Learning online has become commonplace over the past year, not least for thousands of socially distanced university students. One of the companies at the forefront of the technologies that deliver it on an international scale is Learning Pool.

With offices in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and the United States, its expertise is in online education platforms, analytics and creative content. The large business, which was founded in 2006, achieved two-star accreditation from Best Companies in 2020, reflecting an outstanding commitment to workplace engagement.

It employs people in software development, finance, business development, HR and customer success, helping clients that serve around 5 million learners in 30 countries.

Learning Pool's three core values are “do the right thing”, “we've got your back” and “let's build to grow”. It is committed to providing outstanding customer service, with a 98% customer recommendation rate.

Despite the pandemic, its 260 colleagues across the UK, Europe and the US continued to serve 1,100 client organisations on a full-time basis.

It provides free modules on topical subjects so that individuals and organisations can access important information whenever they need it. These include climate change, modern slavery, stress, suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Learning Pool teams vote on which charities to support and have raised money for Rainbows Hospice, Aware NI and My Name's Doddie. They also participate in Business in the Community's Time to Read programme in Northern Ireland, working with primary school children on their literacy and numeracy skills to build confidence and self-esteem.