinate
• Use DigiHub &
other local
services

9. Contact
• Andrew Outhwaite
• 0466 694 702
• andrew@pollinators.org.au
Learning
Marketplace