How accenture helped the ACB

Client
Australian Cricket Board - e-Learning

Project
e-Learning

Executive Summary
Accenture worked with the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) to implement an innovative e-Learning solution for aspiring cricket coaches, with the overall aim of increasing the number of accredited coaches in Australia. The solution was designed to deliver a more up-to-date, efficient and cost effective training programthat was not location-dependent.

Business Challenge

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) – Australia’s governing body for developing, growing and administering the game of cricket – recognised that its current coaching program was extremely outdated, had a limited reach and was not producing sufficient graduates to meet the increasing demand for coaches. To further compound the issue, the ACB was not recovering all its costs from course fees, which were continuing to increase year by year. The ACB was therefore searching for a more effective way of training the next generation of cricket coaches.

How Accenture Helped

Accenture initially conducted an e-Learning Workshop with the ACB to assist in the development of an overall strategy for its accredited coaching courses. As a result of the workshop, the ACB recognized that an e-Learning approach was the most effective way to address its current coaching issues and decided to convert its Level 1 / Youth Coaching Course to an e-Learning CD-ROM format.

“Fostering and developing quality cricket coaches is an important part of our overall development and growth strategy for the game,” said Peter Hanlon from the ACB. “Accenture’s workshop demonstrated how e-Learning can best achieve our goals of developing innovative, highly accessible and cost-effective training courses.”

With much of the existing training program being outdated, Accenture’s commitment to understanding a client’s business was fundamental to achieving success. Accenture worked in conjunction with the ACB and leading cricket experts to develop completely new content based on current coaching methods and capturing the most up-to-date thinking.

As a result, the solution is the first cricket coaching program to deliver a complete competency model rather than just teaching the basic skills of coaching. In addition to cricket skills, the e-Learning solution encompasses important coaching attributes like game strategy, program development, interpersonal communication and the spirit of the game.

The solution consists of six core components:

• Competency-based curriculum – Focusing on coaching competencies, including Spirit and Laws of the Game, The Role of the Coach, Fitness and Safety, Game Strategy and Interpersonal Communication.
• Modular learning design - Ensuring flexible delivery of competency-based training activities and maximising re-use of learning content.
• Instructional design – Providing multiple interactivity / practice options.
• Performance simulation - Incorporating realistic coaching simulations, which enhance the learning experience by providing a safe learning environment.
• Learning technology - Incorporating modelling tools that enable the accurate representation of psychomotor skills as well as interactive feedback tools, which enable users to practice new skills in a ”real-world” environment.
• Future Proofing - Providing the flexibility and expandability to ensure that it can meet future business requirements.

Developed initially on a CD-ROM, the intent is to transfer the training course to a Web-based e-Learning platform.

Once a participant has successfully completed the e-Learning course, they are required to demonstrate their proficiency in the presence of an approved instructor to receive accreditation.

Value Delivered

The CD-ROM has been distributed to cricket clubs and game development officers nationally, providing the ACB with an efficient and cost effective way to reach a much wider audience. Aspiring coaches in all regions of Australia now have access to a flexible and easy-to-use training program, which can be completed at a time and location that suits them.

The solution has opened up a new channel for game development for the ACB, laying the foundation for future e-Learning initiatives, including further coaching programs, as well as umpire and player courses.

Additionally, with the general principals of cricket being applicable across all competing countries, the ACB has the opportunity to market this particular e-Learning program, as well as future solutions, to other national cricket boards around the world.