Brightwave and Ptarmigan roll out rail fares e-learning for ATOC

Date posted: 20 May 2008

Just the ticket for front line staff

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and Ptarmigan Transport Solutions, have selected Brightwave, the workplace communication, learning and performance specialists to design and deliver a new, national, e-learning programme for ticket office retail staff to communicate the simplicity of a new ticketing system for rail fares.

The programme, entitled "Fares Made Simple", is in the process of being rolled out across the UK via the internet and CD-Rom, by ATOC, following one of the biggest changes in ticketing in the last 30 years.

The aim of the new programme is to enable staff to offer customers the most appropriate ticket for their individual needs and circumstances and explains the new simplified fares and ticket structure. The modules, which focus on the background, the new ticket structure, and the implications to staff and customers, both leisure and business, take around 90 minutes to complete and are followed by an assessment to record level of knowledge and understanding.

"The new e-learning programme enables us to communicate with frontline staff at a national level both quickly and effectively to ensure that they are aware of changes taking place in May and September with fares simplification." said Mark Bryce, ATOC’s Retail Support Manager.

The simple design and feel of the course has been aimed directly at the target audience who are primarily train company ticket office staff, a mixture of both male and female of all age ranges, who are computer literate but may not have used e-learning before. The course will be undertaken both at learner's desks and in training rooms and has been made available on the internet as well as by CD-Rom.

"As the UK's only specialist commercial training provider for the bus and rail industries, we are able to focus our years of expertise on ensuring we develop the right solutions for a very specific target audience, like we have with ATOC. We know that great business performance doesn’t happen by accident, and for ATOC, Brightwave have helped us achieve this." explains Stuart Newing-Davis, Project Manager for Ptarmigan.

"Product and subject knowledge can be conveyed very effectively through e-learning. ATOC wanted to take a step forward in the design of the e-learning they provide the rail industry and with the targeted use of video and Brightwave’s best practice instructional and interactive design, they have achieved that." said Lars Hyland, Director of Learning Services at Brightwave.

He concludes "This project for ATOC, along with our work with Openreach, supporting engineers’ health and safety when working in rail environments, proves that we are able to apply e-learning as an effective training medium for a wide range of work environments and learners."

Notes to Editors – About Brightwave

Brightwave is a specialist in integrating communications, learning and performance in the workplace. Our approach is highly collaborative, innovative and all our projects leverage technology to deliver efficient and effective training and ongoing support. Whether your needs are induction, compliance/regulatory, IT systems, management/sales skills or product/process knowledge, Brightwave has the skills and experience to help you. We have developed over 300 solutions that are used by more than 500,000 people in the UK and internationally. We work with a broad range of clients from a wide variety of industries. Our clients include BT, Bupa, Cable&Wireless, IKEA, T-Mobile, AIB, Swiss Re, The Royal Bank of Scotland, British Red Cross, First Choice and Sky, as well as public sector organisations such as the Healthcare Commission, City of Edinburgh Council, and West Sussex County Council.

About ATOC

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) is the official voice for the passenger rail industry - representing train companies to the government and other opinion formers on transport policy issues. ATOC manages many joint activities for train operators including revenue allocation and settlement, impartial retailing, National Rail Enquiries, Railcard marketing, staff travel arrangements, international products and travel agent licensing. Britain's train operators are working together to change rail travel for the better.

Media contact


Jade Moore
Marketing Coordinator, Brightwave

+44 (0) 1273 828421

Click here to send an email to Jade

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