NEWS

Thursday, 05 October 2017

Birkenhead-based CPL Training Group, one of the UK’s leading learning and development companies, has claimed ‘Business of the Year (50+ employees)’ at the Wirral Business Awards 2017.

In a ceremony at the Grade II listed Thornton Manor on 22nd September, Daniel Davies, chief executive of CPL Training Group, said: “Since we began trading, the Wirral’s thriving business community has played an important role in facilitating our growth. So whether it’s sourcing local talent or building business links, this is a key reason why we have always dedicated our time and resources to invest in the local economy.

“This award is fantastic recognition of this commitment – a testament to the hard work of our people and strong support from partners and clients. We hope this success will serve as a platform to increase our local presence across the board.”

In a highly competitive category, which included Typhoo Tea, Capital Reinforcing, and Russell Taylor Group, this award is recognition of CPL’s commitment to invest in business growth, market leadership and sustainability.

Speaking about the qualities of the award winners, Paula Basnett, chief executive of Wirral Chamber of Commerce, said, “This is a night when businesses come together and celebrate with each other success and achievement. This event applauds the work of our business community and showcases just some of the many businesses bringing national and international success to the region.

“The businesses which have reached the final clearly reflect our sector diversity, a diversity which has gained Wirral a reputation of excellence and one which not only innovates but supports success.”

Organised by Wirral Chamber of Commerce, this annual awards event has grown into one of the North West’s largest and most prestigious business events, attracting over 500 key business leaders.

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

On the 26th and 27th September, ExCeL, London will throw open its doors to over 3,000 key decision makers, buyers and business owners from across the hospitality sector. Here, all from under one roof, completely free of charge, visitors will be able to see, test, and touch the technology that will transform the way they run their business, attract customers and set themselves apart from the competition.

Register for your free ticket here… www.restauranttechlive.co.uk/index.asp

Restaurant Tech Live, which runs alongside Bar Tech Live, is Europe's largest exhibition dedicated to the emerging technology and services that are redefining the future of the food and drink sector. The 2017 event will be packed with the products, gadgets and devices that are transforming the look, feel and future of the restaurant and bar scene from the very latest in data capture technology and virtual reality systems to multi-touch kiosks and revolutionary tabletop menus.

Having doubled in size since last year you can now find over 350 suppliers showcasing the most innovative products and services from around the world to help your establishment stand out from the crowd. Be amongst the first to try and test the latest in virtual reality systems, interactive table-top menus, artificial intelligence, data capture technology, multi-touch kiosks and much more. Additionally, you’ll be able to discover the hottest new trends in technology for restaurants, all under one roof, across 6 different conference halls. Not to mention, some of the world’s biggest brands, including the likes of Barclaycard, Worldpay, BT, Yelp, NextMenu and of course, this year we are delighted that CPL Training Group is exhibiting at the show stand 3142.

What’s more, the most progressive event for the hospitality sector provides an unprecedented opportunity for restaurant and bar owners to take advantage of unparalleled networking opportunities with forward-thinking industry professionals from across the globe, sit in on panel sessions led by technology visionaries, take in 150 exclusive seminars from the industry’s most influential innovators and so much more.

Amongst the amazing keynote speaker line-up are some of the world’s top restaurateurs, including John Aizlewood, Market Growth Officer at Pizza Hut; Marcin Korowiecki, Head of Systems at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group; Vincent McKevitt, Founder and MD of Tossed; and Edin Basic, Founder and Director of Firezza.

The free show provides unique insight into the restaurant and bar scene of tomorrow and is THE event to help you find all the latest products, services, systems, and advancements from across the globe. To book your free ticket, visit www.restauranttechlive.co.uk

The show runs alongside six other leading events for the hospitality sector. For more information simply visit www.horecabusinessshow.com

Monday, 14 August 2017

CPL Training Group, the hospitality sector’s largest training company, has scooped an award at the City of Liverpool Business Awards 2017 (COLBA). The Birkenhead-based company claimed the ‘Chief Executive’s Award’, which is chosen by Downtown In Business boss Frank McKenna.

Downtown, a leading private sector lobby group, organises the annual COLBA event to recognise the achievements of leading businesses from across the city region. This year’s gala ceremony was held on Thursday 17th July at Sefton Park’s Palm House, and saw over 220 business leaders in attendance.

Daniel Davies, chief executive of CPL Training Group, said: “We are delighted to have won the Chief Executive’s Award at this year’s COLBA event. Whether it’s investing in local talent or establishing regional links, this award serves as recognition of our contribution to Liverpool’s diverse business sector. On behalf of CPL Training Group, I’d like to thank Frank McKenna and his Downtown team; we look forward to building on our relationship in the future.”

On the evening of the awards, Downtown chief executive Frank McKenna said: “Tonight’s guest list is impressive enough, but the calibre of nominees this evening is spectacular, year on year Liverpool continues to improve and these awards aim to reward those who deserve the recognition. The quality of business leadership in Liverpool never ceases to amaze me, and events like The City of Liverpool Business Awards are designed to recognise just that. Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners and all of the award sponsors."

Monday, 14 August 2017

CPL Training Group, one of the UK’s leading learning and development companies, has been successful in reaching the final stage of the Wirral Business Awards 2017. The Birkenhead-based company is set to compete in the ‘NW Systems Group Business of the Year Award (50+ employees)’, which has a strong focus on exceptional financial returns, growth, market leadership and sustainability.

In the last 12 months, CPL has demonstrated a strong contribution to the Wirral economy – increasing its turnover, workforce (inc. apprentices), local partnerships, commercial space, and charity fundraising. In addition to this, the company has achieved sustainable business growth following consecutive years of investing in research and development and new business ventures.

Daniel Davies, chief executive of CPL Training Group, said: “We are thrilled to be nominated at the Wirral Business Awards, which showcases the very best of our growing business community. The event is always highly competitive and to be shortlisted is a testament to what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months.”

The Wirral Chamber of Commerce organises this annual awards event, which has grown into one of the North West’s largest and most prestigious business events. Set within the walled garden of Thornton Manor, the gala awards ceremony is set to take place on 22nd September and attracts over 500 key business leaders.

Friday, 31 March 2017

The women and beer group, Dea Latis, is holding a beer and food tasting evening at The Old Blind School on Hardman Street on Thursday 13th April from 7.30pm.

Led by the award-winning Beer Sommelier and beer training expert, Annabel Smith, guests will enjoy fascinating insight into women’s involvement in beer and brewing as well as sampling six different courses each matched with a different beer. Annabel will explain how to taste beer and how different styles of beer go well with certain types of food.

She said: “Frequently the reason that many women reject beer as a drink of choice is because they have not found the right style of beer to suit their palate. Tasting a range of beers with food is the perfect opportunity to explore the wide range of flavours in beer, and help them make an informed choice when buying beer in the future.”

With the tasting event on the eve of Liverpool’s Food and Drink festival and the Easter weekend the tasting menu will inevitably include some chocolate! Annabel adds: “People are sometimes amazed about how well chocolate goes with beer but we’ve been eschewing Champagne for a great stout or wheat beer for years!”

Established in 2010 as a forum for women who want to understand and learn more about beer, Dea Latis was named after the Celtic goddess of beer and water. The group is united in the belief that beer to far too good to only be enjoyed by men. Since then they have established a network of supporters around the UK and hold regular beer tasting and educational events. The evening in Liverpool is the first one to be held by Dea Latis in the city.

Dea Latis organiser, Lisa Harlow said: “We know that women in Liverpool are already big supporters of our national drink and frankly it’s about time we did something in the city to celebrate the fact!

“We have a great venue who are renowned for their food, we have support from local and regional brewers and local sponsorship from Birkenhead-based CPL Training. With prizes, up for grabs and a free online course about beer styles every guest will learn more about beer as well as having a fun evening.”

Louise Sui, commercial director at CPL Training, said: “As a Merseyside-based company, we are delighted to sponsor this event, which is the first of its kind in Liverpool. Dea Latis has created a strong movement for ‘bringing beer to women’, so this event is a fantastic opportunity to learn and hear from one of the most respect beer sommeliers in the industry.”

Local beers featured in the tasting include Neptune’s Abyss, Mad Hatter’s Liverpool Tart, and, from slightly further afield, Robinson’s Old Tom. Other beers in the line-up include Lagunitas, Freedom Pilsner and Blue Moon.

The Dea Latis pair are keen to point out that it is not a women-only event but clearly want to see women represented in force. Tickets are £25 (plus £2.14 booking fee) per head and available online https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-liver-beerds-tickets-32582692711

Thursday, 09 March 2017

CPL Training Group, the largest provider of licensed hospitality training, has restructured its current board. David Dasher, managing director of CPL Online, has been appointed chief data officer of CPL Training Group, which is set to come into effect in April 2017. Dasher will work internally and alongside clients to manage data insights, data governance and research and development.

The restructure is part of the company’s strategy to create a unified technology structure, identify revenue opportunities and reduce operating costs. Dasher will still oversee operations at CPL Online, with senior management responsible for the day-to-day running of the business.

Dasher said: “Over the past seven years, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing CPL Online flourish into a leading training and software company. With the promotion of senior management to the board of directors, the business has continued to progress in all areas.

“After strategically assessing the position of both companies, I made the decision to move into this new role, which marks an important step in the direction of the business. Data analytics have become fundamental to our internal and external operations, and this will continue to grow in the future. I’m excited to embark on this new challenge and build on the strong foundations already in place.”

Dasher first came into contact with CPL Training Group in 2009 when his business – Globexlive – was in the process of building a CRM platform for CPL. After establishing a strong relationship with CEO Daniel Davies, Dasher was offered to take the lead with CPL’s new e-learning business – CPL Online. The company is now a multi-service provider and has achieved 100% year-on-year growth since its inception.

Daniel Davies, CPL Training Group’s CEO, said: “David has made a significant impact on the business. Having started with a team of five employees in 2010, David called upon his experience and knowledge to develop CPL Online into the market leading company it is today. The business now has over 120 staff and is in a strong position to continually progress and invest in products and services. As chief data officer, David will play a major role in delivering continual growth and development of both brands. I’m looking forward to seeing the business move onto the next level.”

Thursday, 09 March 2017

CPL Online, the largest provider of online training in the licensed hospitality sector, has announced the immediate launch of the new Data Protection e-learning course. The aim of the course is to help learners understand data protection law and preserve the security and confidentiality of personal data.

Data Protection has been developed in the ‘Next Generation’ format and is a brand new addition to the company’s vast e-learning selection. Since data protection laws cover all types of data, from staff records to CCTV footage, the course is highly recommended for individuals who are responsible for managing data within a business.

The relevance of the Data Protection Act has grown significantly over the past 19 years, with the need for data processing increasing day by day. According to a UK government survey from 2015, 90% of large organisations and 74% of SMEs reported a security breach. In total, this amounts to an estimated £1.4bn in regulatory fines.

Andrew Rannard, CPL Online’s account director, said: “If business owners or employees aren’t familiar with data protection law, there are many conditions that you might not expect. CCTV surveillance is a common example where businesses have fallen short of the law. Using CCTV involves several data protection conditions, which ranges from tape erasure to registering with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Failing to comply with any of these can lead to consequences for businesses.”

Rannard added: “In the space of 45 minutes, the Data Protection course covers all key areas by taking learners step-by-step in accessible bite-sized modules. It’s a simple way to learn how to comply with the law, manage personal data and safeguard operations effectively. The new course is an example of our ability to provide dynamic training on contemporary challenges, which businesses face day in, day out.”

The learning content focuses on driving user engagement by incorporating mobile learning, language translation, and gamification and video/animation. Companies also have the advantage of monitoring staff training progress, which includes suspicious activity and real-time reporting and insights. Data Protection has also been accredited by the CPD Standards Office. This enables CPD professionals to request a ‘Certificate of Attendance’, which is then recorded in CPD requirements.

Monday, 14 November 2016

CPL Training Group has entered into an agreement to acquire a 50% joint-venture share in UK Legion Marketing Limited. The Merseyside-based firm, which trades under the brand names of Training Information Centre (TIC), DHTraining, and Legion, was founded in 2009 by managing director Stuart Green, who spent previous years in a senior management role at CPL Training.

TIC and DHTraining are leading training providers in the licensed hospitality industry. The company’s newest division – Legion – was established in 2016 to deliver sales, marketing and brand promotions, including site openings and market research.

Following CPL’s takeover of abv Training in 2015, the company sought to expand through the acquisition of other training companies. The 50% share will strengthen CPL’s position in the market, as TIC is currently the second largest provider of personal licence training in England and Wales. The three brand names and employees have been retained, including managing director Stuart Green.

“We’re delighted to be joining forces with CPL Training Group, a company with vast experience and knowledge of the licensed trade,” said Green. “Since operations began in 2009, we have gone from strength to strength, and this development is only going to help us continue growth and ensure a sustainable future. Together with CPL, I’m looking forward to leading my team onto the next chapter.”

“UK Legion Marketing is a dynamic company, with great leadership and people,” said Daniel Davies, CEO of CPL Training Group. “Over the years, TIC and DHTraining have each developed a strong identity and a loyal customer base. The newly formed Legion division has also experienced great success working with the sector to promote brands, products and services.

Stuart’s leadership has been a driving force behind this success – increasing turnover by 40% from 2014 to 2015. This deal marks an important step of our future business development plans – representing our ambition to deliver excellence in training and marketing across licensed hospitality.”

Thursday, 10 November 2016

CPL Online, a leading training and talent management software provider, has been successful in reaching the final stage of judging at the Learning Awards 2017. The Merseyside-based company will compete for the ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ Award. It’s the first time CPL has applied for the prestigious awards, which include submissions from emerging technology providers and some of the world’s leading brands.

With the achievement of important milestones, the past 12 months has been a great period of success for CPL Online. It’s seen the launches of the company’s LMS mobile app and the ‘Next Generation’ of e-Learning series. In this time period, CPL Online was accredited by the Learning & Performance Institute and the CPD Standards Office. The company was also announced as an ‘Award Honouree’ at the Computerworld Data+ Editors’ Choice Awards.

