Learner Spotlight: Alicia Lloyd
From Apprenticeship Insights to Real‑World Change
Alicia is an eLearning Technologist at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, where she develops clear, engaging and accessible digital learning solutions for staff across the organisation. Isle of Wight NHS Trust provides a wide range of healthcare services, supporting patients across hospital, community and mental health settings.
The interview below explores her journey on the Digital Learning Designer apprenticeship, what motivated her to pursue the programme, how it has shaped her development, and the impact it is having on her day‑to‑day work.
Why did you want to undertake the Digital Learning Designer apprenticeship?
I have a passion for the design field, with a background and qualifications in Art & Design and Graphic Design. I was offered an opportunity at work to progress into a full-time eLearning Technologist role through the Digital Learning Designer apprenticeship.
This enabled me to learn about eLearning and the strengths and challenges that learners and the LMS team faced around it. After discovering that the Digital Learning Designer (DLD) programme would cover an array of areas that would enable me to improve learner experience, the functionality and visual engagement aspects of our eLearning content, I felt excited that I could help reduce the stigma around our eLearning content from being tiresome and a hassle and leave my own creative stamp on it.
Tell us about some of the design projects that you have worked on through the programme?
Some of the projects that I worked on throughout the programme included:
Designing and creating eLearning materials, such as an animation for the apprenticeship team, directed towards internal staff, highlighting development opportunities available to them
A digital brochure for new starters to our organisation, which helps streamline onboarding processes and provides an interactive signposting resource
An engaging eLearning module looking at the newly founded Behaviour Framework across two Trusts, incorporating several techniques and learner preferences that I have discovered on the programme
The feedback on these pieces of work has been very encouraging and the word has spread, resulting in an increase in demand for services and stakeholders becoming excited about an eLearning product, increasing stakeholder engagement.
How has this programme supported you with the above projects?
It has provided me with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to approach and carry out digital learning design tasks, manage stakeholders and my project effectively throughout the steps of Analyse, Design, Develop, Implementation and Evaluation (ADDIE model - a foundational, five-phase framework used in instructional design to create effective training and learning programs). The programme has encouraged me to step away from taking a biased approach to design and consider with greater depth accessibility and different learner preferences. And in some instances, to have the confidence to push back and encourage key stakeholders to also take this approach.
What impact has this had on your department?
I am trusted to produce eLearning content without managerial supervision. I have shared current practices about digital learning design with my colleagues. The work I have produced using the skills taught by the programme has been recognised by my department and word of mouth has also travelled across both Trust organisations. I now have a growing waiting list from teams requesting different forms of eLearning content to be produced. Furthermore, I have been encouraged to develop my skills further. My managers have advised me that they would support me in accessing a top-up to get my Level 6.
How was your learning experience with LDN?
I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the programme and the support around me from both the skills coaches and other DLD apprentices was brilliant. I was nervous at first that I would feel under-supported given the distance learning approach, but LDN was consistently engaging with the learners throughout the programme. I particularly enjoyed their monthly live sessions and 6 monthly in-person development days (in which I was fortunate enough to attend 3).
Something that I am very grateful for was the weekly preparation meetings to one of my assessments. This is not something that has been offered by previous education providers and this enabled me to feel more confident and prepared in the lead up to my final assessment.
Can you describe the programme in 3 words?
Insightful, inspiring and inventive.
Huge thank you to Alicia for telling us more about her experience of the programme. To find out more about the Digital Learning Designer apprenticeship, click below.