Merck Case Study

Merck is the world’s oldest Life Sciences company with a significant presence in the UK, counting over 1,300 employees in 11 UK locations. Merck’s Irvine base supplies the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies, research institutes and academic centres with innovative devices, tools, laboratory supplies and testing services.

The Challenge

“The Purpose of The Learning Academy is to create job opportunities for those who never thought it would be possible to get a job in life sciences”

Merck’s Ayrshire based facility had a need for upskilling internally, and wanted to provide a training and outreach centre to increase recruitment from the local community.  The big goal was to create a Learning Academy which would provide onboarding training, recruitment-oriented introductions, and internal upskilling in order to improve employee experience, loyalty and overall expertise. 

The team wanted to see if Merck could engage people at the early part of their career, and to make the most of training and development available to their people on-site.

There was a long-term plan in place for what the Learning Academy would achieve, and positive buy-in internally from the teams, however, guidance and support were required to get the project off the ground and move it from a concept to a reality.

The Solution

North Ayrshire Council recommended Connect Three to Merck and after initial discussions, we quickly got involved and began the long process to create what is now an impactful, unique learning experience for the company.

From designing the room, to developing the learning and training the trainers, to strategically planning and implementing the training lifecycle for both new recruits and existing staff, Connect Three managed every aspect of the Learning Academy development.

“We took their vision and turned it into something practical and achievable.” Colin Lamb, Founder and Chief Explorer at Connect Three.

Our input included:

–          We worked very closely with the team to review their onboarding processes and set up focus groups to find out where the skill gaps were and how they could be filled.  Through this combined work we developed structured programmes of learning for continuous personal development internally, upskilling team members and working to build expertise.

–          We developed internal training to help embed the culture and values of the global company on a regional scale.

–          We recruited three people to create the internal Learning Academy team to run and support the project going forward.

“I loved the work we did with the team at Merck.  Seeing how the improved training programmes helped right down at the individual level of team members.  The difference in their experience of the company from before we began to after the launch of the Learning Academy was very gratifying.” Vicky Connor, Explorer and Lead Project Consultant, Connect Three.

We took the learning off slides and into the hands of the trainees, using exercises that mimic on-the-job training so skills in a way that can be learned in a safe, but engaging environment.  We encouraged the leaders in Merck to use their imagination and come up with inventive ways of explaining and gamifying the skills they need their team to display – and they fully embraced the challenge.

“As well as hands-on practical exercises, we integrated VR headsets, allowing learners to assess risks and experience where things can go wrong and how to solve the problems, all from a safe but realistic environment.” Colin Lamb, Founder and Chief Explorer at Connect Three.

The Impact

Since the launch of the Learning Academy, Merck has brought on 64 new people and they have seen an increase in staff engagement, a reduction in the number of quality-related incidents, and a reduction in the number of safety-related incidents, and they attribute this to the Learning Academy.

“Without the Learning Academy structure in place we would never have achieved what we have.  I hope that Connect Three see this Learning Academy project as a success for them every bit as much as it’s a success for us. Without the impact that they had, we’d be standing in a very different situation right now.” Tom Forrester, EHS and Training Manager at Merck

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