In an era dominated by new technologies, the workforce must undergo transformation to effectively collaborate with AI-powered tools. While many organisations are investing in employee development, designing learning journeys that seamlessly integrate these new technologies remains a significant challenge. Adapting to this shift requires more than just investment; it demands a strategic approach to crafting learning experiences that prepare employees for the future of work.
In an exclusive interview with People Matters, Prabhanjan Kulkarni, Vice President & Head of HR at redBus, revealed how the world’s largest online bus booking platform is championing continuous learning and development. Kulkarni discusses how redBus is integrating cutting-edge technologies, such as AI, machine learning, virtual reality, and ChatGPT, into its learning programs.
Highlighting the significant impact these innovations have on employee performance and satisfaction, Prabhanjan said, “Learning is for all; development is personal.”
Here are the edited excerpts from the interview:
How does redBus leverage new tech in learning and training programmes?
redBus places a high priority on employee upskilling. In fact, our Employee Value Proposition emphasises non-stop learning so that employees can become a better version of themselves, with redBus. We offer an end to end learning platform created using AI,ML,VR and ChatGPT for teams and individuals. We have a three pronged up skilling strategy which focuses on individualised assessment, upskilling and evaluation and implementation of the skills learnt. We are probably one of the first companies and one of the few in the travel space to use AI, ML and VR so extensively to indigenously develop comprehensive learning platforms for our people.
The redLearn platform stitches together an end to end learning experience for the employee through knowledge repository and assessment modules. The AI, ML and VR based learning platform has two main components. A major component of the self-assessment and development platform and a metaverse based platform called redVerse. The redLearn platform conducts AI powered assessment and AI powered upskilling plans, customised for each employee. This is built using the AI, ML and ChatGPT technologies.
redVerse, the metaverse based platform has been integrated into the training programs. Using ChatGPT features, managers have the option to curate highly individualised assessments for the required skill sets in their teams, which helps them assess an individual’s skills and capabilities. Our innovation culture is brought to life through regular hackathons which help our people to implement the newly acquired and enhanced skills into solving real world problems.
The programs incorporating redLearn and redVerse have been such great successes that prestigious publications such as Springer, Harvard, and IIM, have featured articles and case studies on redLearn published by distinguished faculty. This commitment ensures our workforce is continually advancing, particularly through the integration of AI technology in our training programs, driving both personal growth and organisational success.
How redLearn utilises AI to deliver personalised training modules while saving costs and boosting learning satisfaction?
The redLearn initiative at redBus is our comprehensive upskilling and reskilling program designed to cater to the diverse learning needs of our workforce. Leveraging AI, redLearn offers personalised assessment and training modules through several innovative features.
One of the key components of redLearn is the Individual Development Plan (IDP), which provides tailored development paths compared to legacy, more generic training programs. By using AI-driven tools such as ChatGPT, we can generate individualised assessment instances and subsequently recommend training for the areas in which that particular employee would like to enhance their proficiency. The module allows managers to curate questions based on the level and team of each employee, identifying skill gaps and formulating personalised development plans. Through the usage of ML and ChatGPT the curated questions are modified and modulated thereby drastically reducing the chances of repetition across different assessment instances.
Through the usage of redLearn, individuals with lower quarterly assessments have improved their scores. This has led to a 10-20 per cent increase in efficiency in employees requiring development. Our learning satisfaction score has seen a remarkable increase from 72 to 91 in the past year.
The platforms have been developed using AI, ML, VR and ChatGPT technologies which are difficult to find. The project team showed a lot of energy and learning mindset to pick up these skills and further develop a robust and reliable platform.
Overall, redLearn has significantly enhanced our training, onboarding and induction processes, contributing to substantial savings and improved learning satisfaction among our employees. We look at these initiatives as strategic investments in employee development and talent management rather than cost savings.
