Ensuring compliance with scalable, engaging learning.
WestJet trains thousands of frontline staff across Canada with digital learning solutions from Adobe.
800+ trained
in six weeks across 12 cities
66% faster onboarding
with more consistent messaging
50% return training rate
as users complete extra simulations on their own time
“Adobe Learning Manager is the gold standard learning platform with the scale and reporting features that we need to train thousands of employees in months.”
Lyndsay Steffler
Manager, Standards, WestJet
Maintaining safe and friendly skies.
For longtime employee Lyndsay Steffler, one word defines the WestJet’s success: care. Founded with the simple goal of making air travel better for Canadians, WestJet is committed to offering flights that are affordable, friendly, and — most importantly — safe.
Today, WestJet is Canada’s second largest airline, operating 198 aircraft across 118 destinations. With safety being a top priority, leadership saw an opportunity to improve aircraft maintenance through digital innovation.
To achieve this, WestJet implemented eMRO software from Trax — a web-based system that centralizes all aircraft maintenance and repair data. Back-office staff use eMRO for tasks such as planning maintenance schedules and purchasing parts, while Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) at maintenance bases across Canada use it to access work orders, conduct scheduled maintenance, and resolve any defects.
“The more clarity we have into maintenance, the better we can plan,” explains Steffler, Manager, Standards at WestJet. “We can make sure that we have the right parts and people in place to minimize maintenance delays and get passengers where they want to go, safely and on time.”
But the switch to eMRO represented a significant operational change. More than 1,100 employees — from office to frontline AMEs — needed training on the new system to realize its full benefits quickly.
Charting a clear path.
Scheduling traditional, in-person classroom sessions proved difficult for AMEs working irregular hours. Steffler also wanted a more sustainable and flexible solution to support continuous learning and onboarding.
Using Adobe Learning Manager to deliver learning content created in Adobe Captivate, Steffler established a flexible, digital training platform capable of combining in-person or virtual classrooms with independent structured learning to train all employees before the shift to eMRO.
“Adobe gave us the e-learning platform that we needed to better communicate changes with frontline workers and make them feel comfortable about maintaining safety in a new system,” says Steffler.
A runway to anywhere, anytime learning.
Adobe Learning Manager opens the doors for much more accessible learning. Employees can join classroom training sessions either in person or virtually. Steffler held in-person training in fewer locations, reducing the time, resources, and travel involved while still giving employees more participation options through virtual classrooms.
Outside of classroom lessons, employees complete self-paced learning modules featuring demos, videos, and interactive simulations accessible via computer, tablet, or smartphone. Even AMEs working in the field can hop onto a mobile device during downtime to complete a module.
The shift to hybrid learning shortened classroom sessions. Facilitators can host two sessions per day instead of one, doubling the number of people trained and reducing facilitator time. This saves $760 per day while also eliminating any overtime costs paid to AMEs attending training after work hours. With greater flexibility from hybrid training and virtual classrooms, WestJet trained 96% of its 850 production AMEs across 12 cities in just six weeks.
“We’re fostering a culture of continuous learning by encouraging people to take control of their education with anytime, anywhere learning,” says Steffler. “Around 80% of participants said that they would recommend courses to a colleague.”
To encourage engagement, Steffler incorporated gamification features like a leaderboard, promoting friendly competition between learners. But what really makes Learning Manager stand above the competition is the in-depth reporting. WestJet can check the progress of thousands of employees from a single dashboard to track completion rates and ensure compliance. Managers can withhold eMRO access until an employee completes training — a capability WestJet never had before.
“Adobe Learning Manager is the gold standard learning platform with the scale and reporting features that we need to train thousands of employees in months,” says Steffler.
Training content worth revisiting.
Using Captivate, Steffler created more than 600 modules to help employees feel confident with eRMO. Captivate supports the creation of a wide range of learning content, including slides, video-based demos, and sandbox simulations. Steffler publishes all content as SCORM packages which she can load into Learning Manager with just a few clicks.
To make content more digestible, Steffler keeps the videos short and task-specific, encouraging employees to return and refresh their knowledge when needed. Messages are now consistent and approved by leadership, eliminating any variations between human instructors.
“We’re using individual modules like a knowledge base, encouraging employees to look through the content library and constantly engage,” says Steffler.
The interactive simulations allow employees to practice working with eMRO in a controlled environment. They can click through menus and enter information to simulate tasks such as defect management or part requisition.
“Around 50% of our trainees returned to work on simulations even after completing their required trainings, something that wouldn’t have been possible before,” says Steffler. “It’s proof that our modules are engaging and effective, while also being useful beyond the classroom. Captivate is so easy to use that it allows even a single person to do powerful and impactful things for the company.”
“Adobe Learning Manager empowers people to take ownership of their growth while maintaining the highest standards of safety and efficiency.”
Lyndsay Steffler
Manager, Standards, WestJet
Preparing for future learning journeys.
While WestJet originally implemented Learning Manager for the eMRO training, Steffler is now working towards onboarding new employees in eMRO and supporting role-specific training. The knowledge base approach gives the opportunity to create customized training for system users that was never possible before. Instead of overwhelming new hires with 40 courses, each employee now receives a curated learning experience. Training is also much faster, with many hires completing onboarding courses in three to four hours — 66% faster than before. They can also start working on training within 24 hours of starting their first shift, when it could previously take up to a month to schedule lessons with a trainer.
By expanding e-learning, Steffler also supports WestJet’s largest digital transformation goals to reduce paper storage costs, totaling into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and eliminate unnecessary overtime costs while increasing AME productivity.
“Adobe Learning Manager has completely changed the dynamic of how people learn at WestJet,” says Steffler. “It empowers people to take ownership of their growth while maintaining the highest standards of safety and efficiency.”
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