Speaking about the company’s successful progress, David Dasher, managing director of CPL Online, said: “We are thrilled to be announced as Finalists in the ‘Learning Provider of the Year Award’. The Learning Awards represent the best performers in learning and development from around the globe, so it’s a testament to what we’ve achieved in the past 12 months. We look forward to the next stage of the competition.”

Managing director of the Learning and Performance Institute, Edmund Monk, said: “The heritage and reputation of The Learning Awards is unrivalled. For those who are shortlisted and those who eventually win, the experience often leads to career-changing opportunities as companies and individuals are sought out for their experience and innovation.

The Learning Awards ceremony takes place at the prestigious Dorchester hotel in London’s Park Lane on Thursday 2nd February 2017.

Friday, 20 May 2016

CPL Online – a leading software company in the hospitality sector, has been announced as an official Registered Provider with the CPD Standards Office. After meeting the criteria for CPD assessment in February 2016, the accreditation relates to three courses within CPL’s newly launched ‘Next Generation’ e-Learning series. CPD professionals are now able to use the specific courses to request a ‘CPD Certificate of Attendance’, which can be recorded within their formal CPD requirements for their professional body, institute or employer.

The courses, which are officially accredited activities, include: ‘Fire Awareness’, ‘Food Safety’ and ‘Health and Safety’. As a company that has achieved significant growth since its inception in 2010, the accreditation marks an important landmark in CPL Online's history. It represents a clear commitment to sustainable development for individuals and organisations – a vital CPD principle. The vast community of CPD Standards Office is expected to present fresh networking opportunities and open new markets for CPL Online.

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online, added: "The CPD accreditation of our 'Next Generation' e-Learning courses is a marvellous achievement. The accreditation affirms our new products with the utmost credibility, but most importantly, it allows each professional to achieve the skills and knowledge to maintain a sustainable and competitive advantage.”

The ‘Next Generation’ e-Learning courses have unique features that aim to increase course success rates and deliver significant cost savings for businesses. Primarily engineered and built for mobile usage, life is made easier by accessing the 'Next Generation' e-Learning courses 'on the go'. They are compatible with any platform and benefit from a range of diverse features, such as Language Translation Support, Gamification, and 2D & 3D animation. Each course also benefits from refreshed content and a revamped interface. By providing an enhanced user experience, it delivers e-Learning in a way which is one step ahead of the market.

Dasher also commented: “CPL Online has come a long way in such a short space of time. Since 2010, we have built an enviable team, worked with blue-chip clients, and now received recognition from a prestigious global organisation. On behalf of CPL Online, I’d like to thank the CPD Standards Office – we look forward to the CPD professionals using our innovative online platforms for future career development.”

Monday, 09 May 2016

CPL Online - renowned specialists in online business solutions, has announced the appointment of Andrew Rannard as the company’s Account Director. Revealed at CPL Training Group’s Staff Information Day at the ACC Liverpool, Andrew will join the company’s leadership team alongside Managing Director, David Dasher.

Rannard, who started at CPL Training Group before the online division was formed, will take up his new role with immediate effect. Since the conception of CPL Online in 2010, he has been instrumental in contributing to the company’s unprecedented growth. Andrew will leave his current position as Implementation Manager.

With a continuous growing number of staff and clients, this appointment marks the first step in implementing an organised hierarchy. Andrew’s new role will alleviate the day-to-day management of the support, account and project teams, which will see line managers take on more responsibilities. As the new Account Director, his role will focus on devising key strategies with David Dasher.

Welcoming his appointment, Dasher said: “Andrew is a forward-thinking and dynamic professional. He’s been pivotal for CPL Online - leading by example and guiding projects over the finish line. From the very start, we’ve both witnessed CPL Online flourish into what it is today – a company at the forefront of developing online business solutions. Andrew will now handle the day-to-day management of the company – developing strategies and extending our reach into new markets.”

In 2008, Rannard joined CPL Training Group in the company's international and recruitment divisions. In a joint venture between Cambridge University and Box Hill Institute, he was responsible for delivering Occupational English Tests (OET) for health professionals operating in Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Andrew also managed the development of Target Tests for delegates in the Middle East region. In the process, CPL developed key relationships with multi-national corporations, including BA Systems, Saudi Arabian Chevron, Texaco, and the Commercial Bank of Kuwait.

Following David Dasher’s arrival to head up CPL Online in 2010, Andrew quickly became the division’s second employee and was appointed e-Learning Support Manager to oversee sales, project development and recruitment. As a result of CPL Online’s rapid expansion, he was promoted to the Implementation Manager position in 2013, where he has been responsible for managing large-scale client projects across the board.

Andrew, who graduated from Northumbria University with a degree in Business Management, said: “I've worked for CPL Online from the word go, so it’s a huge privilege to be given this opportunity. When I cast my mind back to 2009 and realise how far we’ve progressed – it’s incredible. From five people in a tiny office to 120 employees in our own building, I've watched us evolve into a market leading company. We are defining innovation here at CPL Online - the potential is inconceivable. I’m relishing the challenge of managing day-to-day operations and devising new strategies for the future.”

Tuesday, 19 April 2016

Diverse and forward-thinking – CPL Training Group is the leading provider of hospitality training and online business solutions in the United Kingdom. With a talented and ever-growing workforce, the company recently surpassed 150 employees – a significant milestone that represents impressive growth within CPL Training and CPL Online. As a result of continuous developments, CPL Training Group holds an annual Staff Information Day. It’s a unique opportunity to discuss company progress, strategies and upcoming events.

The 7^th annual Staff Information Day will take place on Friday 22^nd April at the Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool (ACC Liverpool), Kings Dock. The event features presentations from CEO – Daniel Davies, Commercial Director – Louise Sui, Group HR Manager – Lisa Graham, Marketing Manager – Chelsea Hankin, and Managing Director of CPL Online – David Dasher. This year’s guest speakers include two leading figures within the hospitality industry – Peter Martin, VP of CGA Peach and Keith Knowles, CEO of Beds & Bars.

Presentations aside, delegates can expect a special demonstration that involves audience interaction around 3:20 PM (to be revealed). Food will be served towards the end of the day at 5:10 PM in the foyer. The event is scheduled to conclude just before 6 PM, after which attendees are invited to make the short distance over to Albert Dock for reception drinks at PanAm Bar & Restaurant.

It’s already been a busy 2016 for the Merseyside-based company. CPL Online witnessed the launch and CPD accreditation of their ‘Next Gen’ e-Learning courses. From gamification to 2D/3D animation, the range of engaging and stimulating features represents an unrivalled user experience. The ‘Next Gen’ courses were also built and developed for mobile usage – the fastest growing form of e-Learning.

At CPL Training, the 'Good to Talk' campaign was put into action – incentivising customers to call for cheaper rates. Moving forward, CPL Training Group is developing new innovations and projects across the hospitality sector (more on this at the event). This year also marks the company’s first ever football charity match at Prenton Park – home of Tranmere Rovers. The new ‘Merseyside Derby’ will see CPL Training and CPL Online go head-to-head in aid of The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

With much more in store for 2016 and beyond, it’s exciting times to be a part of CPL Training Group!

Tuesday, 19 April 2016

The Merseyside Derby, El Clásico, the Old Firm – we all know the world's biggest footballing rivalries, but until now, there’s one that’s slipped under the radar. The most anticipated game of the season is set to be hosted by CPL Training Group, the UK’s leading provider of hospitality training. The company’s two divisions, CPL Training and CPL Online, will go head to head in a football match in aid of The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.

Home of Tranmere Rovers FC, the 16,500-seater stadium – Prenton Park has been announced as the venue to hold this spectacle on Saturday 14th May 2016. As a ticketed event – charged at £5 per person, all proceeds will be donated to The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity to improve patient experience, fund research, and develop the latest treatments and innovations in cancer treatment. The event is open to all friends and family and anyone interested in raising money for a vital and outstanding cause.

The match is a tale of two teams, one rivalry – reminiscent of Liverpool vs. Everton, but instead of being divided by Stanley Park - it’s Tower Road in Birkenhead. CPL Training is expected to field a strong outfit and will look for inspiration from Captain and event organiser, Kurt Roberts. With a larger pool of players at their disposal, CPL Online also has an impressive line-up, with Captain, Andy Rannard dubbed as their star player. As the company’s first charity football event, it’s likely to be an evenly matched game at Prenton Park.

CPL’s nominated charity, The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is one of the largest networked cancer centres in the UK, offering pioneering chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and proton therapy treatments. According to Cancer Research UK, 1 in 2 people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer during their lifetime. As a Wirral-based organisation, Clatterbridge is close to many of our hearts at CPL, and we know first-hand about the life-saving treatments and support this charity provides in difficult times.

Tickets are available to pre-order by contacting the CPL events team: events@cpltg.com. Tickets will also be available on match day at the Main Stand turnstiles. The gates open at 11:15 am, with the match kicking off at 11:45 am.

If you are unable to attend the event, please feel free to make a donation on CPL Training Group’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/CPLTGCharityFootball. You can also text ‘CPLG66’ to 70070 for your £5 donation.

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

The New Year brings the latest developments from CPL Online as they launch their range of ‘Next Generation’ e-learning courses built for mobile. 

The company has completely overhauled their e-learning courses, to not only provide users with a superior experience, but to also incorporate invaluable new features and benefits. These features will assist learners in successfully completing the courses, and can provide businesses with significant cost savings. 

The first set of courses  to be launched are a range of CPL’s most popular compliance courses, ‘Fire Awareness’, ‘Food Safety’ and ‘Health and Safety’ which are available from Monday 18th January 2016.

Curriculum content has been refreshed and the style of delivery has been revamped. The courses are now more accessible, with mobile optimisation, while also being more mentally stimulating and engaging.

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online said, “This is the next stage in our business development that further reinforces CPL Online’s position as the leading e-learning provider to the hospitality sector in the UK. The software developments we have incorporated in these ‘Next Generation’ CPL Online courses outstrips others available in the market.  Through our big data platform we can provide clients with data analysis functions never seen before in hospitality training. The courses are all built for mobile, the fastest growing form of e-learning, and are available via the CPL app, meaning learning is truly possible ‘on-the-go’.” 

HPCC Systems – from Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions, one of the world’s biggest data analytics companies – powers the CPL big data platform. This platform has been revolutionary for CPL and has enabled them to introduce some exciting, unique course features.“When we set our team the task of creating a brand new e-learning concept, we challenged them to not just develop from a user experience perspective but to take a problem-solving approach. The features we have included in our new ‘Next Generation’ courses are a testament to not only their technical abilities but their understanding of our clients’ needs” Continued David Dasher.

“Take for instance our language translation feature; this was developed after a member of the team pointed out the large proportion of staff, within the UK hospitality industry, who consider English as their second language. This workforce will find the language translation facility hugely useful, and their employees will be confident that their staff are informed and qualified” added David. 

The full catalogue of CPL Online’s e-learning courses will be redeveloped into ‘Next Generation’ courses in the upcoming months. 

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

CPL Online has introduced a series of added-value reporting and data-analysis functions for its clients as a result of its sophisticated Big Data Platform.

Clients whose training platforms have been developed, and are hosted and managed by CPL Online have the ability to analyse billions of rows of data, leading to a better understanding of their workforce and the potential to benefit from cost savings to their business. 

The company which was formed in 2010 and specialises in bespoke digital services and products as well as e-learning for the hospitality sector, switched to using the Big Data Platform in 2012. The platform, powered by HPCC Systems®, from LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, one the world’s biggest data analytics companies, has enabled CPL Online to revolutionise the way in which it processes data. Since its inception, CPL simply doesn't just track pass or fail data, but tracks every button clicked, time spent on each page of a course and the time spent on each question. CPL processes between 200 to 3,000 rows of data per individual course.  CPL is one of the first companies to be authorised partners for the open source HPCC Systems platform in the UK.  “How it works is that we build algorithms around the data which means we can process and analyse vast amounts in real time. It has allowed us to build customised software for every client and as it stands we have accumulated over half a billion rows of data with the capacity to increase over the next 20 years,” explains David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online, who also sits on HPCC Systems Community Advisory Board. 

By collecting a huge repository of data since its implementation, CPL now use this unique data to track user trends and spot unusual or suspicious training activity and also highlight the best performing staff.  It has also enabled CPL Online to add new features to their brand new, built-for-mobile e-learning courses, which will shortly be launched. CPL is adding new gamification features into its software in order to improve user experience. “For example, take a business with 3,000 employees in the hospitality sector. Each employee’s training and development is managed online via the CPL Online Learning Management System, also known as the Console. The large volume of rows of data we process means that we can identify people who have completed a course too quickly or could have been potentially aided by another person,” added Dasher. The system flags suspicious activity, which it identifies as unusual in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of legitimately completed courses, and can then withhold certificates.  In addition, employees who have completed a course such as health and safety and legitimately passed it may be identified as suitable for re-taking the exam, when required by law, without the need to go through refresher training. It would normally cost a business with 3000 employees, based on national minimum wage, £80,000 in labour costs for all employees to complete the 70-minute refresher course.  If 40% of those employees passed the courses the first time, with a legitimate pass rate of 90% and over and were no longer required to retake the entire course but just re-sit the exam, a labour cost saving of £39,000 man hours could be made. Heat mapping, the process by which the platform can track mouse movements on a screen, can identify aspects of courses that appeal or are more challenging, enabling the company to amend content to ensure that their e-learning courses are the best product possible. This ability to track how a user performs and interact with courses, which even allows the playback of a user’s course experience, enables CPL to deliver an improved support service to their customers.

Processing the data, CPL Online operates a confidential scoring system for all users which is a useful aid for clients in succession planning.

“When we introduced the Big Data platform the goal was to create a system that could process vast amounts of data in order to spot trends and provide customers with useful analysis. Three years on and this is now possible with the volume of data we have,” said Dasher. “This level of sophisticated analysis will lead to significant changes in the way businesses recruit, train and promote their workforce.”