Role of redVerse in employee training and onboarding..
redVerse is a module inside redLearn which has a virtual ‘city’ based on the metaverse and it emerged as a response to the challenges posed by remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the shift to remote work, we realised a significant amount of tacit knowledge was at risk of being lost also leading to longer duration for newly hired employees to become productive. To counter this, we created redVerse to serve as a comprehensive tool for onboarding, reskilling and upskilling our workforce. redVerse consists of multiple modules, one of which is a simulation of our actual office where individuals will be able to acquaint themselves with the key stakeholders, a simulated city that hosts our tech architecture. This is best experienced using the Oculus devices helping both new and existing employees to learn about the redBus tech in a fun and engaging way. While this initiative started during COVID, the relevance of the platform and its offerings have evolved to incorporate the current and future context thereby emphasising the applicability even today.
The simulation and gamification method has significantly impacted the learning and retention of information for our tech and product teams by providing easy access to vital information and reducing onboarding to productivity time by over 50 per cent. We also use gamified approaches and simulations to train our CRM teams agents, which helps in increasing engagement and retention of knowledge. Real life situations are simulated to provide experiential learning for individuals.
One of the standout features of redVerse is its role in enhancing cross-functional understanding among our teams. For example, within our engineering department, which comprises over 35 sub-teams operating within a microservices-based architecture, redVerse uses a gamified approach to stitch together the interactions between these sub-teams. This ensures better relatability, retention, and connections across different roles and functions.
redVerse leverages cutting-edge technologies such as LIDAR and C#, with much of the solution developed in-house to ensure it is extremely customised and tailored to our specific needs. This tailored approach contrasts with market solutions that tend to be standardised, licenced or pay-per-use. Moreover, redVerse supports our polyglot environment, accommodating over 60 different tech languages, which further aids in comprehensive training and development.
Feedback from employees has been overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate the immersive and interactive nature of redVerse aided by Oculus devices. Employees have reported that redVerse augments their learning capability and their ability to collaborate and communicate across different functions. Importantly, it helps to save a lot of a managers’ bandwidth on repetitive training. Managers spend quite a bit of time during the workweek to coach and train and mentor their teams, especially on the tech stacks. And when you consider we offer 50-60 technologies, this is quite a lot of teaching. But the repository frees up much of this time. Managers do spend time wherever required, but on an average we’ve been able to save about 10 to 15 per cent of a manager’s weekly bandwidth, which was going into repetitive training. Of course we still have human intervention and interaction where it is required.
Over 700 employees have undergone redVerse induction via Oculus since its introduction, further demonstrating the impact of our innovative training methods. We also have a regionally dispersed team, the redVerse and redLearn platforms are built to be device agnostic and low internet bandwidth compatible thereby allowing the experience to be extended to our people across geographies. The redLearn platform is hosted on Google PlayStore and Apple AppStore and can be accessed by our active employees. The apps have been downloaded by more than 2,100 users thus far.
Enabling upskilling of employees using 40+ tech stacks and multiple programming languages..
redBus is a polyglot – that is, instead of confining ourselves to a few tech stacks, we use around 40 tech stacks comprising 50-60 technologies and programming languages. Using AI and ML assessments are curated across all languages. Flexibility is offered to the managers to create their own assessments. Individuals looking to upskill themselves across different tech stacks can take up a self assessment to determine their understanding. The platform provides Individual Development Plans customised for the employee; it suggests specific courses to take up to improve their proficiency and further assess themselves.
By engaging with a wide range of technologies, employees develop a versatile skill set which allows them to adapt to different projects and challenges, thereby increasing their experience range and contributions to the organisation.
Familiarity with multiple tech stacks enables employees to approach problems from different perspectives. They can leverage the strengths of various technologies to devise innovative solutions and address complex issues more effectively. For example, a technology like Unity is typically used for developing games but we use it for some of our data use cases.
Exposure to different tools and platforms ensures that employees can seamlessly switch between technologies as needed. This flexibility is particularly important in a rapidly evolving tech landscape, where new tools and methodologies frequently emerge.
A broad tech skillset opens up diverse career opportunities for employees, including roles in different domains or specialised fields. It positions them for leadership roles that require a deep understanding of various technologies. It is also the reason why so many of our positions get filled through lateral hires – approximately 20 per cent of our openings are filled internally.
Aligning training initiatives with broader organisational goals and future technology needs..
