Subway operates more than 30,000 restaurants in 86 countries, with 300,000 employees. The chain faced a great challenge: how to train all their employees in different locations and time zones, recognizing the language barrier, and the reluctance on some of the franchisee’s part to use technology.

The company chose SkillSoft to help them with their learning solution. They developed more than 30 Subway-specific courses to train a position that the chain calls the “sandwich artist.” The sandwich artist is a primary target for the training, but the curriculum has been developed to meet the needs of others in the organization, including shift supervisors, store managers, and the franchisees themselves. The courses were designed for 11 different job families within the company, so each person had a set of courses for their specific job.

The adoption rate of the program has grown to the point that Subway expects a million course completions in a 12-month period. Courses are translated into six languages and can be accessed at any time.

The implementation of the program has resulted in a drop in employee turnover rates. Some franchises have instituted incentive programs and career paths related to completion of various levels of courses.