Last year there were 3.24 million logins on to CPL Online’s console system, which is powered by the Big Data Platform. This figure currently sits at 2.34 million logins for 2015 and is projected to be 4.2 million by the end of the year. Over 2.64 million messages have been sent via the console and over 14.7 million bookshelf items have been assigned.  Since 2012, over 1.6 million e-learning courses have been completed. 

Award winning innovation

CPL Online was recently bestowed the ‘Innovative Use of HPCC Systems in The Community’ award, which was presented to David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online at the annual LexisNexis® Risk Solutions HPCC Systems Engineering Summit held on Tuesday 29th September in Florida, USA. 

The award was in recognition of CPL Online’s pioneering development and use of its Big Data Platform. 

In presenting this award, Flavio Villanustre, Vice President, Technology at LexisNexis Risk Solutions stated, “CPL Online’s solution is a shining example of the power the HPCC Systems® platform provides along with the cost savings, efficiency and innovation businesses can deliver to their customers by leveraging it within their development efforts. CPL Online has shown an impressive application of using big data insights to drive disruptive business models.”  

During the event, David presented to a global audience on ‘How HPCC Systems is Transforming Training’, explaining how the Big Data Platform, powered by HPCC Systems®, has enabled CPL Online to revolutionise the way in which the company processes data and is transforming training.

Speaking following the conference, David Dasher, who also sits on the HPCC Systems Community Advisory Board, said:“We are thrilled to have received this award in recognition of the innovation we have demonstrated using HPCC Systems. To be invited to present to some the brightest and best people in technology was an honour. The annual summit is a great forum to talk about new ideas involving Big Data, which will play a huge part in the future of CPL Online.” 

Tuesday, 03 November 2015

The 700,000 client employees already using CPL Online’s console now have access via smart phones and tablets thanks to CPL’s revolutionary, free to download, ‘Console App’, launched Monday 2nd November 2015. 

As well as opening up access to training at anytime, anywhere, the app is set to revolutionise communications and engagement within businesses. CPL Online’s six-figure investment into the innovative technology now enables every single member of staff to communicate with each other, share information, videos and news via the app, with push notification technology providing instant alerts to maximise use of the features. 

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online said, “We have taken great care to develop the vastly advanced features on the app, always with the user in mind. Positive responses from feedback groups, the first to see the app, have been a real boost for the Online team, especially the resounding applause for the enhanced communications features we’ve installed. 

“The social learning section has particularly gone down a storm. Employees have the facility to upload videos, audio or written posts to the app making the sharing of best practice a reality now for all our customers. Businesses are effectively creating a bespoke archive of peer-to-peer learning tools, which are sense checked before they ‘go live’ to uphold the quality of content on the app.”

The ‘Social Learning’ element acts exactly like social media with ‘like’, ‘share’ and ‘comment’ options, but unlike YouTube channels, remain discreet to each business, with a rigorous sign off process. Employers have explained to CPL Online how they will use this feature to incentivise engagement, such as rewarding posts with the highest number of ‘likes’ and ‘shares.’

“Employers also told us that the facility for them and their employees to receive and post messages in real time on the app is a great step forward,” said David. “Until now company- wide communications have been limited to busy email traffic, largely cascades from managers, often dismissed or read too late. Businesses tirelessly attempt new communication processes to overcome the problem, without much success. This app will completely revolutionise business-wide communications in a modern, efficient way.”

The downloaded CPL branded ‘Console App’ is available free for all current customers, using existing login details to access the console and additional features. Clients also have the opportunity to develop bespoke versions of the app with the option for additional features.

Adam Evans, Lead Programmer, explained: “Now we have created our white label app we have the platform to create and develop bespoke apps for our clients. There is a wide range of additional features available and we can graphically enhance the app to suit the desires of our client and their brand. We’re already working on exciting developments for some clients, it’s the challenge of creating that individuality that our techy team get most ‘animated’ about!” 

The app is initially available via the Apple App Store with Google Play, Android and Windows versions soon to follow. The CPL Online branded app is sponsored by Coca Cola Enterprises and powered by HPCC® Systems Big Data Platform.

David Dasher added “The CPL app has been a significant investment for CPL Online with progressive technology being central what we do. I’m encouraging all our clients and their employees to download the app – I’m confident it’s going to transform engagement, efficiency of training and communications in hospitality businesses.”

You can find our app at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/cpl-online/id1051897986?ls=1&mt=8

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

21st October 2015, otherwise known as ‘Future Day’, is the day that Marty McFly and Doc travelled to in the classic film ‘Back to the Future II’. To mark the occasion people gathered all over the world to celebrate the iconic day that has been anticipated since 1985.

Our Animation team, CPL Animate, decided to celebrate in style and hosted their very own ‘Back to the Future’ inspired contemporary art exhibition ‘Hey McFly’ at Constellations, Liverpool.

The exhibition showcased artwork from many talented artists including: Big Foot Studio, Vicky Barker, Kirsten Shiel, Leyla Gurr, Gareth Baker and various members of the CPL Animate team. Also in attendance were the Hill Valley Preservation Society, who brought along some replica props from the film. And what would a BTTF event be without a DeLorean?! Luckily the CPL team had that covered, with attendees having the opportunity to have their picture taken sitting in the icon car - an opportunity not to be missed for any fan of the film.

The free-to-attend event attracted over 300 fellow ‘Back to the Future’ enthusiasts, with the queue taking over the Baltic Triangle! There were even reported sightings of several Marty Mcflys.

The event was not only a very cool art exhibition, but was in aid of a very worthwhile cause: Parkinson’s UK. Thanks to the silent auction of all artwork exhibited, the team are looking at a total of over £2,000 raised for the charity.

To check out the pictures and videos of the evening head over to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1142136942480123/

A huge congratulations to the CPL Animate team on such a successful event. It just goes to show “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything”.

Thursday, 08 October 2015

CPL Online, the UK’s leading provider of e-learning courses and online business system solutions for the licensed retail hospitality sector, has won a global award for innovation.

The award for ‘Innovative Use of HPCC Systems in The Community’ was presented to David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online at the annual LexisNexis® Risk Solutions HPCC Systems Engineering Summit held on Tuesday 29th September in Florida, USA. 

The award was bestowed in recognition of CPL Online’s pioneering development and use of its Big Data Platform. Through this innovation, CPL is able to offer its clients the most up-to-date reporting and data analysis services. Features include tracking user trends, spotting unusual or suspicious training activity and highlighting the best performing staff. Clients can also achieve significant cost savings as a direct result of CPL Online’s Big Data functions, for example by pinpointing where annual refresher training and exams are and are not needed.

In presenting this award, Flavio Villanustre, Vice President, Technology at LexisNexis Risk Solutions stated, “CPL Online’s solution is a shining example of the power the HPCC Systems® platform provides along with the cost savings, efficiency and innovation businesses can deliver to their customers by leveraging it within their development efforts. CPL Online has shown an impressive application of using big data insights to drive disruptive business models.”

During the event, David presented to a global audience on ‘How HPCC Systems is Transforming Training’, explaining how the Big Data Platform, powered by HPCC Systems®, has enabled CPL Online to revolutionise the way in which the company processes data and is transforming training.

Speaking following the conference, David Dasher, who also sits on the HPCC Systems Community Advisory Board, said:

“We are thrilled to have received this award in recognition of the innovation we have demonstrated using HPCC Systems. To be invited to present to some the brightest and best people in technology was an honour. The annual summit is a great forum to talk about new ideas involving Big Data, which will play a huge part in the future of CPL Online.” 

The HPCC Engineering Summit is available to be viewed via: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8MJMUpp8II2cvjhyjzO3XcvlLhYzUB8 

Detail on the HPCC Engineering Summit event can be found here:

https://hpccsystems.com/community/events/hpcc-systems-summit-2015.

Wednesday, 07 October 2015

Wednesday 21st October 2015 – Back in 1989 when the cult classic film ‘Back to the Future’ named the date as the ‘official future day’, it seemed light years away. Roll on 26 years and we are nearly there. To celebrate the date, a milestone for any ‘Back to the Future’ fan, the animation team at CPL Online are hosting a contemporary art and mixed media exhibition entitled ‘Hey McFly!’ after the famous film quotation.

The exhibition will take place at Constellations Liverpool on Wednesday 21st October 2015 from 7:30pm.  Members of CPL Animate will be joined by a host of other artists including ‘Boneface’, Vicky Barker, Kirsten Shiel, Leyla Gurr, Big Foot Studio and Gareth Barker. Also exhibiting for this one off event, is the Hill Valley Preservation Society, who will be showcasing their range of ‘Back to the Future’ props and costumes. 

The event will also be raising money for Parkinson’s UK, the UK’s support and research charity, with a silent auction of all artwork exhibited.

“’Back to the Future’ is such an iconic film and its theme absolutely optimises what we do at CPL Animate, which is innovate”, said Nikki Anderson, Head of CPL Animate. “The team all love the film and we decided we couldn’t let the infamous ‘Future Day’ pass without celebrating today. We are really proud of the mixed media artwork that will be showcased at the ‘McFly!’ exhibition and look forward to welcoming fellow ‘Back to the Future’ fans and those that are inspired by creative change, like us, to visit.” 

“Whilst the event is about bringing together groups of people who share a passion for creative arts and ‘Back to the Future’, we also wanted to support a worthwhile cause. In honour of the film’s star, Michael J. Fox, who has publicly battled with Parkinson’s disease, we have chosen to support Parkinson’s UK”, continued Nikki.

“We are delighted that the CPL Animate team have chosen to support our charity with such an interesting event. Their passion is infectious and it is great to see so many artists getting involved and donating pieces” added Sarah Green, Regional Fundraiser North West, Parkinson’s UK. 

Taking place in the heart of Liverpool’s established Baltic Triangle, known for being the cutting-edge destination, where pioneering creatives work and play, the exhibition is set to be a huge success with tickets flying out. 

The event, sponsored by CPL Online, will be free to enter. Those wishing to attend must register in advance to receive their free ticket. “Thank you to our parent company, CPL Online, for supporting this venture by sponsoring the event. It has enabled us to offer free entry for fans of the film or those interested in art, to come along and enjoy it. We’d encourage anyone who attends to make a donation to Parkinson’s UK and take part in our silent auction to help us raise money for our chosen charity” added Nikki.

Free Tickets available from: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hey-mcfly-back-to-the-future-exhibition-tickets-18734241621 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeyMcflyEvent 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1142136942480123/ 

Friday, 02 October 2015

Cask Ale Week is upon us and what better way to get in the spirit, than to celebrate all of those pubs serving up the good stuff.  As many publicans will tell you, cask ale, also known as ‘real ale’ has been at the heart of many pub-goers since the early 1970’s. 

Whether the popularity of the nation’s drink is due to the fact there are various different flavours and colours to choose from or even the fact that it is nutritious, low in alcohol and contains vitamins and antioxidants, it is no wonder that every year an entire week is dedicated to these flavoursome, rich ales. What’s more, so many pubs across the UK are taking the time to complete Cask Marque’s ‘Cask Beer Uncovered’ and show that cask matters. 

In our search to discover what is so great about cask ale and just how effective the Cask Marque course is, we took the course ourselves and even spoke to some cask-focused venues to hear how they feel the course has been a benefit to them. 

Cask Beer Uncovered

This free online course was an innovative idea brought to you by Cask Marque and developed by ourselves at CPL Online.  The course has been designed to uncover the secrets of cask beer and enhance your knowledge and skills surrounding cask ale. The course can be easily accessed by both publicans and customers at http://cask-marque.co.uk/info-for-pubs/courses/categories/cask-beer- uncovered/. 

The course is made up of seven short videos educating you on not only how cask ale is made but also how it should be stored, when it is best served, what it is best served with, and what makes real ale so good! 

After completing the course myself, I wanted to learn more on the ways in which the ‘Cask Beer Uncovered’ course was benefiting our very own British pubs, and why it is so important to focus on cask ale within their businesses. Here is what some of our favourite cask ale venues from across the UK had to say. 

The Abel Heywood, Manchester – Hydes

In the heart of Manchester, you will find the Abel Heywood. Open since December 2014, this boutique pub and hotel has attracted many locals and tourists, and become a favourite to the public. They’ve garnered a lot of positive feedback on their delicious food menus, seasonal cocktails and expanding gin range, and with the launch of their brand new first floor restaurant, ‘Abel’s Dining Rooms’, there is no denying that this venue is on the up. 

This venue’s Cask Marque accredited beer has become very valuable to the Abel Heywood and makes up a large percentage of their total takings… it is no wonder they are so cask focused!  The Abel Heywood have taken the online course ten times, which we think shows some real ‘ale’ dedication.

I was recently in contact with the Abel Heywood’s Jessica Wighton to find out her views on the ‘Cask Beer Uncovered’ course and what she feels the benefits of serving real ale at her venue are. 

'As the person in charge of our CPL training, and having completed all of our tests myself, I feel very knowledgeable on the courses personally. I definitely feel that the Cask Marque Beer Uncovered course is very to the point, specifically focusing on the key points and careful not to overload. From our staff I have genuinely only received positive feedback which is great. It delivers its information in bite-sized pieces; shown through a selection of five-minute videos that are grouped according to subject and great for putting straight into practice.’

http://www.abelheywood.co.uk/

The Boathouse, Chester – JW Lees 

Another one of the UK’s favourite cask ale venues is The Boathouse, located on the picturesque River Dee in Chester. This JW Lees site is not only popular with real ale lovers but also many of the locals and visitors alike. 

The site has eight JW Lees beers on offer including three cask ales, with MPA (Manchester Pale Ale) proving the most popular. However that isn’t stopping their many customers trying out Drayman’s Reward – their current seasonal beer. 

Following on from their busiest summer yet, I was fortunate enough to speak to the venue’s manager, Phil Murray, and hear what he had to say about the cask ale and the Cask Marque ‘Cask Beer Uncovered’ eLearning course.

