TP D’Avenir uses ReadSpeaker text-to-speech to make its educational content accessible to learners with reading difficulties.
The majority of learners TP D’Avenir works with are employees and apprentices at the entry-level qualification stage. Many do not have a high school diploma, possess limited digital skills, and face challenges with reading and comprehension. Some also do not speak French.
Faced with complex reports and texts, TP D’Avenir needed a solution that would make content accessible in a digital environment. Text-to-speech technology proved to be an affordable and simple tool to integrate into educational resources. It also supports compliance with RGAA accessibility recommendations, which is essential given the close collaboration with the national education system.
“Overall, the project is very well received. The need for oral translation of content is an emerging request from large construction groups that need to train non-French-speaking individuals.” — Charles AIVAR, TP D’Avenir
Charles AIVAR is a civil engineering graduate, former trainer, educational consultant, project manager of tpdemain, and deputy director in charge of education at tpdemain.
Can you describe the profile of the people who take training and exams with your organization?
Employees and apprentices at entry-level qualifications. Most are at 9th grade level or without a high school diploma. Some are also non-French-speaking.
What was a specific challenge related to training this audience?
Making text and the digital environment accessible. This audience is not very familiar with digital tools.
Why did you invest in text-to-speech technology?
The relationship with text is complicated—reading skills not acquired by the end of middle school, hesitant or difficult reading, and comprehension issues affect a significant portion of our users (between 30% and 50%, depending on the level). Text-to-speech is an interesting alternative to video production. The resources are cheaper and easier to update. It also aligns with RGAA recommendations, which is important due to our extensive work with the Ministry of Education.
How did the integration with your learning platform go? Did you encounter any issues?
Easy integration, handled live with our web service provider.
Did you face any technical challenges? How was technical support handled and how effective was it?
The challenge was customizing the ReadSpeaker toolbar to match our design. But this was overcome without difficulty.
How did you promote the use of ReadSpeaker tools to learners?
We simplified the design of our resources and highlighted the voice playback icon using a “nudge” approach.
Have you received feedback from learners, companies, etc.?
Overall, the project is very well received. The need for oral translation of content is starting to emerge from large construction groups who need to train non-French-speaking workers.
How would you summarize your experience working with ReadSpeaker?
Simple, efficient, pleasant.
What was the best thing about your collaboration with ReadSpeaker?
Ease of use.
TP D’Avenir is an association founded by the French Federation of Public Works with the goal of supporting training and the digitisation of educational resources for public works professionals. In 2020, the association launched the project tpdemain, which aims to digitise and make 100% of the training reference materials for public works professionals available as open source.