Building better learning together

 

Overview

UK Coaching is the national organisation for coaching in sport and physical activity, supporting coaches across the UK to access a wide range of learning and development products and services.

As learner expectations and sporting organisations continue to evolve, UK Coaching wanted to strengthen its approach to learning design, bring fresh perspectives into the organisation and ensure future developments were informed by learner insight and best practice.

To support this ambition, UK Coaching partnered with embed™, combining UK Coaching’s expertise in coach development with embed’s™ experience in learning design, consultancy and content development.

“We wanted to take the opportunity to bring additional skills into the organisation and learn from the wider learning industry.” Hayley Khan, Chief Growth Officer, UK Coaching

The challenge

UK Coaching delivers a diverse range of learning experiences for coaches working across sport and physical activity.

As the learning offer continued to evolve, there was an opportunity to take a more structured approach to understanding learner needs, strengthening learning design and ensuring future development decisions were informed by evidence and insight.

Alongside this, UK Coaching wanted to build internal capability, access specialist expertise and bring additional capacity into the team to support a growing programme of work.

Discovery before design

Before making recommendations or developing solutions, embed™ worked closely with UK Coaching to understand learners, content and organisational needs.
This included:

• Analysis of learner feedback and insight
• Reviews of existing learning products and resources
• Stakeholder workshops and discussions
• Subject matter expert engagement
• Consideration of learner journeys and user experience

The aim was to ensure that decisions about future development were grounded in evidence, learner need and best practice.

“embed™ have helped stretch our thinking and improve the quality of what we are doing. I have been hugely impressed with their responsiveness, creativity, professionalism and the additional expertise and capacity they bring.” Hayley Khan, Chief Growth Officer, UK Coaching

A partnership approach

The relationship has extended beyond a single project, supporting UK Coaching across a range of learning and development initiatives.

By combining UK Coaching’s understanding of coaching and workforce development with embed’s™ learning design expertise and external perspective, the partnership has helped strengthen decision making, improve learner experience and enhance the quality of learning development.

embed™ has also provided valuable additional capacity, enabling projects to progress at pace while maintaining a focus on quality.

A relationship built on trust

As the partnership has developed, embed™ has become a trusted learning consultancy partner, providing both strategic challenge and practical support.

Alongside supporting project delivery, the team has worked collaboratively with UK Coaching to share knowledge, introduce new approaches and strengthen internal capability in learning design and content development.

This combination of expertise, responsiveness and collaborative working has created a partnership built on trust and shared ambition.

Why it matters

High-quality learning experiences have an important role to play in supporting coaches to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence ensuring the sport is safe and fun for all everyone.

By taking an evidence-led approach to learning design and development, UK Coaching can better understand learner needs, make informed investment decisions and continue improving the quality and impact of its learning offer.

The partnership with embed™ has helped provide the expertise, challenge and capacity needed to support this ongoing development.

The impact

Through the partnership, UK Coaching has been able to:

• Strengthen the quality and consistency of learning design
• Apply learner insight more effectively to development decisions
• Enhance learning products and resources through an evidence-led approach
• Build internal capability and confidence across the team
• Access specialist expertise and additional capacity when needed
• Take a more strategic approach to future learning development

Looking ahead

UK Coaching continues to work with embed™ to support the ongoing evolution of its learning offer.

By combining sector expertise with learning design best practice, the partnership will continue to help ensure that learning products and resources remain relevant, impactful and aligned to the needs of coaches and the wider sector.

“We wanted to bring a wider learning perspective into our specialist coaching environment. embed™ brought expertise across digital learning, face-to-face learning and content development, helping us challenge our assumptions and strengthen our approach.” Hayley Khan, Chief Growth Officer, UK Coaching

At a glance

 

Customer: The Institute of Leadership (IoL)

Challenge: IoL wanted to bring their well-regarded My Leadership programme into a modern, fully digital experience. They aimed to make it easier for members to follow, engage with, and gain recognition for their learning.

Solution: embed™ worked with IoL to create My Leadership+, a digital learning journey that builds on the existing programme. It combines practical courses, supporting resources, and clear pathways to help members apply leadership skills in real life.

Impact: Members now have an accessible, motivating, and structured learning experience. They can see their progress, earn digital recognition, and put what they learn into practice – while IoL can demonstrate the value of membership clearly.