 ‘As the manager of The Boathouse in Chester, one of the jewels in the crown of the JW Lees managed house estate, cask ale is very important to me. Naturally I was delighted when CPL launched the latest in the Cask Marque range of courses: Cask Marque Beer Uncovered. The brewery really is the heart of the business in JW Lees and all of the team members at The Boathouse learn all about our history from day one. The team share my passion for cask ales and when I talk about development and training with the team, a cellar management course is often top of the list of training they would like to do next. Having Cask Marque courses through CPL is a great way for the team to learn and make sure that they are confident in all the steps to make sure that our customers get a great pint every time. The team have really enjoyed the recent instalment of the Cask Marque courses and have been coming to me to show off their certificate, which this course allows them to print off themselves if they pass the test at the end of the course, which is a really smart new feature.’

http://www.theboathousechester.co.uk/

Beer studio bar and Kitchen/256, Fallowfield – Hydes 

The Beer Studio is located in Fallowfield, Manchester and is a modern bar and kitchen that brings you some of the greatest beers from across the world, along with a deliciously appetising food menu and a selection of cask ales, including two wonderfully flavoursome beers from the Beer Studio themselves. 

Having taken the ‘Cask Beer Uncovered’ course several times, we were keen to learn what their Beer Ambassador, Kimberley Lacken-Fernell had to say about their cask ale training.

‘The CPL course equips staff members with the awareness and skills that are essential to being able to work successfully with cask ale. Therefore, here at The Beer Studio it is vital that our staff members complete the online course that educates them on how the perfect cask ale should be served. The course has a great balance of theory and interactive learning techniques and offers insight on many different aspects of cask ale, including: different ingredients and how they can affect the flavour of the beer; how cask beer is conditioned in the cellar; pouring the perfect pint; how to give recommendations to all customers’ requirements, and pairing beer with food. By having an understanding about the entire process, our employees can appreciate how much effort goes into brewing, distributing and storing cask ale correctly in order to create the perfect pint. I have noticed that staff members show much more enthusiasm when selling cask ale to customers, as a result our sales of the product have increased.’

http://www.thebeerstudiofallowfield.co.uk/ 

The Horse and Groom, Linby – Star Pubs and Bars

The Horse and Groom is located in the beautiful 13th century village of Linby in Nottinghamshire and is set at the heart of the village. This venue is very focused on not only their customers and their experience at the venue, but also cask ale and all of their local breweries.  

Being known for offering a large selection of their local brews has helped the venue gain ‘Locale’ recognition from the Nottingham CAMRA, who are an independent, voluntary organisation who are campaigning for real ale, community pubs and consumer rights. To find out more about CAMRA you can visit their website: http://www.camra.org.uk/home 

With their recognition from the CAMRA, we were excited to hear the thoughts of the Horse and Groom’s publican, Graeme Beal, and get their views on the ‘Cask Beer Uncovered’ course.

‘The CPL eLearning Cask Marque course has been invaluable in ensuring all staff understand what they are serving, can talk knowledgeably about the beers, and all ales are served in a consistent manner. 

It was surprising how many of our younger staff who had never tried cask ale before completing the course were keen to try it, and have since become very vocal in recommending their favourite to customers; especially at our first real ale festival in May of this year where we had nearly forty ales and traditional ciders on offer.

The eLearning course has also meant that new team members already had good knowledge of the product before they ever laid hands on the pumps, saving a lot of management time, and existing staff were able to pick up new knowledge and reinforce existing knowledge, all resulting in happy customers.’

http://thehorseandgroom-linby.co.uk/ 

After speaking with each of these venues I have realised just how much hard work and effort goes into serving up the best of real ale.  It is no surprise that more and more people are drawn to the beverage with an increasing number of venues offering up a wide variety of flavours and styles, and providing you with an experience that you just don’t get at home.  As the number of breweries increases and the demand from both customers and publicans continues to grow, this looks like a trend that is here to stay.  

If you would like to learn more on cask beer, or you would like your staff to learn more, then this course is for you.  Why not take a look and expand your knowledge today at: http://cask-marque.co.uk/info-for-pubs/courses/categories/cask-beer-uncovered/

And if all of this cask ale talk makes you thirsty, why not head to your nearest cask ale pub to celebrate the Cask Ale Week festivities. Visit the Cask Ale Week website to find out more about your local celebrations: http://caskaleweek.co.uk/

Written by – India Snowdon

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Each year LexisNexis® Risk Solutions hosts an HPCC Systems Engineering Summit. The purpose of the Summit is to gather engineers, data scientists and technology professionals to share knowledge and future roadmap plans for the HPCC Systems platform. 

This year David, who also sits on the HPCC Systems Community Advisory Board, will be talking about how the Big Data Platform, powered by HPCC Systems®, has enabled CPL Online to revolutionise the way in which we process data and has allowed us to transform training.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity to present at this year’s summit. To be asked to present to some of the brightest and best people in technology is a real honour. It’s also a great forum to talk about new ideas involving Big Data which will play a huge part in the future of CPL Online,” said David. 

The HPCC Engineering Summit will also be live streaming the talks and is available to be viewed via: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-8MJMUpp8II2cvjhyjzO3XcvlLhYzUB8 

Follow @cplelearning and @hpccsystems on twitter for updates and the hashtag #HPCCSummit 

Monday, 28 September 2015

Software and e-learning specialist, CPL Online has introduced a series of added value reporting and data analysis functions for its clients as a result of its sophisticated Big Data Platform.

Clients whose training platforms have been developed and are hosted and managed by CPL Online have the ability to analyse billions of rows of data, leading to a better understanding of their workforce and the potential to benefit from cost savings to their business. 

The company which was formed in 2010 and specialises in bespoke digital services and products as well as e-learning training for the hospitality sector, switched to using the Big Data Platform in 2012. The platform, powered by HPCC Systems®, from LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, one the world’s biggest data analytics companies, has enabled CPL Online to revolutionise the way in which it processes data. Since its inception, CPL simply doesn't just track pass or fail data, but tracks every button clicked, time spent on each page of a course and the time spent on each question. CPL processes between 200 to 3,000 rows of data per individual course.  CPL is one of the first companies to be authorised partners for the open source HPCC Systems platform in the UK.  “How it works is that we build algorithms around the data which means we can process and analyse vast amounts in real time. It has allowed us to build customised software for every client and as it stands we have accumulated over half a billion rows of data with the capacity to increase over the next 20 years,” explains David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online, who also sits on HPCC Systems Community Advisory Board. 

By collecting a huge repository of data since its implementation, CPL now use this unique data to track user trends and spot unusual or suspicious training activity and also highlight the best performing staff.  It has also enabled CPL Online to add new features to their brand new, built-for-mobile e-learning courses, which will shortly be launched. CPL is adding new gamification features into its software in order to improve user experience. 

“For example, take a business with 3,000 employees in the hospitality sector. Each employee’s training and development is managed online via the CPL Online Learning Management System, also known as the Console. The large volume of rows of data we process means that we can identify people who have completed a course too quickly or could have been potentially aided by another person,” added Dasher. The system flags suspicious activity, which it identifies as unusual in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of legitimately completed courses, and can then withhold certificates.  

In addition, employees who have completed a course such as health and safety and legitimately passed it may be identified as suitable for re-taking the exam, when required by law, without the need to go through refresher training. It would normally cost a business with 3000 employees, based on national minimum wage, £80,000 in labour costs for all employees to complete the 70-minute refresher course.  If 40% of those employees passed the courses the first time, with a legitimate pass rate of 90% and over and were no longer required to retake the entire course but just re-sit the exam, a labour cost saving of £39,000 man hours could be made. 

Heat mapping, the process by which the platform can track mouse movements on a screen, can identify aspects of courses that appeal or are more challenging, enabling the company to amend content to ensure that their e-learning courses are the best product possible. This ability to track how a user performs and interact with courses, which even allows the playback of a user’s course experience, enables CPL to deliver an improved support service to their customers.

Processing the data, CPL Online operates a confidential scoring system for all users which is a useful aid for clients in succession planning.

“When we introduced the Big Data platform the goal was to create a system that could process vast amounts of data in order to spot trends and provide customers with useful analysis. Three years on and this is now possible with the volume of data we have,” said Dasher. “This level of sophisticated analysis will lead to significant changes in the way businesses recruit, train and promote their workforce.”

Last year there were 3.24 million logins on to CPL Online’s console system, which is powered by the Big Data Platform. This figure currently sits at 2.34 million logins for 2015 and is projected to be 4.2 million by the end of the year. Over 2.64 million messages have been sent via the console and over 14.7 million bookshelf items have been assigned.  Since 2012, over 1.6 million e-learning courses have been completed. 

Friday, 10 July 2015

CPL Training Limited has acquired abv Training, one of the leading hospitality training companies in the UK, strengthening the company’s portfolio of training and e-learning products.  

The acquisition, sum undisclosed, is the first for CPL Training Group following the announcement of its intention to further strengthen UK market share through acquiring both training and software businesses. abv Training will become a wholly owned subsidiary of CPL Training Limited, with both the brand name and employees being retained.

Speaking following the acquisition Daniel Davies, CEO of CPL Training Group said,“As a competitor of CPL Training Group, we have watched abv Training with interest over the years. The company has established a strong brand over the last decade, building a talented pool of training staff.  This acquisition is an excellent fit for CPL Training and we look forward to welcoming the team from abv and continuing the legacy of its founders by delivering excellence in training across the hospitality sector.”

Commenting on the sale, abv Training Founder Cathryn Hawbrook said, “This move represents the next stage in the development of abv Training and I am delighted that the abv brand will continue to lead the way in delivering exceptional service within the field of hospitality training.”

abv Training was established in 2001 by the late David Hawbrook CMBii and his wife Cathryn Hawbrook. The company offers face-to-face and e-learning training, delivering compliance courses including Personal Licence; APLH and SCPLH, as well as a range of soft skills training including customer service.

Thursday, 21 May 2015

CPL Training Group, the leading provider of licensed retail and hospitality training across the UK, has been announced as the winner of the Scottish Training Award at the 2015 BII Scotland Awards. 

The ceremony, which was held on Sunday 17th May at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow celebrated the licensed trade in Scotland with nine awards given out on the night. The training provider beat off stiff competiton from GTG Training, The George Hotel in Edinburgh and Tennents Training Academy.

CPL Training Group were nominated for the accolade by the owner of the Aberdeenshire based Cheers Café Bar & Tavern, Dennis Forsyth, who has used CPL Online as part of his staff training process since 2012.

“Winning this award, is not only a success for CPL Training Group, but also for our clients. It’s great to see that so many people, like Dennis can benefit and win awards too, with the help of our training systems,” said Daniel Davies, CPL Training Group’s CEO.

“We are thrilled to have won and be recognised by those in the Scottish licensed retail sector. We look forward to continuing to work with and develop top of the range training opportunities for our Scottish clients in the future,” added Daniel. 

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

CPL Training Group has been shortlisted for the Employer of the Year award at the City of Liverpool Business Awards, which is hosted by Downtown in Business Liverpool.

The Wirral-based company, who offer multi-platform training solutions that are utilised by hospitality and licensed retail sector, has been selected from companies across Merseyside. Also on the shortlist are Carringtons Catering and The Mothership Group. 

CPL Training Group’s shortlisting for this award is an acknowledgement of the growth of one of The Wirral’s biggest business success stories, who provide solutions for blue chip clients such as drinks businesses Coca Cola and Carlsberg and media corporation BSKYB. 

Established in 1991, the company, led by CEO Daniel Davies started out providing face-to-face training courses for licensees at four regional centres around the UK. This quickly expanded to over 70 locations nationwide, which currently provide training to over 30,000 learners annually. In 2010 CPL Online was established and is now the leading provider of e-learning courses and online business system solutions to the licensed retail sector. It provides 40 courses to over 600,000 learners a year, as well as delivering quality bespoke services and products to its clients.

An ideal candidate for this award, the company has experienced phenomenal growth, with the workforce doubling in the past two years. CPL is also committed to developing young talent and currently has 21 apprentices in various roles across the business. 

Daniel Davies, CPL Training Group’s CEO said, “It’s an honour to be recognised and to be shortlisted for this award. As the company has grown over the past few years, we have put a huge investment in people, recruiting the brightest talent, found here on the Wirral. I strongly believe that this is has enabled us to remain instrumental in our award-winning innovation.”

The winner of the award will be announced at the eleventh annual City of Liverpool Business Awards gala dinner on Thursday 16th July at Sefton Park Palm House.

Voting is open to the public and will close on Friday 12th June at 5pm.

http://www.downtowninbusiness.com/liverpool/events/city-liverpool-business-awards-2015/city-of-liverpool-business-awards-2015-votes/

Friday, 06 March 2015

Make your face funny for money – that’s the theme for 2015 Comic Relief and at CPL Online, they are taking it to heart!

CPL’s team of animators come up with a unique way of using their creative skills to raise money and a whole lot of laughs for Comic Relief. 

The animation team within CPL Online, responsible for the 2D and 3D animation in so many of CPL’s e-learning courses, are inviting people to send a photo of themselves or a colleague with their funniest expression and have a chance to have their selfie digitally sketched.

The team are asking those wishing to take part to make a donation via http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/sketchup submit their chosen selfie to sketchup@cpltraining.co.uk and then patiently wait to see if their selfie has been selected to be sketched-up. 

One winning submission will be chosen each day with the caricature being created and posted online the following day. The Sketch- up will be running for ten days between Monday 2nd March and Friday 13th March. All proceeds will be donated to Comic Relief. 

To show you just how funny the team promise to make you look, CPL’s shy and retiring CEO, Dan Davies has offered his mugshot to be sketched. Dave Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online, has also stepped up and made his face funny for money! To view these caricatures as well as ones of several well-known Comic Relief supporters including Dermot O’Leary, Lenny Henry and Davina McCall check them out on CPL Online’s Facebook page. 

