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Eedo ForceTen™ provides timely self-service training, “on-the-fly”, to WestJet’s highly mobile and motivated workforce.

The Company
WestJet is a leading low-fare airline, based in Calgary, Canada, that flies to most major cities in Canada and numerous cities in the United States and other locations. With over eighty-six percent of WestJet employees as shareholders in the organization, their personal success is tied to the company’s success. This fosters a corporate culture that is focused on safety, exceptional customer service and cost containment. The 2005 Canadian Corporate Culture Study singled out WestJet as having the most admired corporate culture in Canada. The company was also ranked second in “Innovation and Product/Service Development” and the third “Most Respected Corporation” in a 2004 survey of Canadian corporations. It is not surprising that WestJet has adopted a ForceTen solution for educating and training its personnel.

The Problem
To maintain its position as a leading carrier, WestJet is continually training and upgrading staff skills to meet the highest standards of customer service and operational expertise. However, just as WestJet’s organization is widely dispersed across the continent, so are its more than 5000 personnel. It is a workforce literally on the fly, at changing locations and on variable schedules. The challenge was to deliver diverse and timely training to this widely distributed pool of employees. WestJet made a preliminary attempt at e-learning, through an external provider, that proved unsatisfactory from the standpoints of expense, accessibility and re-usability. A new impetus arose when compliance-driven training, mandated by Transport Canada, had to be delivered and tracked to 1200 Flight Attendants. With classroom access and student availability at a premium, the amount of instructor-led training had to be kept to a minimum. E-learning would address the immediate needs of the Flight Attendants and pave the way for more online training to follow.

The Solution
WestJet conducted a survey of potential solutions and determined that ForceTen was a logical choice. The In-flight group initiated the “pilot” project, or proof of concept, for the Annual Flight Attendant Training Program. The chief advantage of this e-learning offering was that it was a self-directed “Home Study”, with 24/7, browser-accessible delivery. This minimized the amount of time students needed to spend in class and optimized the remaining blended time.

The enthusiasm and enterprise exhibited by the WestJet In-flight group for this training approach was quickly embraced at the corporate level and generated further e-learning trials of divergent topics directed at Customer Services. As a result of these successes, ForceTen was soon adopted by WestJet, and staff were dedicated to deliver e-learning across the organization.

WestJet’s online training consists largely of knowledge-based content that follows competency principles for adult lopearning. The sophisticated, media-rich capabilities of ForceTen content development enable a high degree of interaction and simulation that address the wide range of procedures and processes in the diverse WestJet work environments. The types of content that WestJet delivers through ForceTen include:

• Facts and concepts, such as information about new regulations and services.
• Procedural skills (near transfer), such as completing reports.
• Principle-based skills (far transfer), such as attending to passenger needs.

The Result
WestJet’s acceptance of this high-flying ForceTen platform has been quick and unequivocal. In addition to the courseware already mentioned, the training team has launched e-learning programs on Safety Management, Corporate Governance, Business Conduct, and more. The compelling advantages that WestJet has realized from ForceTen include:

• Flexible and customizable content development.
• Easy deployment and controlled delivery costs.
• Robust evaluation and assessment
• Comprehensive tracking and reporting
• Instant updating

WestJet’s pilot project course, initial ForceTen training and implementation and application support consulting services were provided by Sweet Spot International, a certified EEDO Partner.