 

Helping a trusted framework reach more leaders

The Institute of Leadership is one of the UK’s most respected professional bodies, supporting leaders and managers at every stage of their careers. Its My Leadership framework, centred on five dimensions – Achievement, Authenticity, Collaboration, Ownership, and Vision – has long helped members understand and grow their leadership capability.

IoL’s goal wasn’t to replace this strong foundation. Instead, they wanted to extend it into a more connected, digital, and scalable experience that would help members engage more fully, see their progress clearly, and gain recognition for the development they achieve.

“Working with embed™ on the development of our new learning system, MyLeadership+, has been a fantastic experience. Nothing was ever too much trouble – they supported us every step of the way, managing the project smoothly and solving problems quickly. Their expertise in different learning styles and the latest technology helped us identify opportunities to save money while delivering richer, future-proofed content for our membership community. embed™ are now our go-to people for learning content, and we couldn’t recommend them highly enough.”

– Becky Martin, Director of Events and Engagement, The Institute of Leadership

 

The Challenge: Bringing a trusted leadership model into a modern member experience

IoL’s challenge was about evolution rather than replacement. The original framework had successfully introduced members to leadership principles, but the materials existed across multiple formats. Members valued them, yet it wasn’t always obvious how everything fitted together, or how to track progress and apply learning in real time.

IoL wanted a learning journey that would feel continuous, practical, and visible, while meeting modern expectations for digital learning. They saw an opportunity to:

• Bring all resources together in a single, easy-to-navigate platform
• Make development self-directed yet structured, so members could progress at their own pace
• Introduce recognition and credentials that reinforce learning and signal progress to employers
• Strengthen the tangible value of membership by giving measurable outcomes

To make this vision a reality, IoL partnered with embed™ to co-design and pilot a new programme – My Leadership+ – combining the credibility of the original framework with a modern, engaging digital experience.

Why embed™– a partner who makes learning practical and human

IoL needed a partner who could translate strategy into an experience people would actually use. embed™ was chosen because we combine learning design expertise, platform experience, and collaborative delivery.

Our role was to help IoL extend their framework into a scalable, motivating, and measurable experience, one that makes it easy for members to see what to do, apply it in their work, and feel recognised along the way.

Discovery: Understanding members and shaping the journey

We started with a two-week discovery phase to understand IoL’s culture, member needs, and employer expectations.

Through workshops, interviews, and user insights, we explored: what members valued most, how they engaged with learning, and what success looked like for both members and employers. From this we developed a Discovery Report detailing member personas, learning pathways, and design priorities.

This informed every decision in the next stage – ensuring the learning journey would feel both credible and human, while delivering practical value in the workplace.

Design: Creating an engaging, human-centred experience

Using insights from discovery, embed™ designed the learning architecture for My Leadership+. The new programme:

• Mapped courses to the five leadership dimensions, allowing members to progress from foundational to advanced leadership skills
• Used a playlist-style approach, letting learners explore at their own pace while keeping the path through the programme clear
• Included reflection prompts and job aids to support application at work
• Followed a conversational tone with approachable visuals, making the experience engaging and easy to navigate

Interactive prototypes allowed IoL stakeholders to experience the platform before build, refining navigation, flow, and content to ensure it met both learner and organisational needs.

Build: Content, resources, and the platform

embed™ delivered a complete content and platform solution.

On the content side, we developed 40 eLearning courses spanning Core and Strategic levels. Each course blended theory and practical application, drawing on IoL’s leadership research and written in a clear, accessible style. We also curated over 80 supporting resources – handouts, checklists, and reflection guides – so learning could continue beyond each course.

The platform was designed for simplicity and scale. Members could log in directly from the IoL website, explore courses, track progress, and access resources anytime. The system also provided analytics for IoL, showing engagement and helping demonstrate the value of membership.

Together, these elements created a digital learning ecosystem that’s intuitive, practical, and motivating.

Recognition: Making progress visible

To motivate members and make development tangible, we introduced digital micro-credentials for each leadership dimension completed. Completing all five dimensions earns the My Leadership+ badge, a shareable symbol of achievement.

This recognition gives members confidence and provides employers with clear evidence of progress, reinforcing the value of both the programme and IoL membership.

Pilot: Testing and refining the experience

A two-week pilot tested the programme with a select group of members. Feedback focused on usability, content relevance, and the motivational impact of recognition. Insights were used to refine the learning journey, interface, and credentialing system, ensuring a smooth and rewarding experience at full launch.

