The Situation
Our client, the Department of Human Services, was implementing their electronic welfare benefits payment system, Illinois LINK. Their current paper check based system was being converted to an electronic payment system using a preloaded benefits debit card that was as a form of payment for food and merchandise. The State required that all retail locations that currently accepted food stamps and WIC payments for merchandise receive hands-on training either in a group classroom environment or one on one training at their place of business. The training courses had to be taught in English, Spanish and Chinese to address the greater population of retailers.
The Solution
Total Training Solutions assembled a team of 12 training facilitators that conducted training classes throughout the State. The implementation of the LINK program was conducted in a phased approach over two years. The training was conducted in group classroom settings in regional locations and conducted as one on one training sessions at the individual retail locations. Over 5,000 retail locations were trained during the 2 year period. The one on one training sessions were conducted in the native language of the retailer. The Total Training Solutions training team converted the State training materials into Spanish and Chinese in order to effectively facilitate the training in the native languages.
The Success
Our client successfully converted from a paper-based payment system for welfare benefits to an electronic payment system per their implementation rollout schedule. Our training facilitators successfully trained all 5,000 retail locations within the given timeline. The training effectively addressed the needs of the retailers and minimized any potential learning barriers due to language comprehension.