Delivering 26% average savings while managing Virgin Media's entire learning portfolio.

How Hemsley Fraser grew from an interim transition partner into Virgin Media's full managed learning service, cutting external spend, boosting event occupancy and reducing cancellations across a workforce of around 10,000. 

26%

average savings on external spend, year on year 

£400k

generated from outsourcing internal training management 

10%

increase in event occupancy 

30%

reduction in cancellations in the first year 
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The organisation

Virgin Media, part of the Liberty Global family, is a key player in UK and European telecommunications and media, with one of the fastest and most powerful networks in the region. A dynamic challenger brand of around 10,000 employees, Virgin Media has a clear commitment to delighting its customers and consistently pushing market boundaries. Hemsley Fraser has been Virgin Media's learning provider since 2016.
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The challenge

Virgin Media needed to refresh its learning and development provision and align it with the organisation's strategic aims. The new Managed Learning Service partner needed to work within existing systems, streamline processes, and act as a seamless extension of the internal team, providing a high-touch human service to around 10,000 employees, not a purely transactional outsourcing arrangement.

The solution

Hemsley Fraser, in close collaboration with Virgin Media, established a managed learning service that has grown from an interim transition arrangement into a full strategic partnership covering the business's entire learning and development portfolio.

 
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Hemsley Fraser first established an interim service to maintain business as usual while Virgin Media transitioned away from its incumbent provider. It soon became clear that alongside the external training already being outsourced, Hemsley Fraser could also take on management of Virgin Media's internal courses, bringing the total number of events managed annually to around 7,000.

 

Results

    • 26% average savings on external spend year on year, through consolidation of learning suppliers and aggregation of spend

    • Circa £400k in savings generated from outsourcing internal training management

    • 10% increase in event occupancy

    • 30% reduction in cancellations in the first year

What made this work

    • Starting with an interim service to protect business as usual during the transition, rather than risking disruption with a hard cutover from the incumbent provider

    • Expanding scope only once trust was established, taking on internal course management after the external relationship had proven itself

    • Integrating digital content directly with Virgin Media's existing LMS rather than asking them to adopt a new system

    • Continuing to evolve the service years into the partnership, optimising scheduling and occupancy rather than treating the first year as the finish line

 

The interim transition service reflects Excite and Engage, protecting continuity and building trust before expanding scope, while the ongoing optimisation of scheduling, occupancy and trainer utilisation reflects Embed and Evolve, the partnership deepening and improving years after the original contract began.

"From day one it felt right. Not only did Hemsley Fraser understand our culture and tick all of the boxes of what we required from a flexible partner, they brought the whole package. Their personalised approach helped to deliver aspirational results."

David Chivers,
Director of People Development, Virgin Media

FAQs

Outsourcing an entire learning and development portfolio is a significant decision. Here are the questions organisations most commonly ask us before they start 
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A managed learning service partnership means an external provider takes on responsibility for managing some or all of an organisation's learning operations, from scheduling and supplier management to content delivery and administration, acting as a genuine extension of the internal team rather than a separate outsourced function.

Looking to outsource your learning and development portfolio?

If you're looking for a managed learning partner who can act as a genuine extension of your team, not just an external supplier, we'd love to talk. Get in touch to find out how we can design and deliver a service built around your organisation's specific challenges. 
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