Impact: A modern learning journey built on strong foundations

My Leadership+ is now a scalable, accessible, and engaging digital learning experience. Members benefit from:

• Clear, structured pathways aligned to IoL’s five leadership dimensions
• Practical resources for immediate application in the workplace
• Recognition that motivates and evidences progress

For IoL, the programme demonstrates membership value in a measurable way. For members, it’s an intuitive, motivating journey that builds on a framework they already trust.

embed™ continues to work with IoL to:

• Refine content and improve user experience
• Add new resources and integrations
• Support reporting and engagement tracking

Nicole Horsman, Commercial Director, embed™ said of the partnership:

“Collaborating with The Institute of Leadership on MyLeadership+ has been a true partnership from day one. Their clear vision for empowering their community made it easy to align our expertise in learning design and technology with their goals. We’re proud to have helped create a scalable, engaging learning programme that will continue to evolve with their members needs. Seeing MyLeadership+ come to life has been incredibly rewarding, and we’re excited to keep supporting The Institute of Leadership as they grow and innovate.”

 

The Bigger Picture: Learning that works for real people

This project shows how a trusted framework can be extended for modern expectations without losing what already works. embed™ combined strategy, design, and content expertise to create a learning experience that is scalable, practical, and meaningful for leaders and employers alike.

Ready to evolve the way your people learn?

Talk to us – and see what human-centered learning can do.

E-learning case study: Winning more deals with human sales conversations

At a glance

 

Customer: Matter B2B

Challenge: Buyers were ignoring cold sales approaches – response rates were low, and conversations weren’t starting.

Solution: A practical online course that helped the team use short, personal videos to connect with buyers in a more natural way.

Impact: More replies, better conversations, and more deals closed.

When buyers stop listening, it’s time to change how we talk.

 

Buyers get hundreds of messages every week. Most are automated, generic, and easy to ignore.

Matter B2B’s sales team could feel it – even with great products and insight, it was becoming increasingly difficult to cut through the noise.

Low response rates. Missed chances. Conversations that never got off the ground.

They didn’t need more tools or technology.
They needed a way to start conversations that felt real.

The challenge: Making sales feel human again

 

Matter B2B wanted their Business Development Managers to sound more natural and confident when speaking to potential clients – to show the person behind the pitch.

They were looking for something that was easy to use, built around real work, and designed to make a difference quickly.

That’s where embed™ came in.

Together, we created a practical learning experience that helped their team build real confidence on camera and connect with people in a genuine way.

 

 

The solution: Short, personal videos that get results

 

We worked side by side with Matter B2B to design a short, interactive course that taught their team how to use video to build trust and start conversations that matter.

It gave them clear, step-by-step guidance on how to:

• Get attention quickly with strong openings and storytelling
• Speak to people directly, not scripts or templates
• Show value simply without jargon
• Look and sound confident on camera
• Learn from results and improve over time

The learning was hands-on, practical, and easy to apply – helping the team put new ideas into action straight away.

 

Working together: Simple, supportive, and collaborative

 

We know that training only works if it fits into real life.

So we spent time understanding how the sales team actually works day to day – what gets in their way, and what would make learning stick.

From that, we built something that felt natural, short enough to use in between meetings, and packed with practical examples that made sense for them.

No jargon. No heavy theory. Just clear, useful learning that made their jobs easier and their conversations better.

 

The impact: From cold messages to real conversations

 

The course is now a key part of how Matter B2B sells.

Their team uses video confidently to talk to potential clients in a more personal and genuine way.
The result?
More replies.
More meaningful conversations.
More deals won.

“The video course gives our BDMs a practical, scalable tool to drive more human and effective sales conversations.”

– Hollie Keaskin, Managing Director, Matter B2B

 

The bigger picture: Learning that changes how people connect

 

This project shows what we do best – turning complex challenges into simple, human learning that helps teams perform better.

We make the process smooth, collaborative, and focused on results that actually matter.

Because when people learn to connect like humans, everything works better – sales, service, and performance.

Ready to make your training more human?

If your teams need to communicate, sell, or lead with more impact, we can help.
We’ll design learning that fits your people, your goals, and your day-to-day reality.

Talk to us – and see what human-centered learning can do.