Case Study: KLM Cargo – Drillster Implementation

the Challenge

Balancing employee proficiency with operational demands, KLM Cargo sought to streamline the cumbersome process of recurrent face-to-face exams in the air cargo industry, aiming to ensure compliance with safety protocols while prioritizing employee well-being.

Ensuring employee proficiency through recurrent exams has long been a significant challenge in the air cargo industry, placing substantial burdens on both companies and their personnel. For aviation companies like KLM Cargo, responsible for delivering 1.2 million tons of cargo to 457 destinations worldwide with a workforce of nearly 2,500, maintaining employee readiness is paramount. However, the traditional approach of mandatory face-to-face training sessions, followed by certification exams, proved stressful and time-consuming for all involved. Recognizing these challenges, KLM Cargo sought a more efficient and effective solution to ensure compliance with safety protocols and regulations while prioritizing employee well-being.

KLM Cargo encountered significant drawbacks with the traditional method of recurrent training and exams, including high costs, employee stress, and poor knowledge retention, prompting the search for a more efficient learning solution prioritizing retention and application.

The traditional method of recurrent training and exams presented numerous challenges for KLM Cargo. Firstly, it incurred significant costs associated with organizing face-to-face training sessions, including finding a location, training fees, and learning materials. Secondly, the exam process induced high levels of stress among employees who struggled to retain information not regularly used in their roles, leading to last-minute cramming and heightened anxiety. Additionally, frequent updates to rules and protocols resulted in employees only learning new information before exams, rather than applying it consistently. Recognizing the need for a more efficient and effective learning approach that prioritized knowledge retention, KLM Cargo embarked on a search for a solution.

The solution

Addressing the need for sustainable knowledge retention and regulatory compliance, KLM Cargo implemented Drillster, an adaptive learning application, which offers microlearning modules and timely notifications to ensure continuous learning and up-to-date knowledge among air freight employees.

In response to the challenges posed by traditional training methods, KLM Cargo’s compliance and learning departments sought a more sustainable solution for knowledge and retention while ensuring compliance with regulations. The solution would also need to be approved by the Royal Dutch Constabulary. After extensive evaluation, KLM Cargo adopted Drillster, an adaptive learning application with a unique methodology that employs microlearning modules that adapt to users’ need, allowing them to retain and anchor their knowledge and requires only 5-10 minutes per session. Its adaptive nature targets areas of difficulty and notifies users before knowledge declines, facilitating continuous learning anytime, anywhere. Additionally, Drillster allows for easy updates to learning modules, ensuring employees are equipped with up-to-date knowledge and skills through smart assessment-based drills, multimedia resources, and realistic scenarios.

The Results

Since the implementation of Drillster’s adaptive learning app 8 years ago, KLM Cargo has yielded significant benefits including cost savings, improved safety, and enhanced productivity.

Since implementing Drillster’s adaptive learning app in 2016, KLM Cargo has experienced significant positive outcomes, leading regulators to approve its use in lieu of traditional face-to-face training and recurrent exams. The results include:

• Cost and time savings: Employees benefit from increased efficiency, with 40% less study time and reduced need for classroom training.
• Reduced safety incidents: Instances of safety-related accidents decreased following the adoption of Drillster’s learning approach.
• Improved productivity and safety: Continuous learning ensures employees are well-equipped for their roles year-round, leading to enhanced operational performance and fewer accidents.
• Enhanced governance: Drillster provides insight into employees’ knowledge levels, facilitating easier compliance monitoring and reporting to authorities.
• Reduced stress: Employees can track their proficiency and engage in drills as needed, leading to improved confidence and reduced stress levels.
• Support from authorities: The authorities that evaluate the Employee Air Freight compliance program, The Royal Military Constabulary, and the Dutch intelligence services, AIVD, are very enthusiastic about the new way of continuous learning.
• Elimination of exams: Employees maintaining proficiency between 80% and 100% are exempt from face-to-face training and recurrent exams, with Drillster serving as a continuous compliance monitor.

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