National Learning Management System - Discovery and What's Next.

Over the past few months, we’ve been working closely with councils, COSLA, Society of Personnel and Development Scotland (SPDS), NHS Education for Scotland and partners to build a clear picture of Scotland’s current Learning Management System (LMS) landscape. This work is a core part of the National Training Platform discovery phase and is helping us identify opportunities, challenges, and priorities for a “Once for Scotland” approach.

Below is a summary of what we’ve learned so far, and what comes next for the community.

Headline Findings

• 93% of responding councils already use an LMS, but systems are highly varied, leading to fragmentation.
• No single dominant platform; clusters of similar systems suggesting strong potential for shared approaches.
• Costs vary widely despite similar functionality.
  Strong case for collaborative procurement, licence rationalisation, and national negotiation.
• Licensing models are inconsistent, with gaps in: per‑user numbers,  authoring capacity, frontline inclusion.

Resulting in duplicated effort, limited access, and weak reporting.

• Councils share common needs: governance clarity, consistent standards with local flexibility, accessibility, integration, and credible content.
• The work points to clear strategic value in a Once for Scotland approach.

Opportunities (Green)

• National uplift in digital/data/AI capabilities
• Reduced duplication and economies of scale
• Better workforce planning through consistent analytics
• Strengthened learning culture across the sector

Challenges (Red)

• Fragmented systems and funding
• Voluntary vs mandated participation
• Limited local capacity to maintain materials
• Risk of over‑engineering
• Need for metrics that measure capability, not just compliance

What This Means

Scotland is collectively investing heavily in LMS solutions that don’t deliver consistent value, yet needs and systems are far more aligned than they appear.
There is a major opportunity to use a national learning infrastructure to drive capability, coherence, and collaboration across all councils.

Next Steps for the Community

1. National Training Platform Community Meeting

Will include updated:

• LMS mapping
• Cost/licensing insights
• Prioritised requirements & early architectural options

2. Platform Demonstrations

Upcoming demos for:

• Turas (NHS Education for Scotland)
• Cornerstone
• Councils

Focus: accessibility, analytics, customisation vs standardisation, cost/licensing.

3. Further Data Collection

To fully model options, we will gather:

• Licence volumes
• Authoring capacity
• Frontline access constraints

4. Business Case Development

All evidence feeds directly into the options appraisal and developing business case.

Conclusion

This is not just an LMS project—it’s a national capability initiative. The sector is showing strong overlap, strong appetite, and strong opportunities to create a model that works for every council.

Thank you to everyone who has completed the insight request to date, however if you haven’t, you can still contribute to this initiative. We will be reaching out to outlying councils directly however if you have any questions, please contact verity.hislop@digitaloffice.scot