CPL’s Head of Animation Nikki Anderson said, “So many of our clients run pubs and are full of great ideas about how they can raise money for Comic Relief.  We thought we want to get in on the action and have some fun too. So the challenge is on, if you think you’re brave enough or simply want to help us raise some money and are willing to make your face look funny please send us your photo. We’ll be posting them online via our Facebook and Twitter every day so be sure to get your daily dose of laughter.”

Interested?? Then follow the steps below:

• Donate £1 (or as much as you like) via http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/sketchup

• Send your selfie to Sketchup@cpltraining.co.uk or Tweet it to @cplelearning or even message it to us via our CPLELearning Facebook! 

• Patiently wait to see if your selfie has been chosen to be Sketched up!  

Monday, 23 February 2015

Congratulations to CPL Training Group’s CEO, Dan Davies who last month was appointed Chairman of The Institute of Licensing. Dan took over the reins of the membership and training organisation for licensing professionals from Jon Collins who after four years in the role has relocated to the United States. Jon said of Dan’s appointment “We are delighted to welcome Daniel to the Board of the Institute of Licensing. His skills and expertise will add to the strength of the Board and will help move the Institute forward.”

Dan is supported in the driving seat by existing Vice-Chairmen Myles Bebbington and Barrister Gary Grant QC. On his appointment Dan hinted at his plans for IOL saying “There are exciting times ahead for the Institute of Licensing and I look forward to using my expertise in business to bring fresh, entrepreneurial ideas to the Institute whilst ensuring it remains focussed and relevant.”

Endorsements for Dan in the role have come from across the industry. Tim Hulme, Chief Executive of the British Institute of Innkeeping said, "At a time of great change for our industry, I can think of no one better placed than Dan Davies in leading the IOL through its next period of change. His entrepreneurialism and understanding of the regulatory environment will offer a different dimension to the Institute and the BII looks forward to working more closely with their team."

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of ALMR added, “The Institute of Licensing is a unique forum which brings together the trade, the legal and enforcement communities to discuss licensing law and the regulatory environment. We are delighted that Dan has taken up the post of Chairman as with his background, passion and determination he will help to galvanise debate and translate it into practical partnership solutions. We already work closely with Dan and CPL to promote professional standard and look forward to working closely with him in his new role.”

Whilst Brigid Simmons, Chief Executive of BBPA commented, “I am absolutely delighted that Daniel is taking up this new post. He brings with him a wealth of hugely relevant experience, and I look forward to working with him in his new role. When it comes to ensuring that the Licensing Act works effectively at safeguarding responsible retailing, working in partnership with others has never been more important.”

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Birkenhead lad Aaron Bretland recently made his dream come true by competing in the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships last month in Edinburgh, thanks to sponsorship support including Birkenhead based national training company, CPL Training Group. He successfully took home a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships held in Scotland,

Aaron, who is just 15 years old, took up the Korean martial arts sport eight years ago after being the victim of a spate of bullying. “He’s never looked back,” said Dot Bretland, Aaron’s grandmother and his biggest supporter. “He really took to the sport and it’s now his passion. He’s very talented and is hugely committed, training every evening after school”, she added. “It is a massive honour to compete for your Country and Aaron is very excited.”

Last year Aaron became British National Champion and last month, when he competed in the Under 55 weight category.

Daniel Davies, CPL Training Group’s CEO said “The team at CPL Training Group are very proud of Aaron and his achievements at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships. He’s an inspiration to other young people as he’s shown that with hard work and commitment you really can achieve great heights”

 A black belt competitor, Aaron has reached 2^nd grade Dan, a grading for those with black belt.  As well as daily training sessions overseen by Lisa and Peter Hankin at the TKD Academy in Liverpool, Aaron trains for several days every month with the British Training Squad in Manchester. Earlier this year, he trained with French, English and Spanish Taekwondo champions at a training base in Majorca, as well as competed in both Austria and Holland.

Aaron is supported, by CPL Training Group, who’s CEO, Daniel Davies, first found out about Aaron through his grandmother at their local Asda. Dot was packing bags at the checkout in return for donations towards Aaron’s taekwondo funding when the two met. Since then, Davies and the team at CPL Training Group have followed Aaron’s progress and supported him with funds for training and equipment.  “We are grateful to Dan and the team at CPL Training Group for all their support for Aaron. They recognised in him a young lad with drive and determination as well as great potential. CPL Training Group, alongside other supporters are helping to make his dream come true”, concluded Dot.

Friday, 10 October 2014

CPL Online, part of the CPL Training Group, has recruited nine new apprentices to join their swiftly growing team.

The recruitment is part of a strategy by the company to develop talented young individuals from the Wirral and surrounding areas and steer them into technical and creative roles within the organisation.

Two of the recruits, James Marshall and Megan Jones have joined the business as part of a joint apprenticeship initiative between CPL Online and Microsoft and are undertaking a Microsoft Level 3 – IT Systems & Networking Apprenticeship. The placement which sees them working within IT Support, is a twelve month programme and in addition to on the job training, includes three separate blocks of three-week training sessions delivered at QA’s training centre in Manchester. 

David Dasher, Director of CPL Online said, “The programme turns problem solvers into skilled PC builders, data defenders and cloud controllers and is designed to give James and Megan a strong technical grounding, combined with mentoring and assessment in the workplace.”

Further apprenticeships have been offered to candidates in ELearning and Software and Web Development. Charlotte Jones joins as an ELearning Support Apprentice working towards a Business Level 3 Apprenticeship. The training will provide Charlotte with a range of skills in IT, Administration, Customer Service and Complaints Handling that will see her develop into an efficient and capable member of the support team.

Five recruits, James San, Emily Powis, Owen Bayley, Sean Davies and Shane Farmer also recently joined as apprentices under QA’s Software and Web Development, Level 3 Programme, whilst Louise Jones is undertaking a Software and Web Development Level 3 Apprenticeship. 

“The programme our Software Apprentices will follow with give them technical grounding and practical project experience what will see them develop into coding masters!” added Dasher. 

Explaining CPL Online’s decision to offer apprentice schemes Dasher said, “There is a huge pool of talent on the Wirral and through these apprenticeships we can offer a first step for young people looking to develop careers in a whole range of business areas. We are committed to supporting young people get onto the career ladder and have seen over the years that some of our most creative and technically brilliant coders and developers started with us straight from school or college.”

CPL Online will be offering a further four apprenticeship placements to start before the end of the year.

Friday, 11 July 2014

The HR team continues to go from strength to strength as Melanie Douglas graduates today, courtesy of CPL Training Group.

CPL has provided Mel with full sponsorship through her fast-track Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Human Resource Management qualification, to become a full associate member of the CIPD.

Studying at Wirral Met, Mel has previously completed a CIPD certificate qualification in 2013 and following this intense eight month programme, plans to continue onto the post-graduate qualification in Human Resource Management (MSc) at LJMU later on this year.

Joining CPL in 2012 as PA to Daniel Davies, Mel was promoted to HR Administrator in May 2013, joining Lisa Graham (Group HR Manager) to form the brand new HR team. Over the past twelve months, she has gained invaluable hands on experience, to expand her knowledge and skills and has become a fully rounded member of the department. 

Lisa commented ‘It has been fantastic to see the professional growth and development of Mel in her new role over the last twelve months. HR is considered to be a dark art amongst the industry and she has proved to be a complete natural. Starting from scratch, we have focussed on a vast range of internal projects and although the learning curve has been steep, she has excelled in every area. She’s an invaluable member of not only the team but the wider group and we will continue to support her to achieve all she is capable of.’

Well done Mel! 

Wednesday, 18 June 2014

CPL Online has developed an innovative bespoke e-learning career development programme for Spirit Pub Company.

A new approach to career development, the ‘Career Pathway’, based on Spirit Pub Company’s award-winning Training Tree learning and development programme, allows users to proactively develop their own role, working their way across relevant routes and pathways.  A combination of e-learning, film and games, delegates visit and complete task-based branches with the ultimate goal of achieving compliancy within a specific area of learning.

Spirit Pub Company operate an estate of over 1,200 pubs nationwide and are committed to developing new and innovative ways of supporting staff in their professional development.

David Dasher, CPL Online’s Managing Director, has worked closely with the Spirit team throughout the eight month development programme. David said: “It’s always great to be presented with a fresh challenge that means a new way of working for our own internal team. Spirit wanted to take the e-learning concept a stage further and apply that to their internal career pathway development programme and it’s worked incredibly well!”

“Individuals are able to pursue their ambitions online and demonstrate their abilities and willingness to learn through this bespoke console. This has been a major programme and a first for us - it’s great to see it now in place and rolled out to over 13,000 of Spirit’s staff across the UK.”

The Training Tree design is visually bold, bright and engaging, yet is functional, forming part of the programme’s interactive menu.  Staff can access their appraisals, e-learning courses, company policies and more from the Career Pathway, enabling people to not only carry out mandatory training, but to understand and manage their own progression within Spirit. Over thirty bespoke online training modules have also been created for Spirit that aid employees in their induction to the pubco. 

Spirit brands include Chef & Brewer Pub Co, Fayre & Square, John Barras Pub Co, Flaming Grill Pubs, Good Night Inns, Taylor Walker and the Wacky Warehouse. Mark Peters, Head of Learning and Development at Spirit Pub Company said: “Our ambition is to be the No.1 Hospitality Company in the UK. A business is little without its people and we are committed to employing a team that want to stay with us, develop professionally and pursue their ambitions with us. This new console based learning will ultimately help us achieve that.”

Wednesday, 02 April 2014

HTML5 will be the new standardised markup language in the next few years and it is designed to deliver almost everything you want to do online; from animation to apps, music to movies.  

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a system that enables programmers to achieve font, colour, graphic and hyperlink effects on web pages.

The HTML5 working group includes Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla and hundreds of other vendors – including CPL Online.

We are upgrading over 35 e-learning courses, which were previous created in Microsoft Silverlight, to HTML5 by building them in Adobe Edge. At CPL we strive to expand our business alongside growing technology, which renovates and improves every single day. When the courses are available in HTML5 you will be able to do your training on all major browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer) as usual but now on any platform you want, including tablets, smartphones and desktops.

The HTML5 e-Learning courses will be available soon– so keep your eyes peeled for our advanced products on your favourite devices!

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Young’s held their 10th Annual Retail Awards Dinner to celebrate and recognise the management of their pubs and hotels.

The event took place in a special marquee in the garden at the Leather Bottle on Thursday 13th March, where close to 300 people attended. 

CPL Online sponsored the Training Award given to the General Manager who evidences that their team have the Y-Factor.  The Y Factor has been identified as The Essence of Young’s and is reflected in a committed engaged and well trained team.

The Dog and Fox in Wimbledon Village won the Training Award for their continual commitment to recruit, induct and develop a highly successful team. Heather Williamson, the Recruitment, Learning and Development Manager said: “The outstanding success of the Dog and Fox is in no doubt due to the GM Iain Roberts’ leadership and commitment to his team.

“The e-learning courses and online console provided to us by CPL Online have been extremely effective when helping people through their induction at Young’s, plus the messaging system has enabled everyone in the company to communicate to their teams.”

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online said: “Young’s have managed the speed to competency excellently with their ongoing development via online products. We are very proud to sponsor Young’s Training Award and assist the company in their success.”

Tuesday, 04 March 2014

One of the UK’s leading training companies, abv Training, has rolled out a range of 28 high quality e-learning courses designed for professionals in the licensed and hospitality trades who do not have the time to attend tutor-led programmes.

The firm has partnered with internationally-renowned company, the CPL Training Group, to offer courses providing qualifications in licensing, bar and cellar skills, safety and compliance, service skills and management.

Students can access their packages via a dedicated online console on the abv Training website and they are able to learn at their own pace.

The courses are highly interactive with 3D animation, graphics, video, audio and gaming technology to help learners become fully engaged with their programme.

Frazer Grant, CEO at abv Training, said: “Our e-learning project is market-leading and we are really looking forward to offering such a great package.

“Businesses are now looking to diversify the range of learning solutions to enable accessibility. E-learning gives people the opportunity to learn at their own pace, in their spare time and attain a qualification which can really help progress their career and benefit the establishment where they work.”

Daniel Davies, CEO at the CPL Training Group, said: “We are really excited to be working with abv Training on their e-learning project.”

Thursday, 27 February 2014

CPL Online is celebrating a major milestone having delivered 500,000 online training courses.

The business, part of CPL Training Group, was launched four years ago and has grown rapidly to become of one of the largest training providers of its type in the UK. CPL Online already counts leading brands including Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Heineken and almost all of the UK’s leading pub companies as key customers.

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online said: “This is an amazing milestone for us! Whilst we recognised there was a definite gap in the market for a dynamic and technology driven online training provider, we didn’t expect this level of demand.

“Awareness of the business grew organically and began initially with the CPL traditional core customer base; the licensing trade. Diversification continued fairly quickly thereafter and we now operate across almost all sectors. Typically, we now deliver around 20 courses for each client, many of whom approached us initially with a single one-off project.”

The CPL Online courses range from standard compliancy training to complete bespoke for customers needing specific training. All courses are fully interactive and contain graphics, animation, videos, audio and games.

David added: “Our ability to deliver at every level and for every need has helped spur our growth on. Diversity, flexibility and innovation are most defeinitley key drivers for us and we are becoming recognised as leaders in our field. We’re all incredibly proud of our achievements and are already working our way towards one the million mark!”

Tuesday, 24 December 2013

This year’s awards ceremony saw a twist with some hellish Staff awards intermingled with the usual heavenly Directors, with a few surprises thrown in along the way. We commend Lisa Graham and Mel Douglas for their impeccable song choices for each award!

Here’s a list of this year’s winners…

Newcomer of the Year: Adam Houston

Dapper Chap Award: James Hendy

Most Glamorous Female: Gill Dasher

Rising Star Award: Cath Gillett, Tim Aldous, Cathy Kay

Smile Award: Liam Bell

Unsung Hero: Lorna Dutton

Cool in the Gang Award: Kim Waters

Funniest Moment of the Year: Alan Leech doing the Harlem Shake in his PJs with a bin on his head!

