SPAR optimizes apprentice training, tracking and feedback with Totara Perform

SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels AG is one of Europe’s largest retailers, operating various brands like SPAR, INTERSPAR, SES and Hervis. Apprentices are integral to SPAR’s workforce, gaining hands-on experience through structured training. This case study highlights SPAR’s use of Totara Perform to optimize apprenticeship program management, performance tracking, and competency development, providing apprentices with clear paths to skills enhancement and career progression.

The Challenge

The primary goal of introducing Totara Perform was to enhance the apprenticeship program. Despite its robust structure, the program faced challenges in tracking apprentices’ progress and competencies across multiple brands. While the apprenticeship program provided valuable hands-on experience and training, the old system lacked detailed performance feedback and a clear framework for managing apprentices’ development.

Apprenticeship Program Needs:
Prior to integrating Totara Perform, SPAR did not have a flexible solution to track apprentices’ performance in real-time. Apprentices were enrolled in various courses and activities, but their progress wasn’t fully aligned with performance metrics, course and certification completions, or qualifications. Managers struggled to track their development and provide timely feedback, which hindered apprentices’ growth and development.

Complex Systems for Tracking Qualifications:
As further development SPAR needed to integrate internal and external qualifications more seamlessly into the system. While employees were completing mandatory training and external certifications, these qualifications were not consistently tracked in one place. Managers lacked visibility into apprentices’ full qualifications portfolio, especially external qualifications like first aid or fire safety training, which was important for career progression and compliance.

Administrative Inefficiencies:
Before the migration to Totara Perform, SPAR relied on multiple systems to track apprentice progress, qualifications, and performance reviews. This led to inefficiencies in data management and an increased administrative burden. With over 94 000 users across its brands, SPAR needed a solution that could integrate various data points into one platform to streamline processes and reduce manual oversight.

The Solution

SPAR turned to Totara Perform to solve the challenges of managing performance workflows at scale. The move to Totara Perform enabled SPAR to centralize its performance management and improve how employees’ learning and development were tracked.

Totara Perform for Apprenticeship Development:
Totara Perform was implemented to track apprentices’ progress and performance against clear, defined goals. While competencies are not yet fully integrated into the apprenticeship program, Totara Perform provides a comprehensive view of apprentices’ activities, goals, and feedback, allowing managers to monitor progress in real-time. Apprentices now have clearer insight into their training and performance, which supports more effective development planning at each stage of their development, ensuring no one falls behind.

Tracking Qualifications and Functions:
SPAR introduced a functional catalog in Totara Perform to track key business functions relevant to apprenticeships. This catalog allows managers to assign specific functions to employees, such as roles in first aid, fire safety, and other critical areas. These qualifications and business functions are now tracked within the platform, ensuring that employees have the certifications and skills required for their roles and that managers can quickly access this information. This major enhancement involved the ability for employees to upload external qualifications (e.g., certifications from third-party providers). Managers can verify these qualifications and associate them with employees’ competency profiles within Totara Perform. This integration creates a complete and easily accessible record of qualifications, improving the clarity of their learning and career progression.

Streamlined Reporting and Feedback:
SPAR worked with LearnChamp to create custom reporting tools within Totara Perform. These reports give managers visibility into employees’ qualifications, performance, and progress.

In addition, the platform enables monthly feedback rounds, helping managers track apprentices’ development and provide timely, actionable feedback. These feedback loops have significantly enhanced the quality of manager-apprentice interactions.

Performance Management:
With Totara Perform, SPAR moved from a static training system to a dynamic performance management platform. Managers can now track not only course completions but also apprentices’ development across various key competencies and skills. While competencies are not yet a large part of the apprenticeship program, this will be incorporated in the future to enhance development tracking further.

The Result

The adoption of Totara Perform has transformed SPAR’s performance review processes, yielding significant improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness. The system is still evolving, but the results until now have shown positive impacts on the apprenticeship program’s performance management, feedback processes, and tracking of qualifications.

Improved Apprenticeship Management:
With Totara Perform, SPAR has centralized tracking for apprentices’ performance, qualifications, and progress, allowing managers to provide more targeted and proactive support.

Increased Feedback and Engagement:
The introduction of monthly feedback rounds and the ability to monitor performance in real-time has significantly improved apprentices’ engagement. The system allows managers to interact with apprentices more regularly, providing valuable insights into their progress. There have now been over 82 000 Perform tasks created in the system, showcasing the high volume of feedback and interaction between apprentices and managers.

Streamlined Administrative Processes:
By integrating Totara Perform with HR, Finance and other systems and consolidating performance tracking, SPAR has reduced administrative overhead. The ability to easily manage employee performance data and business functions within one platform has improved efficiency and eliminated the need for multiple systems. This integration allows HR and managers to access all relevant apprentice data from a single source.

Clearer Tracking of Qualifications:
The new system has allowed SPAR to manage both internal and external qualifications more effectively. Apprentices now upload their third-party certifications directly into Totara Perform, which are then verified and linked to their apprenticeship progress. This has created a comprehensive record of apprentices’ qualifications, enhancing clarity around their career progression.

Scalable Feedback and Performance Tracking:
With the ability to track over 2 000 monthly feedback tasks and manage large-scale feedback processes, SPAR has created a scalable solution for managing apprentices across its various brands and subsidiaries. This will allow SPAR to continue to grow and adapt its apprenticeship program without increasing administrative complexity.

Ongoing Improvements:
SPAR is continuously working with Totara’s product managers to refine the platform and incorporate more features, such as better competency management and enhanced goal-setting capabilities. A transition to a new system design and UX is currently ongoing, promising a more intuitive and user-friendly interface for both employees and managers. These ongoing updates ensure that Totara Perform continues to evolve and meet the needs of SPAR, further improving usability and performance tracking as the system grows.