How OKKO organized external learning for recruiters using LMS Collaborator
OKKO is one of the leading employers in Ukraine, which actively develops a culture of learning among its employees and systematically invests in talent development. At the same time, the OKKO team is not limited to internal projects.
We will talk about one of these projects in this article. It is a distance course called Recruiting from Scratch, created specifically for students and beginners who want to dive into recruiting processes, gain practical knowledge, and take the first step towards their future profession.
Kateryna Ivanchenko (Distance Learning Specialist) and Liubov Shynkariova (Senior Employer Brand Development Specialist) told us how the idea for the project came about, how the team organized the registration of participants, built the learning process, and how LMS Collaborator helps with this.
How the idea for the project came about
OKKO is a large and systematic company. It also actively develops a learning culture. In addition, they regularly share their experience with the outside world, cooperate with universities, participate in conferences, and speak at events in the fields of IT, analytics, economics, and HR.
Observing the students, the training team noticed that young professionals are interested not just in listening to lectures, but in gaining real practical experience. This is what prompted the creation of a remote recruiting course that will give participants real practical advice and will be available to everyone.
«Our goal is to share real practical experience and knowledge that will help participants understand how recruiting works in practice. We also want to familiarize students with OKKO. Not only as a filling station brand, but also as a reliable employer offering career opportunities in marketing, HR, IT, renewable energy and other areas», – says Liubov Shynkaryova, senior specialist in employer brand development.
Two months from idea to launch
OKKO has previously had experience in launching the Recruitment from Scratch course on the Google Classroom platform. Over time, the team realized that this solution was no longer suitable for systematic training. They needed a platform that would allow not only convenient interaction with students, but also track progress, collect statistics, and automate communication.
The ideal option was the internal portal OKKO University based on LMS Collaborator. The team decided to scale the platform and create access for an external audience.
The preparation of the new launch lasted about two months. During this time, the team implemented an advertising campaign and set up the technical part of the course.
Important technical stages of the project included:
- Create conditions for easy access to the learning portal for external users.
- Formation of a logical course structure, where each section provides important information and contributes to the achievement of the learning goal.
- Developing a visual design of the course that enhances the perception of the material.
- Organizing a convenient registration form for future participants.
- Setting up a system of “tags” that allows you to track the sources of student engagement.
- Launching a functional support chat.
- Preparation of message templates for timely automated communication.
- Creation and design of certificates confirming the completion of training.
- Conducting training for administrators and recruiters who accompany students during the course.
«One of the important tasks was precisely technical – to organize easy access to the platform for external participants and make the learning process convenient and logically structured», – says Kateryna Ivanchenko, OKKO’s distance learning specialist.
The main training materials were developed earlier. The team has updated and adapted them in accordance with modern approaches that have been formed in the course of recruiters’ work over the past period.
Organizing registration and working with the audience
Various channels were used to engage the audience: Stud-Point, universities, job fairs, the Decent Work in Ukraine platform, and O! Career’s own information space.
At the registration stage, the team asked not only for contact information, but also for the place of residence and the purpose of the training:
«We also asked about the purpose of the training. This field is very important for us, because it gives us an understanding of the expectations of the participants. Someone is interested in learning more about the recruiting industry, someone wants to work at OKKO, and someone is exploring the topic “for themselves”. This helped us to better understand the motivation of the participants», – says Liubov Shynkariova.
Registration form for the course «Recruiting from scratch»
The team took care of the emotional state of each participant. They added materials not only on recruiting, but also on mental health and emotional intelligence to the Knowledge Base:
- the Energy of Recovery course, where each participant could find individual ways to maintain mental balance;
- a self-check emotional state test that helped participants scan their internal state;
- a collection of useful articles and techniques aimed at developing psychological resilience.
They also created the category «Development with OKKO», where they gathered:
- the «Learning is Easy» course, which guides the participant to a conscious learning process and contains practical tips for effective learning;
- the «Emotional Intelligence» course, which helps to better understand one’s own emotions and interact with others;
- additional materials for self-development and motivation.
OKKO knowledge base
«We paid special attention to the Podcasts category, where colleagues share their stories, experiences and inspiration. These are lively conversations about development, challenges and personal victories that resonate and inspire», – adds Kateryna Ivanchenko.
Recruiting from Scratch course: how future recruiters were trained
The Recruiting from Scratch course was developed on the basis of LMS Collaborator. It includes five sequential modules: from a general introduction to the company to practical tools for the work of a recruiter.
The first module is an introduction to OKKO.
Participants will learn about the company’s directions, key values and principles of work. It is about understanding the environment in which OKKO specialists work, how the company treats people and business.
The second module is the structure of OKKO’s HR department.