Best Trainer Award: Aileen McDonald

Good Samaritan Award: Michelle Lyons

Sales Person of the Year (CPL & TIC): Rob Griffiths, Antony O’Toole, Emma Simons

Diva of the Year: Steph Lewis

Innovation Award: Azure Team (Giles Drake, Adam Evans, Ant Millar)

Megaphone Award: Peter Moss

Bleep Award: Sophie Moss

Achievement Award: Accounts Team (Andrea Mulcaster, Steve Walker, Kim Waters, Kurt Roberts, Liam Bell, Alex Higginson)

Coolest Geek Award: Phil George

Iron Man Award: David Dasher (presented to him by Iron Man himself, Barry Graham)

Director’s Award: Andrew Rannard

On behalf of everyone at CPL we would all like to thank our directors for hosting the night and wish them all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The pictures from the 2013 Christmas Party will be available soon on CPLe-learning and CPL Training’s Facebook pages.

Tuesday, 24 December 2013

It’s nearly the beginning of a new year and there’s been a lot to celebrate at CPL Online in 2013!

Probably the most obvious positive is the expansion of Bridge Court, home of CPL Online. It’s now three times bigger and spans across three units. The Online HQ also contains some high-tech equipment, including a green screen room and sound booth, which aids in creating even better e-learning products.

The expansion has also created a lot of new jobs – the number of staff has doubled since January and the animation department in particular has seen a huge rise in personnel. There are now two new heads of Animation, Nikki Anderson Jones for 2D and Kevin Connolly for 3D and the team has seen 13 people join since this time last year, creating a crew of 17 animators.

On another online note, our systems have now been moved to Microsoft Azure; the new supercomputer at CPL Online makes reporting from databases instantaneous; all e-learning courses are being coded in HTML5 so they can be used on iPads and Smart Phones and CPL Online’s website has been launched, along with the re-designed CPLe-learning website. 

We saw some major contract wins too – but you’ll have to wait until the New Year to see who we’re working with! 

Everyone at CPL Online wishes their customers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year and we can’t wait to see what 2014 brings! 

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Stonegate Pub Company has been shortlisted in the HR Distinction Awards in two categories: Distinction in People Development; and Distinction in Innovative Use of Technology, for its bespoke online intranet system ‘Elsa’, developed in partnership with the CPL Training Group, which houses a wealth of training and company information, along with all 12,000 employees’ professional development records. 

Tim Painter, human resources director at Stonegate, said: “Our employees are vital to the success of our business, and having happy, motivated people is of the utmost importance. We take great pride in their development and ensure that there is a range of reward and recognition schemes that benefit everyone. Being recognised for the work that we do for and with our people is just fantastic. It’s a real testament to the whole company who contribute towards making our business such a success.”

The winners of the HR Distinction Awards will be unveiled at a ceremony in Birmingham in February and CPL are routing for Stonegate to win!

Thursday, 28 November 2013

CPL Online is looking to take on at least five new Animators to help boost its growing team as the demand for custom e-learning courses by high-profile clients such as Coca Cola, Carlsberg and Star Pubs & Bars (Heineken) continues to rise. A recruitment campaign aimed at talented and enthusiastic animators, however, has still not attracted enough applicants to meet demand.

Animators form a crucial part of the e-learning process, bringing content to life through engaging imagery and interactivity, encouraging e-learning users retain important information - which is exactly what clients want from courses.

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online said: "We've been surprised by the lack of response to our recruitment drive. Liverpool is a city renowned for its creativity but people are still looking to Manchester and Leeds to pursue opportunities. We''re ready to recruit now and want to hear from anybody with a background in animation who''s looking for a new opportunity or to kick start their career after leaving education."

Dasher continued: "CPL Online is one of the largest companies of its kind in Merseyside and we're growing rapidly. Whilst we''re looking to recruit from a resource perspective, we also want people on board who can bring new, innovative and forward thinking ideas and skills. In return CPL Online offers the chance to work in an engaging atmosphere on rewarding projects that allows them to explore their own talent and abilities."

Previous experience in animation is necessary to be part of the online animation team and applicants will need in-depth knowledge on animation that can be presented in an online or print portfolio.

Since launching just four years ago, the firm now employs a team of 50 people due to a rapid and continuing client demand. The expansion has seen staff intake double in the past six months, a figure that is expected to continue to rise as new clients come on board.

There are currently three positions left in CPL Online for the role of junior animator. To apply for the role please send your CV to Melanie Douglas: melanie.douglas@cpltraining.co.uk.

Thursday, 14 November 2013

The CPL Training Group’s Finance Director Peter Moss was a nominee at the Finance Director Awards 2013 – and he won!

Peter won the award for the Best Finance Director of an Ltd Company (under £12 million turnover) last night at the Crowne Plaza, Liverpool – and rightly so after all the time and effort he’s put in to developing the CPL Training Group.

Peter Moss said upon the receival of his award: “Only I’m allowed to make me look bad – so therefore my team’s aim is to make me look good. It must be working.”

Everyone at CPL is extremely proud of their Finance Director and offers their congratulations!

Monday, 11 November 2013

A competition is starting today for those in Bridge Court, and it all focuses around one wall in the Front unit.

The wall in question will be your blank canvas to turn into a work of art based on the theme of “Banksy”.  We’re looking for dark-humoured graffiti inspired by the work you do for CPL Online in your own unique style.

The competition ends on Monday 9th December, and the top three winners’ pieces will be professionally printed onto a 20”x24” canvas to be displayed in the front office and will also receive a 12”x12” canvas for themselves!

The competition is open to everyone in CPL Online and you are expected to do the work in your own time, not CPL’s.

Please submit your competition entry anonymously to Sophie Moss (sophie.moss@cpltraining.co.uk) in any format you wish – you can even leave on her desk on the first floor in Unit 2.

Good luck!

Wednesday, 06 November 2013

The Christmas Party is fast approaching and both Mel and Sarahmarie are currently busy organising the event to ensure all who attend have a fabulous evening! The invitations will be circulated to all over the next few weeks, giving you all of the details you will need to know.

Following CPL tradition, during our Christmas Party on Friday 20th December, the directors will be presenting a selection of employees with awards to celebrate outstanding achievements throughout the year. 

However this year, in line with our Heaven & Hell themed Party, we have devised an ‘X-Factor’ style twist also introducing a new Alternative Awards category. All employees are invited to nominate their colleagues and Directors for as many categories as they wish by no later than Friday 29th November 2013.

Sealed nomination boxes are located in each building so that staff can anonymously submit their nominations. One will be situated by the coffee machine in CPL Training and the other is located in the staff room in CPL Online.

Awards Categories are as follows below; 

1. Diva of the Year – Think red carpet glamour and Hollywood-style tantrums!
2. Iron Man / Woman Award – Driven by their competitive nature to win at all costs!
3. Funniest moment of the Year – An award for the craziest, funniest or silliest moment!
4. The Dapper Chap Award - A compliment to the guy who looks incredibly smart, sexy and stylish!
5. Most Glamorous Female Award -  Charming, beautiful and smart – This lady has it all!
6. The ‘Bleep’ Award – An expressive person who hasn’t quite learnt how to mind their P’s & Q’s!
7. The Megaphone Award – Ear defenders at the ready when this person is around!
8. The Smile Award – An individual who brings a ray of sunshine to everyone’s day with their infectious smile, no matter what the weather.
9. The Good Samaritan Award – The one person who you can always call upon for sound advice.
10. ‘Cool in the Gang’ Award – Think of the ‘coolest kid in school’, everyone wants to be in their gang!
11. The Coolest Geek Award – An eccentric and enthusiastic individual who lives and breathes Geek Chic!

The nominations will be drawn up by the HR Department - ready for the big night. Nomination sheets have been emailed to you.

May we remind to you to keep all of your nominations light-hearted and in a friendly manner. You are also only allowed to submit one nomination form per employee and please try not to nominate yourself for an award!

Thursday, 31 October 2013

This October, 30 true or false questions were asked, and it was up to our online contenders to decide if they were a Trick or a Train.

The stakes were high – out of a possible 13 only seven made it through to the finals by answering all 30 questions correctly before the clock struck Midnight, announcing All Hallow’s Eve.

The seven contender’s names were drawn from a hat, and the winner was…

NEAL LEWIS!

We offer our congratulations to Neal and we hope he enjoys spending his £50 worth of highstreet vouchers! And well done to all the runners up who received consolation Halloween treats!

To get involved with our future Facebook competitions, please Like https://www.facebook.com/cplelearning

Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Admiral Taverns says it has now put more than 100 of its licensees through its new package of e-learning that is designed to help staff train at their own pace.

Admiral launched the package with the CPL Training Group on an online platform accessed via the Admiral Taverns website. It has various modules including compliance, stock management and HR, and can be picked up at whatever time suits a licensee for a flat fee of £250 a year. Around 130 people have now accessed the e-learning programme.

Suzanne Smith, head of licensee recruitment and training, said: "I'm delighted that we have reached this milestone so quickly. It’s been a really important and positive move for Admiral as the delivery of training online fits so well with the demands placed upon licensees. We think that is why we are seeing such strong take up of e-learning."

CPL founder and chief executive Daniel Davies said: "We are delighted to be partnering such a respected company as Admiral. It is a great proposition and fits well with the excellent training programmes that Admiral already has in place, making training and development as accessible and as practical as possible for licensees, and also, importantly, for pub staff."

Monday, 28 October 2013

There are more new starters at CPL Online, adding to the ever-growing teams!

John Roberts is our new Account Manager, who joins a 10-strong support team to help you with all your e-learning needs.

Robyn Thompson becomes the first female Junior Course Programmer to code our e-learning courses.

And there’s a handful of newbies joining animation, including Angharad Pearce (Junior Animator), Ben Phelps (Junior Animator), Liam Amor (Junior Animator) and Kevin Connolly (Head of 3D Animation). 

Welcome to everyone who has starting working at CPL Online and we can’t wait to see what more new and exciting things these people bring to our online products and services! 

Friday, 18 October 2013

The CPL Training Group’s Finance Director, Peter Moss, has been nominated for the Best FD of an Ltd Company.

The Finance Director of the Year Awards 2013 celebrates the achievements of leading individuals and businesses within the Chester, Liverpool City, North Wales and Warrington regions.

Peter Moss is responsible for the both the strategic and day-to-day financial management of the Group and has over 20 years’ experience across the Professional Services, Distribution, Logistics and Retail sectors. He has also held the position of Finance and Operations Director at a number of multi Fast Track 100 award winning companies; however this year we take particular pride in Peter, as he has overseen the development of CPL Online’s expansion and has played an integral role in the building’s overall design.

Hopefully our FD’s achievements will see him win his award on Wednesday 13th November at the Crowne Plaza, Liverpool and we wish him the best of luck in his category!

Thursday, 17 October 2013

The expansion of CPL Online’s premises finally came to an end in September, but that doesn’t mean we’re still not growing in other areas.

Our team of animators has doubled in the past year, as has our support team. Their strength in numbers helps us maintain our high quality levels of online services for customers as we build more courses and products for you.

More technology has been implemented too; we have set up our ‘Sound Station’ that goes with our VocalBooth™, enabling us to record and edit voiceover recordings on-site. Rumour has it that a CPL Xmas song will be recorded in there to celebrate the oncoming festivities. But this of course is just a rumour…

Also, the impending re-release of all current e-learning courses that are available to the general public (so all your favourites, including Food Safety, Fire Awareness, Health & Safety and Manual Handling) are expecting to go live in 2014. This event is definitely something to look forward to, especially if it’s anything to go by our Intro Videos that have been leaking onto our Facebook timeline and Twitter feed. You can view the videos at any time on our YouTube channel here.

If you’re interested in joining one of the teams at CPL Online, please contact melanie.douglas@cpltraining.co.uk to see if there are vacancies available in our ever expanding company.

Wednesday, 02 October 2013

This October 30 true or false questions will be asked - it is up to you to decide if they are a Trick or a Train.

The person who gets each of the 30 questions on CPLe-learning’s Facebook page correct will be entered into a prize draw… the prize being £50 worth of highstreet vouchers!

If more than one person gets all the answers correct, their names will be drawn out of a hat. If no one has answered all the questions correctly, the person with the most correct answers will win the prize.To answer the question, please insert your answer (‘Trick’ – False, ‘Train’ – True) into the comment box attached to each question.

The winner will be announced on Halloween! So get involved this October and get answering to be in for the chance to win: www.facebook.com/cplelearning

Tuesday, 01 October 2013

The CPLe-learning website has been re-designed for a more easy-to-use experience so that users can navigate to the courses they need in click.

The first CPLe-learning website went live early in 2012 to provide people with online accessibility to e-learning courses. E-learning courses are still CPL Online's most popular product, and we want to make them as accessible as possible for everyone to enjoy and learn from.

Not only has the CPLe-learning website been upgraded but the compliancy courses are also seeing a re-vamp, which are due to be available for e-learning users in 2014. David Dasher, MD of CPL Online said: "There's two reasons behind the upgrades – one is due to CPL Online's pledge to clients that we will ensure high-quality levels of e-learning courses are maintained, so that e-learning users are training effectively online."

"The second reason is that technology is growing, and our company is growing with it. Our teams at CPL Online are more advanced than ever - as is the technology they use to build courses and other online products on. With the likes of the green screen, audio booth and supercomputer, we ensure everything we create is the best quality we can achieve."

To view the new CPLe-learning website please go to: www.cple-learning.co.uk and for daily updates from the office please follow our Twitter account @cplelearning and 'Like' our Facebook page here: facebook.com/cplelearning

Friday, 20 September 2013

Voiceovers are integral for CPLe-learning courses, and as we delve into further advancements with our products and services, we have treated our VO Artists to a state-of-the art sound booth.

The VocalBooth™ was required from Dolphin Music, who provides a wide range of acoustic solutions. The VocalBooth™ provides us with greater sound control and it is the most popular product for any professional recording or sound isolation... and of course, everyone is loving the 'CPL orange' acoustic foam interior to match the company branding.

