KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: E-Learning Solution

KLM wanted to better fulfill its statutory obligations and improve learning opportunities for its staff, especially for its engineering and maintenance (E&M) personnel. The company decided to replace its existing E&M training management system with a centralized, electronic system. Accenture determined the system requirements; designed, built and tested the e-learning functionality; managed the solution's delivery and guided the functional design team.

With Accenture's help, KLM has achieved its principal objective—full compliance with statutory training obligations. The airline also has cut training costs and increased the operational efficiency that is a hallmark of any high-performance business.

Related Client Successes

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Reservation and Pricing Services Layer

In its efforts to achieve high performance, KLM set its sights on revamping its internal training programs. To better fulfill its statutory obligations and improve learning opportunities for its staff, KLM wanted to replace its existing E&M training management system—which was fragmented, costly and inefficient to run—with a centralized, electronic system. The airline also wanted to be able to use the new system to allow more electronic training for the company as a whole, thus maximizing the potential of e-learning across the enterprise.

The decision to rely more heavily on e-learning is supported by additional Accenture research, which revealed that those organizations that have mastered learning management use sophisticated learning processes, programs and supporting technology to empower employees. Online learning management systems are particularly important because they enable employees to seek out learning and development opportunities at the time and place that best fit their needs.

Professionals from Accenture's Transportation & Travel Services industry group and System Integration & Technology practices teamed with KLM to help determine the system requirements and to design, build and test the e-learning functionality.

The Accenture Human Performance service line was involved on the functional side of the project by having one person full time on site during the course of the project. This resource helped to ensure a proper translation of the business learning requirements into the new learning management system. Furthermore, the gap was bridged between the existing situation in the learning department and the future state after the implementation, through the design of new learning processes, a new learning organization and the new roles and responsibilities. A change management approach was designed and executed to prepare key users for their new role using communication and training.

Accenture also was responsible for managing the solution's delivery and guiding the functional design team. After assessing the solution requirements, Accenture and KLM selected the Saba Learning Management System, a leading enterprise e-learning software package, as the airline's e-learning application. Accenture worked with Saba and KLM to configure the application to suit KLM's specific needs. Five thousand people have already accessed the intranet page, which is more of a guided tour through the system and which comes before the e-learning system. The training is available 24/7 and refresher courses can be taken any time.

With Accenture's help, KLM has achieved its principal objective—full compliance with statutory training obligations. The airline also has cut training costs and increased the operational efficiency that is a hallmark of any high-performance business. Moreover, with help from Accenture, KLM has standardized its training processes. The new e-learning system tracks individual progress and compliance and generates regular reports that can be centrally compiled and accessed—KLM is currently ahead of industry standards when it comes to its levels of compliance.

"Our decision to team with Accenture was based on our understanding of the organization as solution driven and dedicated. It is an organization committed to getting the job done through its hard-working people"—Frank Huis in ‘t Veld, Business Project Manager at KLM Engineering & Maintenance and Leo van Rijn, Production Unit Manager at KLM Engineering & Maintenance.

By empowering employees to access training via the intranet, KLM has increased employee motivation and performance. Instead of having to take part in training at work or during overtime periods, employees now are able to train at their own pace and at home. What's more, they are encouraged to expand their knowledge and opt for non-mandatory training courses as well. In all these ways, KLM is developing the sort of highly motivated and skilled workforce that Accenture research reveals to be a core component of high performance in any industry.