Marston’s launches game-changing training app to mark pub reopening

The new app, called Marston’s Skills, which is accessible for all employees and pub retail partners, is set to transform the way Marston’s approaches learning and development.

Marston’s and Attensi have worked together to create an immersive virtual Marston’s world where players are greeted by 3D avatar team members. They are introduced to a series of mini games and challenges to complete, all of which are based on real-life pub scenarios.

Not only is it fun, interactive, and mobile-first – perfect for Marston’s Gen Z and Millennial workforce – the science behind it ensures a more effective learning experience than traditional e-learning methods. Coupling core psychological principles with gamified simulations offers a safe environment to learn, as well as driving high engagement and repetition; essential for getting new knowledge to stick.

The Marston’s Skills platform delivers bite-sized game-based learning modules. This means you create a range of games and character dialogues where players can earn points and stars, and the more points you get, the higher up the leader board you move.

HR Director, Liam Powell, adds: “The introduction of this new and exciting learning platform signals our ambition to be a much more progressive business and ensures our teams will have the knowledge and confidence to deal with our guests when returning to work after lockdown.

“The partnership with Attensi demonstrates our determination to invest in and grow our people and our business. As we move forward as a focused pub company, we see this platform being an absolute game changer to helping our teams grow their knowledge, experience and careers with us.”

Together, Marston’s and Attensi are able to take learning to the next level. The platform has the power to drive core knowledge as well as key soft skills - applying cutting edge ‘real world’ scenarios with virtual customers that teach employees how to deploy the knowledge correctly.

"It has been our privilege to support Marston's with the largest training rollout in its long history,” said Greg Hull, Business Development Director at Attensi. “Upskilling over 10,000 people during such a unique period is no mean feat, and we've been blown away by the team's commitment to winning the trust of both staff and customers as we enter a new era for hospitality. We look forward to the next steps on our journey together."

Since the platform launched in March, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with users playing through the training time and time again to achieve high scores and, more importantly, reinforce their learning whilst having fun.

Marston’s intends to continue to develop this platform in partnership with Attensi, building modules to support key business initiatives, as well as supporting the ongoing engagement of its new vision, values and business strategy.