At CPL Online we are constantly striving to improve their products, and by hosting all our product-developing facilities on-site we are able to produce quality services for clients and provide new and exciting roles for the talented people who work with us.

Friday, 12 July 2013

Lisa Graham, HR Manager for the CPL Training Group, has graduated courtesy of CPL.

CPL Training Group has provided Lisa with full sponsorship throughout her fast-track Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Human Resource Management qualification, to become an associate member of the CIPD.

Having previously completed a CIPD certificate qualification in 2009, Lisa returned to her studies to match the level of hands-on experience in HR she has obtained throughout the last five years. She enrolled at the Wirral Metropolitan College in 2012 and completed an intense eight month course.

The CIPD Human Resource Management qualification has allowed Lisa to expand her knowledge and skills by focusing on key strategic areas, such as workforce and talent planning, plus meeting the development needs of the CPL Training Group through further engagement with employees.

Lisa graduated at the Floral Pavilion Theatre, New Brighton on 12th July. She said: "My seven year old daughter, Mia, was my special guest on the big day. I wanted to make her proud and thank her for all of her patience and perseverance as I studied for the qualification. I want to be her inspiration so that she works hard and dreams big!"

Lisa has applied to commence her postgraduate qualification in Human Resource Management (MSc) at the University of Liverpool through evening classes, which will commence this September.

Tuesday, 09 July 2013

Sunday 7th July the CPL Racers joined the Race for Life and raised over £400 in donations.

The CPL Racers consisted of women from the CPL Training group and their relatives. An estimated 4,000 women ran the combined 5k and 10k race in Liverpool and another 6,000 people came to support the girls and the cause. The race was held on the hottest day of the year so far, reaching 27°C.

The six girls felt the burn whilst running, jogging and walking through Sefton Park, but they all did it in less than an hour!

The CPL Racers’ podium:

1st place: Lisa at 27 minutes

2nd place: Sara at 34 minutes

3rd place: Karen at 35 minutes

4th place: Sarah-Marie at 38 minutes

Joint 5th place: Sophie and Steph at 48 minutes

Lisa Speirs, junior graphic designer at CPL Online and ‘gold medal’ holder, said: “I really enjoyed the event; the atmosphere of everyone supporting the same cause together was a great feeling. Also, Race for Life has inspired me start training again – now I’m aiming to do the 10k race next year and raise even more money to help beat cancer!”

So, the question on everyone’s lips: how much did the CPL Racers raise?

The majority of donations came from people at the CPL Training Group and their family and friends, but some of CPL’s clients also donated, including Dennis Forsyth from Cheers Café, Bar & Tavern, Fraserburgh. Plus, a huge chunk of money came from the florists at Karen’s workplace Hartley’s Nurseries, Lydiate – so a big thanks to everyone that donated to the grand total of £425!

To view the pictures from the day, please view the CPLe-learning Facebook page: www.facebook.com/cplelearning

Friday, 05 July 2013

Two new employees have joined CPL Online this month, adding towards the company’s growth.

The new starters are Dennis Anderson, who is joining the course development team to aid in coding e-learning courses; and Nick Street, who will be part of the support team helping all e-learning users with their enquires.

Dennis and Nick are part of a group of new people at CPL Online who have joined this year; five employees began only two months ago across the animation, web development and database design teams. The online training company has been expanding rapidly over the past year and has taken on major companies such as Coca-Cola, Heineken and Carlsberg.

David Dasher, MD of CPL Online said: “Businesses have realised the potential of CPL Online and what we can provide for them; so as the workload grows, as does our need to take on more people. We have been expanding rapidly over the past year and we’re very keen to employ talented and innovative people that have just finished university in and around Merseyside.”

Employing young creative people whilst presenting opportunities to learn and develop lies at the heart of CPL Online, and the employees reflect this mantra by the excellent work they produce. So welcome and good luck to all CPL Online’s new starters!

Thursday, 04 July 2013

Five students have come to spend their summer holidays at CPL!

Hannah Williams and Sean Breeze are spending several weeks at CPL Online for work experience; plus Joe Lewis, Jennifer Birss and Jacob Baylis are back again to lend a hand to the support and animation teams.

Sean Breeze has been given an eight-week position in the CPL Training Group with the IT team, where he will be helping out with technical issues. Antony Millar, IT director at CPL, said: “I’m certain Sean will benefit massively from being part of our team – we manage a range of systems for CPL and our clients so the skills he will hone will be indispensable for future work.”

CPL Online encourages young, talented people to work with them, and over 60% of the company’s workforce consists of people under the age of 30. Joe is approaching his final year at Hull University this September, along with Jennifer who has just finished her degree in Human Geography at the University of Leeds - and very recently obtained at 2:1 (congratulations Jen!). Both students have already spent Easter, Christmas and summer breaks at Bridge Court before and it has helped them to how to apply themselves within the working world.

Joe Lewis said: “It’s great to be part of a growing sector, and when I come to CPL Online I gain invaluable skills by being involved in a young and invigorating workplace.”

Jacob, from Teeside University and Hannah from UCLAN have already spent a few weeks at CPL Online already and are settling fine with the animation team. They are both currently helping to illustrate e-learning courses this summer.

Thursday, 20 June 2013

The expansion at CPL Online is finally coming to an end, closing with the original (Front) Unit being refurbished.

At the present the Front Unit is being painted and having new flooring put down, but in two weeks’ time the foundations will have been laid and all the exciting new technology will be arriving, along with some fancy furniture, including a new boardroom table and large couches.

As described in previous news stories, the Front Unit is to be CPL Online’s client-facing building, which will contain a theatre where online products and services can be demonstrated to customers. Customers can also interact with the online services and products through Smart Boards, which MD of CPL Online David Dasher is thrilled about. To view images of Dasher and his new toys, please take a look at our Facebook photo album entitled “Expansion Continuation”, which can be found via this link: www.facebook.com/cplelearning

In addition, the green screen is up and ready in Unit 1. The digital media team (starting soon) cannot wait to use it to help further develop e-learning courses and create in-house company videos.

CPL Online’s Grand Opening will be taking place in September and we are expecting local companies, MPs and some of our clients to attend the big reveal. More information on the event will be coming soon!

Friday, 10 May 2013

On Friday 3rd May 2013, the CPL Training Group flocked to Floral Pavilion, New Brighton for their annual Staff Information Day presentation.

Staff Information Day reviews the past year and presents employees with the chance to understand more about the company they work for and the results it achieves, all through the medium of presentations and internal networking.

There were five speakers this year, three of which were from external companies. Daniel Davies, CEO of the CPL Training Group, was first to present. His speech explained how we have created a blended learning solution setting CPL apart from other competitors and the ups and downs of the previous year.

Jim Kelly, spokesperson for Palmer & Harvey, talked about why they chose us as their online services provider and the work CPL Online have done for the UK's leading independent and national wholesaler; concentrating on the Focus and Vehicle Management systems.

Lee Woolley, Head of HR at Stonegate, talked about CPL’s and Stonegate’s ‘match made in hell/heaven’, and how they’re looking towards the future by making further staff development innovations with CPL Online.

Paul Charity, MD of Propel Info, spoke of the free-to-air morning briefing newsletter and how they help to promote the CPL Training Group through brand recognition, engagement, news writing, message reinforcement and face-to-face.

David Dasher, MD of CPL Online and infamous for his distinct presentations, talked about the success of CPL Online in the past 12 months and what the future will hold for the online services, products and e-learning courses; which looks like it will be a very exciting future indeed!

The presentations were finished by Daniel Davies with a bid for those to line their stomachs with condiments from the buffet before making their way down the road for drinks in i-Kandy; and thanks very much to Dan for supplying the free bar - cheers to the next year at CPL!

Wednesday, 08 May 2013

Star Pubs & Bars has appointed CPL Online to roll out an e-learning package for all its lessees encompassing 24 accredited staff training and personal development courses.

Star Pubs & Bars lessees are the first of any national leased pub operator to benefit from the e-learning programme which provides them with the high standards and scope of managed pub company training.

The pub operator has used its buying power to secure the package for its lessees at a fraction of the cost they would be able to purchase it for as individuals. For just £250 a year each pub’s staff and lessees can access the interactive training from any internet connected computer 24 hours a day completing as many courses as they wish. The modules are grouped into three main areas: compliance (such as Age Verification, Food Hygiene and Health & Safety), soft skills ranging from ‘Up-selling’ to Cellar Management and personal development, including Interview Skills, Staff Appraisals and Time Management courses.

Research of Star Pubs & Bars’ lessees has found that sourcing good, affordable staff training was a major challenge. Chris Moore, Star Pubs & Bars property and strategy director, stated: "E-learning is the perfect solution. Courses are designed to be used unsupervised and feature interactive animations, games and voiceovers to make the process easy, accessible and fun. Everyone can do it at a time and place that best suits them and can work at their own pace – ideal for pubs where employees work different shifts. Importantly, nobody is required to leave the pub, a real benefit in a busy customer facing business."

The training brings benefits to lessees on many levels. As well as improving customer service and therefore sales, the package enables them to continue their own personal development and helps with the recruitment and retention of staff.

Moore explains, “Applicants can be required to complete basic training before they are taken on, a great way of identifying committed, enthusiastic candidates. And, once employed, lessees can provide staff with a structured development programme tailored to their individual experience, needs and ambitions.”

Star Pubs & Bars anticipates that e-learning will ultimately transform all of its training, enabling it to transfer much of the factual information lessees need to know on line, freeing up time to focus on coaching lessees to gain different skills.

Moore added, "The Star Pubs & Bars estate is built on quality, long term sustainable pub businesses. We believe the key to a thriving pub is excelling in every area. We want to help our lessees have the best pubs, which means they have got to have the best staff; our new e-learning training will enable them to go a long way to achieving this."

Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Young’s – a pub company operating 125 managed and 76 tenanted pubs have effectively used e-learning in the managed department for the past 9 years as part of a blended approach to the learning and development of their employees.

Young’s are looking forward to working with CPL on the Young’s Academy offering improved e-learning programmes for employees to gain the knowledge required to be safe and compliant in their role, as well as the additional features of a new internal communications - messaging platform and a bookshelf ensuring relevant information available to all employees dependent on the job role.

The Young’s Academy provided by CPL is web based giving convenient access for all users, and we look forward to when messaging and the bookshelf are accessible from mobile devices.

The LMS provided by CPL with the Young’s Academy will help senior managers and general managers track all team members learning and development enhancing the succession planning and career development of individuals in an objective way and the development of on line appraisal in the summer will support this further.

A new bespoke console will be available to all Young’s Tenanted Pubs complete with 24/7 access to online e-learning courses.

“Geronimo!”

Geronimo Inns, “purveyors of fine pubs, fresh British food, real ales and banter” was acquired by Young’s in December 2010 and they still operate a high-quality estate of 34 managed pubs in London. The food-led Inns have their own custom console, separate from Young’s, to retain the special brand feel.

Geronimo Learning will provide all the features the Young’s Academy has but in a Geronimo way! All the Geronimo tribe embraced e-learning 2 years ago and like Young’s all will benefit from the improved communications and information available to all depending on the job role.

Its true.....Young’s are a group of individual pubs – individual in terms of décor, offer and atmosphere- however the essence of Young’s we believe is our people and having the 4 items listed….

Young’s fun fact: did you know that every Young’s site must contain the 4 following items: the Young’s logo, a grandfather clock, an open fire and a picture of the Queen Mother pulling a pint!

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

On the 15th March, all CPL Online employees arrived to work in their ultimate Friday casual wear – their pyjamas!

By holding the pyjama party The On-lie-ins intended to achieve (and hoped to exceed) their goal of raising £100 on Red Nose Day, which was exactly what happened! The pyjama-clad team raised £215, which was 215% of the fundraising target, plus everyone got to look very cute and cosy all Friday.

The Harlem Shake did take place at Bridge Court, to everyone’s amusement. Alan Leech and Ritchie Lam were the stars of the video, which you can watch on YouTube.

Over the road, Team Onesie raised a staggering £423.40, with 37% of the donations coming from their delicious Bake Sale! The On-lie-ins send a well-deserved ‘well done’ to everyone at CPL Training.

To view all the pictures from the day, check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/elearning and Twitter: @cplelearning

Thank you On-lie-ins for your participation and donations to Red Nose Day!

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Spring is almost upon us, and the Units are blossoming under the chill March sunshine, which the employees of CPL Online peek at through their new vertical blinds - like baby lambs anticipating the first shoots of grass.

Everyone at CPL Online has now settled in Unit 2 since the move; however the builders have now entered their final phase of the expansion: the fitting of Unit 1. Hammering, sawing and general smashing rebounds noisily through Bridge Court, disturbing the peace. But the Online team are dealing with the disturbance very well, for they know in the next month or so the expansion project will be finished, thus benefiting the company massively by providing more creative space and exciting new features.

The cafeteria (aka “Dash ‘n’ Dine”) that is part of Unit 2 will be extended into Unit 1, making it twice as big. A green screen is also expected to occupy Unit 1, were all company videos will be produced professionally in-house. The Front Unit, were CPL Online originally occupied, is being re-furbished along with Unit 1 to be our client-facing building, which will contain a theatre where our online products and services can be demonstrated to clients.

To keep updated with the expansion and CPL Online’s activities in general, please follow us on Twitter @cplelearning and like our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/elearning

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

You may have heard that CPL Online are supporting Red Nose Day on Friday 15th March by holding a Pyjama Day in Bridge Court.

But now we’re gonna have to up our game: our sister company CPL Training are also supporting the charity by holding a Wear a Onesie to Work Day! #Team-Onesie are also looking to raise money by holding a Big Weigh In; Cash 4 Your Old Clothes are taking in unwanted clothing items to places that truly need them in third-world countries, and all the money made from the kilos of clothes will go straight to Comic Relief. CPL Training are also Baking it like Berry by having a bake-sale on the Friday afternoon, where #Team-Onesie and The On-lie-ins will collide, munch a cake or two and raise even more money for Red Nose Day.