Our training programs, redLearn and redVerse, are aligned with our organisational goals and future tech needs. These initiatives keep our workforce at the forefront of innovation and prepare them for industry changes. Employees value whether their company innovates and provides hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies. Meeting these needs ensures you’re ready for the future.
redLearn uses AI to offer personalized training, including Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and custom assessments. This method targets skill gaps and supports ongoing professional growth, aligning with our goal of developing a skilled and adaptable team. AI tools like ChatGPT help us create tailored question papers for focused learning. The platform is designed to quickly integrate new technologies, ensuring it meets both current and future needs.
redVerse, our immersive learning environment, enhances cross-functional understanding and collaboration within our teams. By using gamified learning techniques and integrating cutting-edge technologies such as LIDAR and C#, redVerse provides a dynamic and engaging training experience that supports both reskilling and upskilling efforts. The usage of immersive technology also provides great excitement to the individuals while extending unmatched engagement.
Furthermore, our proactive approach to training has resulted in a 10-20 per cent improvement in performance in employees who require development. By continuously iterating on our programs based on employee feedback, we ensure that our training solutions remain relevant and effective.
The platform allows us to understand employees possessing expertise in tech stacks thereby helping us to bring together members on projects that require faster time to market with high quality products, supporting our immediate organisational goals and preparing our workforce for future technological advancements, ensuring long-term sustainability and growth for redBus.
Measuring the impact and success of the training programmes..
We’ve seen benefits both at an organisational and individual employee level. For instance, our time to market for products and features has significantly reduced – it is 10-15 per cent lower than before. We have been able to put together skunkworks teams by identifying talent with higher tech proficiency to be able to work on business critical and time sensitive product roll out.
We regularly survey participants to gauge their satisfaction with the training programs. For instance, our learning satisfaction score increased from 72 to 91 over the past year, reflecting improved content quality and delivery.
We monitor the percentage of employees completing training courses and offer free access to additional learning platforms. With a course completion rate of 46 per cent, our engagement surpasses market standards. This success is largely due to integrating recommended courses into Individual Development Plans, helping learners connect their skills with improvement pathways.
In FY 2023-24, approximately 69 per cent of our employees completed at least one Udemy course or classroom-virtual training, accumulating over 8700 learning hours. This high completion rate underscores the commitment of our workforce to continuous learning. The platform hosts all our assessment initiatives and these have been leveraged effectively in recruitment, and approximately 1000 candidates have already been assessed for Engineering, Sales, and Business Development roles through targeted campus hiring programs.
These metrics and examples illustrate the positive impact of our training programs on employee efficiency, satisfaction, and overall organisational success. By continuously monitoring these metrics, we ensure that our training initiatives remain effective and aligned with our strategic goals.
How can HR implement AI-backed training programmes in their organisations?
The future of employee training is poised to become even more immersive and personalised with the integration of emerging technologies. We envision a dynamic training environment where employees can engage in VR simulations, interactive AI-driven modules, and gamified learning experiences. These technologies will provide deeper insights into individual learning paths and patterns enabling us to tailor training programs to each employee’s unique needs and career goals.
This will also need to be augmented by investing in building capabilities by leveraging both external industry experts for paid training modules and internal experts who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. This blend ensures that our employees benefit from the latest industry trends while also drawing on the practical insights of seasoned professionals within our organisation. Our focus on women leadership development programs and mentoring workshops for all high potential managers further underscores our commitment to fostering diverse and inclusive talent.
For HR professionals looking to implement AI-backed training programmes, my advice is –
Start with a clear understanding of your organisational objectives, goals and the specific skills you want to develop.
Invest in technologies that offer flexibility and scalability, and ensure that your training modules are highly personalised to address diverse learning needs.
Collaborate closely with your top leadership and technical teams to seamlessly integrate these solutions into your existing systems.
Generative AI is further breaking the barriers by offering personalised learning, accessibility, scalability and engagement. Building in strong feedback mechanisms to refine and improve your training programs will pay off in the long run by helping understand the expectation of learners.
L&D practitioners should be more data and insight driven to understand the learners’ consumption patterns and match it with practical strategies to help upskill and reskill. Byte sized learning is a great example of incorporating learner’s needs and consumption pattern.
Overall, embracing these advanced technologies will not only enhance the effectiveness of your training initiatives but also drive long-term sustainability and growth for your organisation.