The Top 30 L&D Providers

Circus Street made it into the LPI’s Top 30 Highest Performing Learning Providers of 2020, joining the ranks of an elite group at the forefront of the L&D industry. Read on to discover what makes a learning provider “best in class” – and what you should expect from a top learning programme.

Read on to discover:

• Why L&D providers are scoring low on online learning
• What the roadmap to success looks like
• What sets the Top 30 learning providers apart from the rest
• How Circus Street scored

The last year has been uniquely challenging for learning providers everywhere. As we celebrate (or, at least, tolerate) the anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic, the surge in online learning continues: 57% of organisations used online learning in 2020, up from 29% in 2015, according to the CIPD. Many organisations have ramped up their offering of webinars, with some digital learning platforms seeing an increase in uptake of up to 3x in 2020. 

However, learning providers with a large portfolio of face-to-face training are struggling to adapt – and many aren’t delivering best-in-class online learning programmes.

According to the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), online learning ranked in the five lowest performing areas for L&D providers in 2020-21, scoring a measly 11th place.

Overall, the LPI found that the learning content was “of a high standard” in the majority of organisations who provide online learning. However, there are gaps.

“In particular, the pedagogy was not always effective enough to ensure learners were fully engaged in activities, or challenged enough to validate their understanding of the topic at hand,” they write. The report also reveals “some instances of a lack of version control”, describing “issues where the content loaded slowly due to complexity or lack of optimisation.” 

“[These challenges] are faced by many commercial organisations, so it would be foolish to assume that L&D is somehow immune,” they conclude. 

A roadmap for success

For 25 years, the LPI have independently benchmarked hundreds of learning providers through their internationally recognised accreditation programme, providing them with a clear roadmap to building their capabilities and adapting their strategy for continual success.

In their 2020 report on The Top 30 Learning Providers, the LPI reveals their list of the highest performing L&D providers of the year. The standard is extremely high – and those who have made the list have had to demonstrate outstanding levels of competence in a number of areas across the business.

The LPI ranks learning providers according to eight key performance indicators (KPI’s), including “live learning”, “online learning”, “eLearning content”, “self-study content”, “quality management”, “qualifications/accreditations”, and “people development”. The Top 30 consists of the learning providers who scored highest overall, across these eight KPIs. 

So what does success look like? 

What sets the Top 30 learning providers apart from the rest

The LPI’s top learning providers have all met the following criteria: 

• They have proved that they provide their customers with “the best learning solutions and services possible”, according to the LPI’s best practice criteria
• They have each committed to a rolling 12 month development plan to continually improve their performance 
• They are continuously measured and reviewed against the “new” and “best practices” to prove the value of their learning programmes
• The LPI have authenticated, validated, and endorsed each of these providers’ personnel, materials, processes, performance, and business integrity 
• They have all undergone an independent and rigorous annual accreditation process, which examines every aspect of their learning programmes

“Prospective and existing customers can be assured that these organisations will provide the highest quality of service and the best user experience, even in this difficult time,” Monk comments. “They are trusted business partners, acting always in the best interests of their clients and, as such, fully endorsed by the Learning and Performance Institute.”

All in all, the report presents a clear picture of who the “best in class” learning providers are – and what we should expect from a top learning programme.

How did we score?

In 2020, we made it into the LPI’s Top 30, joining the ranks of an elite group of learning providers at the forefront of the L&D industry.

“Circus Street impressed the LPI by clearly evidencing its ongoing commitment to high quality, both in its product portfolio development and in the personal development of its employees,” Edmund Monk, CEO of LPI, said. “As such, I can highly recommend Circus Street to prospective buyers of learning solutions.”

We work with the world’s largest brands to build and develop their digital capabilities across their organisation at pace and scale. With our engaging and effective online learning programs, we aim to create a global digital business language through modern education that is relevant in a world of continuous change. 

Our curriculum currently holds 85 lessons across 45 different subject areas, including Digital Transformation, eCommerce, Content Marketing, Big Data, and Leadership. In addition to this, we have recently launched a series of bite-sized lessons, or Spotlights. Taking inspiration from the world of television and film, these 10-minute lessons are designed to fit around busy schedules, deliver practical and focused learning at the moment of need, and complement our learning programmes.

Each learning programme is customised based on your organisation’s goals, and your team skills – and we work closely together with our clients to build lesson plans and workshops that can plug in to their current learning programmes, working across functions, at scale. 

In their assessment, the LPI highlights how our online learning programmes “create a common digital business language among all employees to allow companies to deliver better business outcomes.” 

“They also deliver engagement communication plans, and meet their clients business objectives in multi-year programs,” the LPI write.

“We are honoured to be recognised as a top 30 learning provider in our first year of accreditation with the LPI,” says Richard Townsend, our co-founder and CEO. “This really does show the hard work all of our teams put in to ensuring our clients receive outstanding learning programs that drive real change.”

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