But The On-lie-ins are going to topple all of CPL Training’s fancy plans by holding an Online Harlem Shake! We’ll get the video on YouTube for you to enjoy in due course…

So tell your friends, your family, and your colleagues to support The On-lie-ins by sponsoring our Red Nose Day page here: http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/cplonline and help us raise more money than #Team-Onesie!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab a Red Nose from Lisa Graham in Egerton House for a minimum donation of £1!

Monday, 18 February 2013

This year CPL Online are supporting Comic Relief by raising money and awareness for the major UK charity.

Comic Relief is a major charity based in the UK, whose mission is to drive positive change through the power of entertainment. Since 1985, Comic Relief has raised over £800,000,000; this money has been used to tackle poverty and social injustice in the UK, Africa and some of the world’s poorest countries. Red Nose Day was created in 1988 as part of the Comic Relief campaign. Its creation brought comedy and charity together like never before on live national TV.

CPL Online feel strongly about supporting charity, especially Comic Relief, which has done so much already over the past 28 years. So, on the 15th March, all CPL Online employees will be arriving to work in their ultimate Friday casual wear – their pyjamas!

By having our pyjama party we intend to achieve (and hope to exceed) our goal of raising £100 on Red Nose Day. So tell your friends, your family, and your colleagues to support The On-lie-ins by sponsoring our Red Nose Day page here: http://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/cplonline

Thank you.

Thursday, 14 February 2013

To everyone,

Happy Valentine’s Day! This February 14th we are offering 25% off all hospitality e-learning courses. There are 24 e-learning courses to select from within the Compliancy and Soft Skill sectors. You could learn how to handle the burning flames of passion with Fire Awareness, or perk up your love life with our Coffee Skills course… plus much more.

To receive this offer, enter the promo code VAL25 when you are on the purchase page on www.cple-learning.co.uk. Prices range from £20-£35 and a certificate will be sent to you by post after course completion.

The Valentine’s offer is available until the 14th March 2013, so you have an entire month to go ahead and ‘chews’ your favourite e-learning course.

Love from,

CPL Online

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

The company has been expanding. We have gone from creating bespoke e-learning courses to generating online services, which include website design and development, database design, web service development, software design and development, and mobile application development. We also offer new products such as the Appraisals System and Intranet design and development, which we are providing with our well-established product the Hub.

Our progression is due to CPL Online providing its clients with bespoke working solutions; the company’s in-house teams always strive to achieve client’s goals with their quality design, animation, and programming skills. The various team’s positive and creative attitudes are what have helped CPL Online to grow.

The company’s MD, David Dasher, said: “We needed a website that reflected who we currently are – we still create great interactive learning courses but we have naturally progressed to building more software products due to the demands of our clients. Our CPLe-learning website will still be used for the e-learning courses; however our new website focuses on the other online services we can provide.”

Our new site is cutting-edge, invigorating, and clearly demonstrates what we can do. So have a browse, and let us know what you think by mentioning us on Twitter @cplelearning using #Onlineisonline or leave a comment on our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/cplelearning.

Thursday, 07 February 2013

Carlsberg, one of the world’s most well-known retailer and brewer, has joined forces with leading training providers the CPL Training Group to deliver training to over 6000 pubs.

Thousands of independent free houses will benefit from either completely free or heavily discounted courses from the 24 available from CPL Training’s sister company, CPL Online. Pubs can also gain access to Carlsberg UK’s bespoke course ‘Eight Steps to Success’, which offers sites a guide on how to run a successful pub via Carlsberg’s award winning ‘We Deliver More’ scheme. Plus, CPL Online has created a bespoke ranging tool known as ‘Getting your Range Right’, which supplies licensees with valuable knowledge on selling Carlsberg products to their customers.

Hundreds of pubs will also benefit from a £100 discount on personal licence training, APLH and SCPLH, from CPL Training. David Scott, Director of Marketing for Carlsberg UK said: “It’s never been more important for pubs to have fully trained and skilled staff. However, in these tough economic times, sometimes training and development courses are pushed to the bottom of the ‘to do’ list as they can be expensive. That’s why we have joined forces with CPL, so we can continue to work in partnership with our customers and provide them with affordable and useful training courses, demonstrating that we really do deliver more to customers.”

David Dasher, MD of CPL Online added: “We have been training licensed trade for over twenty years and have an average pass rate of 98%. We are delighted to be working in conjunction with Carlsberg UK and deliver these invaluable training courses, which will continue to improve the standard of work in the UK on-trade.”

Monday, 14 January 2013

CPL Online has leapt into 2013 by expanding its business premises, tripling in size and making way for major growth and expansion.

CPL Online, we specialise in the creation of innovative e-learning solutions. We are now approaching its fourth year of operation, having enjoyed fast track growth through contract wins and partnering with a broad cross sector of UK-wide clients. Under a continued program of expansion, we have secured long term leases on the two adjoining units adjacent to our current offices on Canning Street, Birkenhead.

The original unit, Unit 1, is currently being stripped and fitted out to a high specification, as will Unit 2 come February. Unit 3 is already finished and all of the Online employees are currently residing there until the expansion project is completed in April. Once completed, the work spaces will be introduced with added benefits such as chill out areas, creative rooms where in-house videos can be developed by our staff and a Theatre where online products and services will be presented to clients.

The reason of CPL Online’s growth is due to our considerable intake of corporate clients. During the past two years we have seen high levels of success in the online market place, so we began to adapt the our approach towards the larger corporate market and received a fantastic response. The demand for our e-learning courses and online services spurred the company’s growth; big businesses are incredibly engaged with training and can instantly recognise the benefits of delivering interactive and bespoke online training to their employees.

Due to client’s demands, we plan to take on more people. The CPL Training Group ethos is to give young and talented people job opportunities whenever possible; and here at CPL Online we want those young and talented people to come to us in the near future so they can be a part of an exciting business in which they can grow, develop, learn and innovate.

To keep updated with the CPL Online expansion, take a look at their Facebook page:www.facebook.com/cplelearning and Twitter @cplelearning

Monday, 24 December 2012

Merry Christmas to you all from CPL Online! We hope you all have your gifts wrapped and under the tree.

This year the CPL Online team has seen a lot of positives happening within the company. We have now been branded and housed with the other three separate companies CPL Training, CPL Learning and CPLe-learning under the name of the CPL Training Group, knitting the divisions together as an entity. The CPL Training Group website is currently being discussed and we are expecting it to be up and running in 2013.

The CPL Training Group has also been implementing a new, interactive Intranet system for next year. It will act as a Human Resource management tool that will help the HR department effectively manage all CPL procedures; furthermore the system will include an online Induction Course too.

In other HR related news, we unfortunately lost former HR Director Christine Henney who started her own HR consultancy firm earlier this year, but are pleased to announce that her new venture is doing well. We are also happy to introduce our new Group HR Manager, Lisa Graham, who is really pushing the new Intranet system, and wish her all the best in her new role with us. Peter Spivack, a former Food Safety trainer of ours, has now joined us as Head of CPL Learning. Peter has a strong background in Apprenticeships and work-based learning and is proving to be a great asset to the department and the CPL Training Group.

We aim to further help our clients by meeting their needs and business objectives, developing bespoke e-learning courses and offering online services and products. The new clients CPL Online have worked with in 2012 include Genting, who are one of the UKs largest casino operators; Robinsons, the brewers of excellent craft ales; St Austell Brewery, Cornwall’s Award winning independent family brewers and Coca Cola, the major international soft-drink brand.

We are expecting a lot of enthralling happenings in 2013 starting with a move to a new, larger building. We are forecasting to double the number of employees as well as adding several more major corporate clients to our growing portfolio. Come January we will also be launching our new CPL Online website and so will have a lot to celebrate this New Year indeed!

Everyone is anticipating all the exciting events that are going to happen next year in the CPL Training Group, but for the next week we hope everyone has as a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thursday, 15 November 2012

2012 has been an incredible year for us. We have secured several top corporate clients, we are expanding our portfolio of courses and we are growing rapidly.

Our growing client and product portfolio has seen our team grow significantly. Since October we have taken on 15 new members of staff in every area; from support and programing to design and animation. We have also taken on several people at management level.

Our latest new starters have both come from Wirral-based marketing consultancy firm DMS and have over 40 years’ experience between them.

Julie Hannigan is our new E-learning Support Manager and is responsible for our Support team. With a wealth of knowledge and over 30 years’ experience in Marketing, PR and IT databases Julie is looking at ways to streamline the support process, making the service more efficient for our clients as well as for back office purposes.

Giles Drake is our new Senior Programmer and has over 11 years’ programming experience. He is responsible for both company websites as well as managing corporate client database and intranet systems including Stonegate Pub Co.

Already fitting in well to our team we are looking forward to seeing what they can do and hope 2013 will be as big as, if not bigger, than 2012.

Friday, 09 November 2012

David Dasher, Managing Director of CPL Online, talks about how he came to be his own boss.

“I am very much from the self-taught school of education having left school five weeks before I was due to sit my GCSE’s. Although I returned to sit my exams I was offered a job with Marconi in Wirral working with electrical components and basic computer skills; starting work interested me far more and so I took the job with Marconi.

“After a spell with Marconi, I took a position with a direct marketing company in a junior capacity. My focus here was on below line marketing including databases and CRM systems. As the company grew, my role with them developed until I was eventually appointed IT Director. I spent many years with the company, managing and developing new projects for major clients including Pilkington Glass and Total Oil.

“Although I was encouraged to innovate and try out new approaches and work in different ways, I increasingly felt my wings were clipped and felt that the time was approaching to branch out on my own. I went on to set up my own software company of which CPL Training became a client of - their interest in the online training market had started to grow significantly. Daniel Davies, CPL Training Chief Executive, and I began discussing how we could make an e-learning business work and, just a few months later, CPLe-learning was born.

“Our initial focus for the business was on CPL’s existing client base which at the time focused predominantly on the licensed trade. We spent the first year developing programmes for this sector, namely Health and Safety, Food Safety, Age Verification, Drugs Awareness and Fire Awareness. We tried and tested different ways of working; media platforms, graphics, animation and much more.

“Clients were keen to find out how we could best bring to life their working environment and discover how we could stimulate and engage with their workforce, developing the most effective training experience.

“We began to recruit young local talent – animators, designers, programmers – and our reputation as an innovator took us into new markets across the UK. We are now in our third year and have achieved a 100% year on year growth each year. Today clients include Coca Cola, Vauxhall, Genting Casinos and Stonegate Pub Company, for whom we have developed bespoke training courses that have been delivered to thousands of employees internationally.

“We now have over 30 permanent team members and have set up an Academy offering young people work experience, placements and employment opportunities. We have a solid infrastructure in place from which we can grow and develop and our client base that now ranges from the care, automotive, retail, industrial and construction sectors.

“The potential for the business appears endless and new doors appear to open almost daily. We are controlling our growth and ensuring we don’t expand too quickly; however we already have a five year plan in place which we believe will take us into a new, revolutionised style of learning experience.”

Thursday, 04 October 2012

We are pleased to announce that we now have a new Junior Animator who has joined our team of e-learning creatives.

We received a lot of great applications and the work was of an incredibly high standard, so we’d like to thank everyone who applied and wish them the best of luck in the future.

Our new junior will be helping to animate our e-learning courses including our diverse range of avatars and interactive games.

So congratulations and welcome to our latest team member!

Friday, 30 December 2011

For the past few years CPL have awarded their employees for all their hard work in the form of a Christmas party. Whilst it’s true that most organisations nowadays throw a Christmas party for the staff, ours is a little different with stilt walkers and fire eaters to name but a few things.

The 2011 Christmas party was held in Thornton Hall, a beautiful four star hotel and spa in the country. The room was striking, the outfits stunning and the alcohol flowing. After a welcoming speech by Daniel Davies, the CEO, and a three course dinner came the awards.

This year was special in that there were multiple winners in several categories – obviously we have an abundance of talented people working for us!

So, who were our lucky winners?

Newcomer of the Year: Martin Bailey

Martin has made an incredible impact since joining CPL Online in 2011. In the short time he has been with us Martin has helped develop e-learning courses through his inspiring animations.

Rising Star’s Award: Tom Hannigan and Daniel Clark

This award highlights those who are going places. From several departments these winners have proven their ability and demonstrated their passion for the areas they work in.

Innovation Award - CPL Online Team

Winners for the second year running the Online team have continued to break the mould when it comes to online training. Having secured a contract with Stonegate Pubs, and several other large corporate organisations, the team continues to push itself to ensure our e-learning courses are the best around.

Directors Award - Sara Yates

The only award not to be decided on votes, the Director’s Award goes to an individual who has exceeded expectations, works incredibly hard and will always go that extra mile. Sara has impressed not just directors, but colleagues and clients with her enthusiasm and can do attitude.

Monday, 18 April 2011

“In today’s busy business world, pubs need to train their staff fast, and online learning offers them an effective and flexible way to do it.”

This is the message David Dasher sent out to pubs during the Publican Awards last week. In his presentation David highlighted the benefits of using online learning to train staff as well as how CPL Online differs from its competitors.

With customised packages, we can offer customers a host of business-focussed benefits including the Results and Stats tool, which shows the statistics on staff performance, where they’re up to on a course as well as a message update to remind them and employers to complete a section of the course.

The accessibility of our online platform enables fast, flexible learning solutions so staff can complete their courses on their breaks or between split shifts. It’s a revolutionary training platform that over the past year, has made huge reductions in training costs, with course prices averaging £30, and delivered an accommodating alternative to traditional face-to-face training methods.

JW Lees is a prime example of reaping the benefits of online learning. Since setting up their e-learning platform a year ago over 1,700 courses have been completed, 500 in the first two months! Staff have completed various modules from health and safety to manual handling.

We designed games, puzzles and more to ensure staff members were involved throughout their learning to help them retain information as this form of training requires a lot of personal responsibility from classroom based learning.

So, after a valuable lesson in embracing technology to secure a brighter business future, David certainly left them with something to think about.