NSW Parliament partners with EdApp to help roll out eLearning portion of development training for MPs

We are thrilled to announce our recent partnership with the Parliament of NSW, as part of the new 2020-2021 Professional Development Program for its members.

NSW Parliament used to lack formal development programs

Initiated by The Hon. Jonathan O’Dea MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and the Hon. John Ajaka, President of the Legislative Council, the program is designed to provide MPs with the development opportunities and tools they need to become the best representatives they can be to support their communities across NSW.

In the past, Parliaments in general have lacked formal development programs, leaving MPs with little to no support or opportunities to develop their skills and parliamentary careers. While ongoing training and development is often usual practice in many industries, in politics, there has traditionally been very little focus on its importance.

NSW Parliament chooses EdApp for online mobile learning

As a result, the NSW Parliament saw an opportunity to create a program to support both experienced and new MPs alike. The Professional Development Program consists of a range of modern, tailored courses that cover topics including leadership and ethics, as well as a number of learning resources. The program has three major pillars: Thought Leadership, Support Mechanisms, and Educational Resources; and it is under that third Educational Resources pillar that EdApp fits in. EdApp was selected as the platform for an online mobile learning component, with an initial focus on compliance matters including a new Code of Conduct.

The Hon. Jonathan O’Dea MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly said: “As part of the Professional Development Program, we want members of Parliament to properly understand their compliance-related responsibilities, which can often be quite dry and complex material to take in.”“Our hope is that an engaging microlearning platform like EdApp can help make that material easier to absorb and, in turn, educate members about the important compliance matters critical to the performance of their roles as elected representatives,” Mr O’Dea said.

Since EdApp is mobile-first, it gives busy MPs the opportunity to access quality learning on the go and from their own devices. Knowing that compliance material has the tendency to be quite dry, EdApp has made it a priority to ensure that courses are highly interactive and engaging. This means that we are confident that even the driest of content can be turned into something that the learner will enjoy using.

Welcome, NSW Parliament!

Photo: Darren Winterford, CEO, EdApp introducing the learning platform to NSW MPs.