Dudley Council builds a scalable learning culture with Thrive

‍Putting apprenticeships at the centre of workforce strategy

Apprenticeships are a strategic priority for Dudley Council, whose team is committed to growing talent and developing a future-ready workforce. But communicating the value of these apprenticeships calls for structure and consistency – two things that are hard to achieve without a purpose-built learning platform to support them. National Apprenticeship Week presented a new opportunity: The spotlighting of development pathways and success stories across the whole organisation.

The challenge was to move beyond a single announcement that would get lost in the shuffle, and instead deliver sustained, daily campaigns that connected personal development with the Council’s wider goals. Delivering a sustained, high-energy campaign through Thrive, Dudley Council built momentum ahead of launch and carried it through five themed days under “Skills for Life.” Content was refreshed daily to keep engagement high and give colleagues a reason to return. Apprenticeship pathways were brought to life through real stories, supported by visible activity across the organisation.

From awareness days to lasting impact

Building on that momentum, Dudley Council expanded its approach beyond a single campaign into a more embedded learning strategy. With Thrive, the focus shifted towards creating a structure that supports continuous engagement and makes learning easier to access across the organisation. This included the introduction of a Digital Learning Champion community, designed to extend the reach of L&D and create a sustainable support network across teams.

At the same time, essential learning was reshaped to bring clarity and control back into focus. Pathways are now easier to navigate, while outdated content has been removed to reduce noise across the platform. Onboarding has also been redesigned so employees are guided into the training they need from day one. The result is a model that scales with the organisation, where learning runs smoothly and is reinforced by the people using it every day.

Delivering measurable skills impact‍

The numbers tell a powerful story. 

In 2025, 79 apprentices completed their programmes, with 25 Level 3 achievers recognised at a dedicated celebration event. Success was visible across the organisation, and progression felt tangible with apprenticeships taking centre stage. £461,232 of levy funding backed 49 local businesses, while 18 T Level placements opened direct routes into meaningful work. Skills funding moved quickly from policy into practice, supporting real people across the borough.

This impact is matched by operational gains across learning. A growing network of over 20 Digital Learning Champions is on track to exceed 25, creating a distributed support model that reduces reliance on the central team. Combined with improvements to essential learning, Dudley Council is now seeing between 650 and 880 hours of annual time savings, alongside a 15–20% reduction in overdue mandatory learning. Learning is now firmly embedded into how the organisation works every day.