DESCRIPTION

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity that saves lives at sea. Their activities include lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and flood rescue.

 

In 2019, the RNLI saved 220 lives and aided 9,379 people.

 

The RNLI got in touch with our team on a cost and time-saving journey. They wanted to convert much of their 100% face-to-face training into blended courses that placed less of a burden on their training centres and experienced volunteer crewmembers. Specifically, they wanted to work with us on their Command training for lifeboat crew.

 

Then 2020 arrived, and the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. Lockdown meant that no in-person training could take place at all. The RNLI desperately needed to continue training volunteers to continue to safely respond to emergencies and keep the public safe.

 

The RNLI’s blended approach towards updating the course included webinars, shortened on-site practical training, and digital theory. We worked closely with the RNLI to convert dry, regulatory guidance into 26 bite-sized 3D videos that showed the theory in action. These ‘rules of the road’ laid the foundation for practical on-site training supplemented by insightful webinars.

 

Our videos involved:

– Over 300 000 frames;
– Around 100 gigs of Data;
– Approximately 45 minutes of animation; and
– About 70 days of rendering time.

 

The new blended course had a huge impact. The RNLI were able to train and send out their crews, crew members could finally understand and apply previously-impenetrable regulations, and the landmark project created a new model for practical training moving forward.

 

SUMMARY

The COVID-19 pandemic meant the RNLI could not conduct Command training for their lifeboat crews. This threatened their ability to put qualified crew out in lifeboats, threatening the lives of hundreds of people who find themselves in need of assistance every year. We helped create an effective blended course that meant the training could be completed and an estimated 1100 people could work on lifeboats.