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The Problem
The Royale Tea Company needed to address the serious issues of gender-based violence (GBV), gender inequality, sexual harassment, and gender justice. The company has set a goal of reducing the number of unreported cases of sexual harassment, thus addressing the reluctance to report incidents of GBV. It is unclear why cases go unreported or what barriers exist that prohibit management from reporting these cases. Royale Tea Company hired me to determine the training need and recommend the best training solution(s) to address these issues.
Project Scope
The scope of this project is to develop systematic, ongoing training for managers and supervisors who are responsible for reporting and investigating incidences of sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence at Royale Tea Company.
Royale Tea Company has taken significant steps to address gender harassment, discrimination, and violence by adopting policies and providing training to increase workers’ and management’s awareness of gender equality. Women express having more empowerment to stand up for their rights and receive training and promotions previously offered only to males. Unfortunately, sexual harassment and gender violence cases continue to go unreported.
The Solution
This project addressed three (3) issues. One, the Manual on Social Issues was dated and needed revising. After researching the issues, I discovered an up-to-date training manual addressing GBV in the Kenyan tea industry, written by Lifeline African Consultants, that provided vital information and training for the individuals at Royale Tea. Two, a needs analysis was completed using existing research in gender-based violence, gender inequality, and company policies in the tea industry in South Africa. I took data and research from studies conducted in the South African tea industry, along with research on gender justice. The report recommends three training options. Lastly, using the GBV-Common Training Manual and the Social Issues Training, a storyboard was developed that integrated the best of both manuals, updating the training to current content and resources. All of this resulted in blended training that trained critical individuals in the company to become trainers. An eLearning course was developed. Two sections of that course are available in this portfolio.
The Learning Experience Design Process
Once Royale Tea adopted a Train-the-Trainer model, I worked with several SMEs familiar with both training manuals. They adopted the Common Training Manual but retained some previous Social Issues Manual sections and activities. They hired me to develop an eLearning course that participants would take first before the Face-to-Face training that the Director of HR would schedule later, no more than two weeks after launching and completing the eLearning course.
I developed a curriculum map that divided the manual into two sections using the training manuals as guides and content for the SMEs. I took the eLearning sections and created an online learning experience using Articulate Storyline. The eLearning course was developed to impart critical information that instructors would reinforce in the ILT sessions. Journaling allowed participants time to collect their thoughts before the ILT sessions. This pre-work allowed participants to come to the sessions prepared and ready to participate, reducing the number of hours workers would be in training and away from their shifts.
Final Reflection
This was a significant undertaking and one that I am very proud of because it showcases my writing and research skills. It also showcases my curriculum development and learning experience design in a content area that addresses social justice. While I developed this project for a fictitious client, the seriousness of these issues is absolute. It affects women, children, and their families who work in the tea plantations in Kenya. If I had more time, I would develop the entire course in Articulate Storyline.