Ben Jones has been working as a Content Developer within FuturU’s Learning Innovation team for the past two years. Day-to-day, Ben produces a lot of the e-learning you’ll find in our library of 100+ CPD-accredited courses. We sat down with Ben to find out how he got into the role, which courses he’s most proud of, and his predictions for the future of e-learning.
What attracted you to the Content Developer role at FuturU?
I discovered a really big passion for training and helping others learn around six or seven years ago. I was working in a call centre at the time, and had the opportunity to get involved in training up new team members. And I really enjoyed it – it was only supposed to be temporary, but I ended up taking on the role full-time. It was so fulfilling.
After that, I started working in a role developing e-learning, so when this job came up, it was a no brainer! Training is so important – it can transform people’s lives. That’s really why I’m here.
While my background isn’t in healthcare, my mum’s worked in a care home as a receptionist and I spent a lot of time in that environment as a kid, so I suppose there’s a connection there too.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My role is broken down into three parts – storyboarding, researching and building. During the storyboarding phase, we’ll plan out a course and how we’re going to create it, and then do a lot of research working with subject matter experts. We’ll then move into the design and build phase, working out how we can best bring the content of the course to life.
What’s your favourite course on the platform right now?
I would have to say either the Epilepsy and Seizure Management course, or the Resuscitation and Adult Basic Life Support course. There’s loads of opportunities in each course for the learner to interact, and there’s some great scenario-based examples that help bring the learning to life. I’m super excited about the courses we’re working on right now, too.
What motivates you to do a great job every day?
I really want to help people to learn new things and better themselves, and better myself in the process too. Each month, we hold a learner feedback meeting, where we review all the feedback we’ve received on our courses. We get some really outstanding comments, people tell us how grateful they are for the training and the impact it’s had on their lives. It makes me feel really proud of the work that the team and I do to make that happen.
What brings you joy at work?
What brings me joy? Doing stuff really well! I take a lot of pride in my work, so I get a lot of joy when I’m able to hand over or finish a project knowing it’s the best of the best. I’m constantly pushing myself to do the best work that I can for our learners.
What’s been your biggest learning moment since you started working at FuturU?
What you think learners want isn’t always what learners want, or need. It’s easy to have preconceptions about what learning should and shouldn’t look like. Our monthly learner feedback meetings and the conversations I’ve had with nurses and care workers at the Care Show and Nursing Live are so enlightening – they help us to better understand the real struggles people are having, and to do a better job solving those struggles. I always try to have the learner at the forefront of my mind when I’m researching and designing new courses.
What does the future hold for e-learning?
It’s definitely going to change. We’ll see far more immersive learning through a deeper level of interaction for the learner and more realistic scenarios, with the learner actually placed into that scenario. We’re working on this right now at FuturU, which is super exciting.
Learning will become much more accessible too – you’ll be able to learn anytime, anywhere on your phone (in fact, you can do that right now with FuturU!)
What excites you most about the future of FuturU?
I’m really excited to see FuturU expand globally, reaching not just thousands but millions of people. I can’t wait to see that happen and to be a part of that journey.