The team of OKKO’s HR department includes more than 140 specialists who are engaged in recruiting, adaptation, training, employer branding, and remuneration. Each of the areas is important and has its own peculiarities. Participants will get to know them briefly to form a holistic view of the HR sphere.
The third module is a practical block on the recruiting process.
In it, participants will learn step by step the recruitment process at OKKO: where to look for candidates, how to analyze resumes, conduct telephone interviews, and initial screening.
The fourth module is interviewing.
Participants discussed the technical nuances of conducting an interview: what questions to ask, what competencies are, and how to assess them in candidates. Additionally, participants were given advice on creating their own resume and preparing for the interview.
The fifth module is about modern non-standard approaches to recruiting.
The emphasis here is on learning about modern approaches to recruiting: internal recruiting, career counseling within OKKO, and how the company uses a voice bot for the initial screening of candidates.
In addition to the training, the team organized online meetings with the recruiters who created the program. They were able to ask them questions and discuss the nuances of working with specialists who are engaged in recruiting on a daily basis.
«Recruiting from scratch» training course
Assessment, certificates and communication during the learning process
Participants were tested to assess their knowledge. The threshold for passing each module was 80% of correct answers. LMS Collaborator automatically calculated the test results, generated a report on the task, and generated a certificate based on the results of the course and the final test.
Certificate of completion of the course «Recruiting from scratch»
«We realized that the course graduates would post their certificates on social media and professional platforms. That’s why it was important for us to think of a design that would be part of the company’s visual style – harmoniously combining information about the company, the educational portal, and the course name», – says Liubov Shynkariova.
More than 340 participants attended the course. To support feedback and communication, the OKKO team created a chat within the LMS Collaborator. After registering, participants were automatically taken to a common chat where they could ask questions, read the answers of others and, if necessary, write to administrators directly.
To better understand the participants’ impressions, the team collected feedback through a survey. Each participant could rate the course on a five-point scale, as well as leave a detailed answer in an open field. The feedback questionnaire contained questions about whether the content was relevant, whether the materials were presented in an accessible way, which part of the course was most valuable, whether participants were ready to recommend the program to others, etc.
Results that speak for themselves
Participants from different cities of Ukraine registered for the Recruiting from Scratch course. These were students and those who had already graduated and would like to try themselves in a new field.
Participants were actively engaged in the course, reviewing modules and completing assignments. After completing the course, they could send their resume and share feedback on the training.
«As part of the course, each participant could upload their resume and write a short motivational message about why they want to work at OKKO. This gave us the opportunity to combine training with recruiting elements: course administrators automatically received resumes, uploaded them for further processing and passed them on to the relevant teams. Thus, we not only attracted potential candidates to the training, but also created a convenient digital channel for the initial selection», – says Liubov Shynkariova.
As a result, the team received 78 resumes from participants interested in further cooperation. Some of them are already undergoing interviews, and several candidates have been sent offers.
What’s next: plans for the future and new courses
In general, the OKKO team has launched the Recruitment from Scratch course for the third time. This time it is the first time on the OKKO University platform. Before each new stream, the materials are carefully reviewed and supplemented with new examples, tools and cases from the practice of recruiters. The platform has also added a knowledge base, which will be expanded with each stream.
Some participants return to the program for the second time:
«We have examples of participants taking the course again. Some of them registered for the course twice, and this is an absolutely normal practice», – says Kateryna Ivanchenko.
In addition to the course on recruiting, OKKO plans to develop and launch new training programs. The team is currently working on a course on working at filling stations. Its goal is to show what knowledge and skills employees of the filling station complex acquire, what career opportunities are available at OKKO, and to emphasize the value and importance of this work. The course will include useful recommendations, online tours of filling stations, as well as practical tasks so that everyone can try themselves as a filling station employee.
«We see a steady interest in recruitment training. For our part, we are open to sharing knowledge and experience. It is also a great opportunity to tell about OKKO, share the company’s values and introduce our opportunities. Therefore, the next launches of the course are already in the pipeline and we are carefully preparing for them», – says Liubov Shynkariova.
Conclusion
Teaching is not just about giving information. It is about engagement, motivation, development and trust. This is the approach of the OKKO team.
The external course «Recruiting from Scratch» is a good example of how to share experience and attract talent at the same time. The results are impressive: more than 340 course participants, 78 resumes from interested candidates, interviews and offers. But the most valuable thing is the trust and loyalty the company has gained from future employees.
Behind these figures is a clearly structured process. Automatic certificates, a flexible training format, support chat, testing without unnecessary manual work, a single space for content and news – all this allowed us to focus on the quality of the training itself rather than on technical issues.
