[COVID-19] Could Prevention Also Come Through Training?

Published on: 02/06/2020Updated on: 02/06/2020

When lockdown was announced, to avoid abrupt interruptions of ongoing or upcoming training, IPERIA provided accredited training organizations with a remote training best practices guide, an online training platform, and educational support. These measures were necessary to ensure continuity in a sector with nearly 70,000 training starts in 2019. Support for domestic work professionals now continues with new, specific training launches.

100% Distance Learning System

Simple in practice but challenging to implement, IPERIA's design teams created a remote COVID-19 training series. An innovative system enabling domestic work professionals—childcare providers, childminders, personal carers, and family assistants—to continue working while following health measures. "From the lockdown's start, our training design service wanted to support training organizations in maintaining activity and ensuring continued training for domestic employees. Creating new training was necessary for us and them," says Michel Fourmeaux, Skills Certification Director.

New System Complementing Existing Training

"During the lockdown, educational materials for four modules were developed to address crisis content and format needs. Thus, stress management, communication with children and family, and supporting dependent persons found a place meeting both network and employee crisis response needs and training implementation conditions," states Marie Légrésy, Training Design Service Manager.

Creating and Testing New Training in Two Months: A New Record?

"Designing new training, especially under current conditions, is very stimulating. We needed to provide a clear, fast, and operational response. We formed a small working group—Michel, Valéry [editor's note: Valéry Legoupil, multimedia educational designer], and myself—to design this 100% remote training module. Each contributed their expertise: Michel establishing requirements and coordination, Valéry monitoring technical partnership, and myself setting objectives. Team contribution developed content implementation. We aimed to respond to domestic employees' needs within crisis timeframes; we needed quick crisis response. From requirements to launch, it took us 15 days, involving all departments: training, development, IT, administration, and communications/marketing. Everyone showed flexibility, accommodating continuous adjustments until the final product was completed," emphasizes Marie Légrésy.

How Does the New "Domestic Employee: COVID-19 Recommendations" Module Work?

Two COVID-19 training modules are offered to domestic employees:

A one-hour module is 100% remote with open access. Participation requires a domestic sector employee with an Internet connection, including a smartphone. Registration is independently initiated by the employee.
A three-hour module, which provides advanced pandemic measures training. Registration with an accredited training organization is required. "Currently, 13 training organizations have been chosen for this experiment. Eventually, we hope to offer this to all partners," announces Nadège Turco, Development Director.

Both modules cover four themes:

Crisis situational context
Preparing home intervention, automating protective measures
Occupation-specific appropriate behaviors
Communication with individual employer and/or family

With content adapted to each occupation, concrete cases, and practical scenarios, each learning professional can adapt and adopt these daily practices and behaviors.

Ultimately, Does this Unique Experience Prove Positive?

"Although we'd prefer experiencing these changes under different circumstances, the one-hour fully remote module highlighted our innovation and responsiveness capacity. It kept us moving and fully contributing to training continuity during a crisis. Support between different parties proved useful and effective. Initial network feedback is good: challenge met," says Marie Légrésy.

Learn more about these training programs.