More job losses for Derry confirmed

A number of redundancies have been announced at the Derry e-learning company, Learning Pool Limited, based at the Old City Factory on Patrick Street, as part of a global reorganisation.

Confirming the redundancies to The Derry News, a spokesperson for Learning Pool said the decision was taken following a recent strategic review.

A spokesperson for the company said: “As part of a recent strategic review, Learning Pool has made the difficult decision to adjust the size of its global team.

“This decision was not taken lightly and has been approached with care to protect the long-term health of the business and ensure continued investment in the areas that matter most to its customers.

“Learning Pool is deeply proud of its roots in Derry, where it continues to have a strong presence and where its Head Office remains at the heart of the company.

“While change is never easy, the company is confident these steps will strengthen its ability to deliver on its long-term strategy and continue supporting customers with the innovation and service they expect.

“The process is still ongoing and, out of respect for those involved, the company is not in a position to share specific numbers or comment on individual locations at this time. Learning Pool is committed to handling all conversations with care and transparency, and to fully supporting anyone impacted.”

Speaking at last week's full Derry City and Strabane District Council meeting, Sinn Féin councillor Sandra Duffy said, although the redundancies had not been publicly announced, she had been contacted by a number of affected employees from the Council area.

Cllr Duffy said: “Learning Pool is a global organisation and it is here in the city; it provides really good employment to quite a number of people.

“Unfortunately, a number of weeks ago, we did hear it was engaging in a redundancy programme; there wasn’t too much talk about it but I have since been contacted by quite a number of employees who have been affected.

“I have to say, I have always believed Learning Pool was a really good organisation within this city and provided really good jobs.

“Unfortunately some of the stuff that I am being told by employees is in relation to how this process was announced; how it has been conducted; and how Learning Pool has been engaging with some of the staff that have been involved.

“I know the process of redundancy is a global process that it has embarked on but it is in relation to the people of this council area who are affected.

“What they have asked of me is that we as a Council engage with Learning Pool, on the same basis that we engage with BT regarding its redundancy process, just to try to get clarity on some of the issues they [employees] feel they are struggling with.”

The Ballyarnett representative subsequently proposed that Derry City and Strabane District Council should set up a meeting with Learning Pool to “discuss the redundancy process” it is currently going through.

“[To] try and support some of the staff that are going through that and get answers and clarity to some of the concerns that they have,” said Cllr Duffy, whose proposal was unanimously agreed.

Speaking to The Derry News, Cllr Duffy described the redundancy announcement as “hugely disappointing and causing uncertainty and low morale for all involved”.

“Following the recent BT announcement, I am concerned for many people and their families facing hardship through the loss of their jobs.”

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The Derry News has subsequently learned the manner in which Learning Pool employees learned about the job losses.

It appears, Learning Pool’s Derry employees were informed they would receive an email outlining their position. Thirty minutes later, they had an email saying either their job was safe or that they were being made redundant.

According to its website, Learning Pool was established by Paul McElvaney and a small team in 2006 “at his kitchen table” to bring “online learning into organisations in a collaborative way”.

In May 2016, Carlyle Cardinal Ireland (CCI) - a provider of alternative investment capital in the Irish Market - acquired Learning Pool in partnership with the founder and management team.

Under CCI’s ownership, the business completed four accretive bolt-on acquisitions, significantly improved the technology and service offering, and expanded its geographic reach.

Learning Pool was sold to Marlin Equity Partners - a global software and technology investment firm - in 2021. The deal was valued at €175 million.