How Studytube and the SLIM subsidy support smart learning at Social Deal

Founded in 2011, Social Deal is a leading discount site for social outings, with over 185 employees across four divisions. By investing in learning and development, the company not only strengthens its employer brand but also offers growth opportunities through internal retraining and upskilling, while ensuring a seamless onboarding experience for new hires. To support these efforts, Social Deal makes use of the SLIM subsidy alongside Studytube’s all-in-one learning platform, taking its training strategy to the next level.

Since 2019, Social Deal has been using Studytube to:

• Effectively onboard new employees
• Promote sustainable employability through internal retraining and upskilling
• Support personal development and knowledge sharing
• Strengthen the employer brand

The results:

• 60% cost coverage for L&D activities 
• 4 divisions successfully involved in learning & development 
• 100% preservation of the L&D budget during crisis

Want to know how Social Deal achieved their L&D goals with Studytube through the effective use of the SLIM subsidy? HR advisor Juul Vissers shares their story.

Setting ambitious talent development goals within a limited budget

In 2020, Social Deal faced a significant challenge when the coronavirus pandemic hit. As a provider of social outings and activities, the company was hit hard by the nationwide lockdown. This situation put pressure on the recently launched Studytube learning platform, even though employee development was more important than ever during that time.

To maintain a strong learning strategy, the company turned to Studytube for advice. The recommendation? Apply for the SLIM subsidy! With this support, Social Deal was able to continue pursuing its talent development goals: strengthening their employer brand, retaining valuable talent, facilitating internal mobility, and optimizing their onboarding process.

Becoming a learning organization with Studytube and the SLIM subsidy. 

To support Social Deal in applying for the SLIM subsidy, Studytube brought in De Breed en Partners (DB&P). This collaboration was a success: the straightforward funding program, which emphasizes effort over results, enabled the organization to continue its ambitious learning and development initiatives.

Investing in growth with minimal barriers

DB&P handled the administrative work for the application and ensured it aligned perfectly with the company’s development goals. The key requirement was active participation from at least ten employees and its management. This approach allowed Social Deal to continue investing in employee growth with minimal barriers.

Juul Vissers: “Receiving the subsidy was an important step toward creating a culture of continuous learning. The SLIM subsidy is an excellent way to give learning and development within your organization a real boost.”

An integrated approach with Studytube’s learning platform at its core

Social Deal adopted a thoughtful and integrated approach. They involved team managers in the learning process. They also chose team managers who were the main contact for any questions about learning. By linking progress talks directly to clear learning goals, they created a culture of constant growth. The Studytube learning platform was the center of this approach, helping both current employees and new hires with their learning needs.

Juul explains the role of the learning platform: “The job market is quite tight, so we want to make sure we attract and keep the right people. Besides strengthening our employer brand, it’s also a way to retrain employees internally, for example if they feel ready for a new role. This way, we can provide them with the right skills, knowledge, and expertise for their new position within the company.”

The result: 60% of L&D costs covered and higher employee engagement

Thanks to the SLIM subsidy, Social Deal was able to maintain its entire L&D budget, securing an impressive 60% cost coverage (€25,000). This gave the company the freedom to continue investing in employee development, which paid off through concrete results like successful internal career progression, including retraining employees for management roles. Additionally, the strong focus on learning and development helped strengthen the employer brand, an important advantage in today’s tight labor market.

Looking ahead: automated onboarding learning paths and promotion of the learning platform 

Social Deal is determined to take employee development to the next level. Juul explains: “We really want to dive deeper and explore all the possibilities the platform offers. We also want to improve and optimize how we promote the platform to our employees. Our hope is that even more team members will start using it and truly see its value.”

There are also opportunities to improve onboarding, as it currently takes place outside the platform. A concrete next step is to implement onboarding learning paths using Studytube’s Authoring Tool, enabling new employees to get started more quickly and efficiently.

Thanks to smart AI integration, the Authoring Tool now offers even better support. Internal experts can quickly and easily create and share online training courses with the right colleagues. This makes capturing and sharing knowledge, as well as developing onboarding programs for Studytube’s clients, simple and efficient.

Do you want to keep on investing in talent, just like Social Deal? Even in challenging times? Book a free demo with one of our experts today. They’ll guide you through an easy online demo and explain all the benefits of the SLIM subsidy!