Countus: Digitalization of the learning content

Advice, Guidance, and Support—these are the core values of the Countus Group. Comprising eight independent companies with a total of 626 employees across 24 locations, the Countus Group specializes in legal advice, business and financial consulting, HR advisory, and spatial planning. In a world where change is the only constant, Countus recognizes the importance of making learning a mindset rather than just another task on an annual checklist.

The origin

In the Netherlands, anyone working in the financial sector is required to maintain their Permanent Education (PE) credentials after obtaining the necessary Wft diplomas. This means passing an annual exam to remain certified for providing financial advice. At Countus, Learning & Development (L&D) was primarily focused on meeting this regulatory requirement.

With client service as the top priority, anything related to training and education often took a back seat. Learning was seen as a mandatory task rather than a valuable investment, and aspects such as course participation, training administration, communication, and compliance did not receive the attention they deserved.

Countus expressed the ambition to simplify training administration and digitalize its learning offerings through a Learning Management System (LMS). The underlying goal was to give employees more ownership over their personal development—not just for mandatory training but also for courses driven by intrinsic motivation. This meant shifting the focus toward making learning more engaging and removing the sense of obligation around training programs. The Countus Academy, which oversees learning and development within the Countus Group, needed to become the central hub for promoting this ambition across the organization.

While the need for expertise in selecting and implementing the best-fit LMS was clear, Countus also required support in shifting the mindset around learning and development among employees. Aafke (project lead and specialist in system selection) and Beatrijs (learning specialist and expert in configuring learning software) stepped in to drive the project. Together, they provided Countus with the right mix of skills to guide the project from start to finish.

The approach and solution

Together with worldofwork™, Countus defined three key ambitions for the Learning Management System (LMS):

• Making learning and development easily accessible, engaging, and user-friendly through a central portal.
• Giving employees ownership over their personal development.
• Using data to ensure the quality and compliance of training programs.

These ambitions served as the foundation for developing use cases that helped the project team organize the most effective demos with different LMS providers. Rather than simply showcasing the best features of their software, vendors were asked to demonstrate how their solutions aligned seamlessly with Countus' needs. To achieve this, the specialists from worldofwork™ guided Countus in outlining realistic employee scenarios, such as completing mandatory training. Vendors were then asked to configure their system during the demo to address these scenarios—ensuring that the evaluation process remained practical and relevant.

After reviewing multiple demos from various providers, Studytube emerged as the best match. Its platform offered an intuitive user experience for employees and aligned perfectly with the vision and requirements of Countus and the Countus Academy.

The comprehensive project plan ensured a well-structured approach, clear stakeholder management, and a detailed timeline for the entire project. A small effort with a big impact—the project plan provided a solid framework for decision-making, task distribution, responsibilities, and progress tracking.

The Challenge

The challenge in this project was not just implementing a new system—it was also about driving a behavioral shift among Countus employees. The goal was to move away from the mandatory feel of annual training requirements and make learning engaging again, driven by intrinsic motivation. For this to succeed, management buy-in was essential.

Beatrijs explains:
"A system implementation is like opening a new store. There’s a lot that needs to happen, but at the same time, the existing store must remain open. This is only possible with crystal-clear agreements among all stakeholders and management approval to allocate time for the transition. It’s not something you can just do on the side—it requires dedicated time and focus. That means making choices about what is and isn’t feasible. Countus has highly motivated and practical people, but without management support, projects like this won’t succeed. At worldofwork™, we’re not afraid to take the lead and guide teams in making the right decisions for the project's success.”

From experience, we know that software vendors often provide standard solutions with predefined processes and learning offerings. Rarely does an out-of-the-box system seamlessly match a client's specific needs. That’s why we ask deeper questions, propose alternative solutions, and always prioritize user-friendliness. If necessary, we challenge vendors to adjust their approach. This is our strength. Sometimes, it means applying pressure and being critical, but always in a way that maintains a positive relationship between the client and the vendor. Clients appreciate this approach, as it significantly improves project quality and outcomes.

With this method, we help our clients shift their mindset from:
"How can we replicate our current processes in the new system?" to "What possibilities does the new system offer, and how can we leverage them to our advantage?"

The result

Within the Countus Academy, employees now have access to Studytube’s general learning offerings. Additionally, training materials from an external provider have been integrated into Studytube, allowing employees to access all courses relevant to their role or field from a single portal.

Through smart recommendations based on Countus’ historical training data, employees can now discover courses that their colleagues have previously taken and found valuable.

Beyond improving the digital learning environment, Countus also needed a solution for managing in-person training sessions, where attendance tracking is crucial. Additionally, an internal communication campaign has been launched to promote Studytube, helping drive engagement and ensure that learning objectives are met.

Next steps

With a solid foundation in place, the Countus Academy can continue to grow. The next steps include:

• Adding a search function to make course discovery even easier.
• Implementing training budgets, allowing employees to select and enroll in courses independently, without requiring managerial approval.

Countus is also continuously refining its vision on learning and development. While the completion of this project marks a significant step forward, it’s equally important for employees to understand that learning is part of their workday—they are encouraged to explore training options and even complete courses during working hours.