How A&O-fonds Provinces Implemented WCAG
Today, employees want to have control over their own development. As an employer, shouldn’t you therefore give everyone—including people with disabilities—the opportunity to learn independently? A&O-fonds Provinces sees first-hand that there is a strong need for self-direction among employees in the provincial sector.
That is why they use SkillsTown’s online learning platform, which complies with the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This enables every employee to develop to their full potential.
We spoke with Marga Waldekker, Programme Manager at A&O-fonds Provinces. She shared how important inclusivity is for learning and development within the provincial sector.
“If you state in your collective labour agreement that employees have control over their career development, you must also provide everyone with the right tools. People with disabilities also want to be able to do everything independently.”
– Marga Waldekker, Programme Manager at A&O-fonds Provinces
Who Is A&O-fonds Provinces?
A&O-fonds Provinces focuses on employees of all organisations within the provincial sector in the Netherlands. They ensure that employees have the tools they need to work in a healthy, safe, and enjoyable way.
Marga explains: “Learning and development is an important part of this. We ensure that it is accessible and inclusive for everyone within the provincial sector.”
The Importance of WCAG Legislation
It is a legal requirement for public institutions to make and keep their websites and apps accessible—in other words, WCAG-compliant. In practice, every organisation should embrace this legislation.
“If you don’t, you exclude part of your workforce, such as people with visual or hearing impairments,” says Marga.
If, like A&O-fonds Provinces, you place great value on diversity and inclusion, you should also pay attention to your learning and development opportunities.
“Practice what you preach,” Marga says. “If you state in your collective labour agreement that employees have control over their career development, you must also provide everyone with the right tools. People with disabilities also want to be able to work independently.”
Marga continues: “Within the provincial sector, we ensure digital accessibility in line with WCAG. Our videos are always subtitled, and our newsletters can be read by screen readers. People in our sector work independently. It is important that they do not have to rely on others to develop themselves.”
Choose Partners Who Understand You
If you want to comply with WCAG, you must also consider this when selecting your partners.
“For organisations like ours, it is important to work with partners who understand the legislation. Our tools must comply with WCAG, including those for learning and development. Not every partner understands this,” Marga explains.
“WCAG is highly technical. Your partners must have sufficient IT expertise and understand the importance of the regulations. That works much better than constantly having to convince them. The same applies to GDPR and digital security requirements. Digital accessibility is just as important. SkillsTown’s expertise in this area is why we have worked together for so long.”
A Strong Need for Knowledge Sharing
A&O-fonds Provinces has now been working with SkillsTown for over 10 years. They were among the first in the sector to embrace online learning.
“Today, nearly every province has its own online academy, and knowledge sharing has become increasingly important. There is a strong need to learn together and share expertise. That is why we use SkillsTown’s learning platform,” says Marga.
Marga continues: “Within the platform, we have a wide selection of e-learning modules. We also developed several training programmes together with sector experts.
One employee with complete hearing loss even created several Essentials that are accessible to people with hearing impairments,” Marga says enthusiastically.
“I really enjoy Create,” Marga adds about SkillsTown’s authoring tool, which allows you to create your own courses. “Through the platform, we can reach a large group of people at once with our knowledge and accessible training programmes.”
Would You Like to Offer Accessible Development Opportunities?
Do you consider WCAG compliance important, or do you simply want to give all your employees the opportunity to develop, regardless of limitations?
Then SkillsTown is the right partner for you. With SkillsTown’s online learning platform, everyone can develop optimally through a wide range of online training programmes. You can also easily create and share your own WCAG-compliant courses.
