SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with e-Training Web Access
SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows with SDMS V e-Training Web and Intranet Access – Corporate Implementation Helen Scarrett, Corporate Training Manager, Vale of Glamorgan Council:
“The Vale of Glamorgan Council had identified a need for a Council wide training records system and started researching potential providers in 2014.
SDMS was considered as an option as it was already being used within both the Social Services and Early Years Teams. The Social Services Department implemented the SDMS V Staff Development for Windows software in 2009. In 2011, they implemented the SDMS V e-Training for Web and Intranet Access and in 2014 upgraded to the latest edition of the software – Version 6. The Early Years Team opted to implement the Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows with the e-SD.Net Web Access Module in late 2012.
To follow corporate procurement requirements we completed a comparison exercise with other system providers, and invited key users from across the Council to attend presentations delivered by these providers. We assessed their ability to deliver against our initial requirements, but also looked at the future functionality that was available within the systems that were being offered. A key part of the implementation process was for the system to integrate with the Council’s existing eLearning Solution.
It was very important that we ensured the solution would be appropriate to the end user, and this could be achieved using the different types of user access configurations within the software. We were also keen to allow staff to be able to have access to their own training records, whilst encouraging managers to still maintain overall control of the approval process.
Given the existing knowledge and experience within the Social Services and Early Years Teams we were confident that the other departments would be able to adopt the system with ease and this is proving to be the case. Additionally with our IT Department having a detailed understanding of the infrastructure and the IT knowledge required to implement the software, we are confident that many of the hurdles and pitfalls which can often delay the implementation of a new system have already been resolved.
We look forward to progressing with the phased implementation of the system, utilising the full functionality it provides, over time, across all departments within the Council”. |
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SDMS V SMS Module for Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows Andrew Dix, Training Administrator, Torfaen Social Services:
“Having been a long standing user of SDMS, over the years we have built up our use of the emailing features in SDMS. From sending automated booking confirmation emails and change of date/time notifications to delegates, to more recently sending email reminders at scheduled intervals before courses are due to take place.
Due to the nature of work of our delegates and end-users, many of them are travelling around without direct access to emails. SMS Messaging is something that we have been thinking about for quite some time and when SDMS released their SMS Module, we were keen to take a look. Users being able to get booking confirmations and updates on their mobile phones is something that we are really keen to work towards to improve our attendance rates and communication methods.
As we already use SMS Messaging within the Council and we have our own SMS Gateway set-up already, we have been able to set up a trial of the module with the help of SDMS. The SMS sending process is easy and works alongside our emails and we are confident that it will increase our attendance rates even further over the coming months.”
More information about the work provided by Torfaen Social Services can be found at http://www.torfaen.gov.uk. |
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SDMV Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows: Governor Services Edition and SDMS V e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
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The Governor Services team at Haringey Council provides help to School Governing Bodies to fulfil their statutory responsibilities in securing school improvement through the delivery of a range of support and development services.
SDMS has been chosen as a single and integrated Governor Management and Training solution to support these services. The Governor Support & Training Unit will implement the SDMS V Staff Development for Windows: Governor Services Edition including the e-Training Self Service application and utilising the School Visits manager optional module.
The implementation will support the Governor Services team in achieving its core objectives whilst streamlining operations, reducing costs and merging information and records from a variety of sources into one integrated system. The e-Training Self Service application will empower Governors to book themselves directly onto training and allow the Admin team to focus on more proactive tasks, whilst also providing access for Clerks to manage the schools information and recording meetings to streamline these processes.
Haringey Governor Services were looking for a system to manage their Governor Services and during a search on the Web came across the SDMS Governor Management System which was highlighted in the search. After visiting our website we received a call from Jennifer Ude, Governor Support Officer, and arranged an On Site Meeting and presentation to showcase the software to the team. Ms Brenda Bruno, Administrator – London Borough of Haringey Governor Services:
“The On Site demo meeting was thorough and enjoyable but we were also in the process of looking at other systems. We put together a detailed list of requirements in the form of a formal request for quote which SDMS had responded to in detail highlighting how the SDMS system could meet each need”.
Our Requirements
“Based on a needs assessment, we decided that the service would benefit from a fully integrated database to perform the tasks as set out in detail in the technical specification and meet the needs of the Governor Services in terms of its security, reliability and user productivity.”
Our existing system had limitations and didn’t offer any On Line booking facilities which we were able to see during the presentation with SDMS. We also found that the existing system doesn’t allow us to effectively manage staff training and the impact the training has which we can see SDMS will be able to help us manage more effectively.
“We invited our shortlist of suppliers to complete their response to our requirements. When we evaluated the systems side-by-side, in terms of price and functionality, there was no question that SDMS was the best choice.
The SDMS System allows our team of 5 administrators and managers to manage the support provided to the Governors in the 80 schools within the Borough. With the introduction of the On Line Access we are able to provide individual access to the Governors, CPD Coordinators as well as the 15 Training clerks to manage both the training courses available and also to manage details of Conference and Governor Meetings.”
Hosted System
“SDMS were able to offer a number of different implementation options where we could either have the software set up and installed on our own servers within the authority, available on a Hosted Server which we would be able to access via our client machines, or implementation within the Cloud.
After investigating the different options we decided to go with the Hosted Server solution. This would also us to offer 24/7 access to the software via a number of sites. As most of our clerks work from home the ability to access when they are away from the office was seen as key to the implementation as this was the best match to the project timescales and internal resources. We also found that having the software hosted externally provided a more effective solution that having it installed internally.”
Data Cleansing
“We have a number of different systems which we have developed over the years which help us keep track of the services we provide. As part of the implementation process we decided we needed to review the accuracy of the information we held before populating the new system. SDMS were able to offer a bespoke data take-on of our existing information. However, we decided to take the opportunity to perform a data cleansing exercise on our data and decided we would start with a new clean system. To help with this process; SDMS provided on line training sessions to provide an initial overview of the software and how the data entry clerks we employed would be able to record the necessary basis we needed for the Schools and Governing Body Details, and then set up the details of the School Governors.” Training
“Having a new system in place ready for the new School year in September was important to us and SDMS have been flexible in meeting these timescales. During the implementation SDMS are providing both On Line Training and On Site Training for the Admin Users and Clerks. They have also been very accommodating in delivering the training to our requirements and are also attending the Clerks Meeting in the evening to provide a two hour introduction and briefing session to the clerks themselves.”
Ongoing Use & Support
“From our conversations with SDMS, we are confident in their ability to support the product and assist in the implementation. We are looking forward to a swift implementation and starting to enter the data into the system as soon as the first on line training sessions have taken place.” Website: http://www.haringey.gov.uk/governors |
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SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access
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Mike Paramore, Staff & Quality Development Manager, Cartrefi Cymru: Cartrefi Cymru was established as a Charity and Company limited by guarantee in 1989. It was founded by parents of people with learning difficulties and senior officers from the Welsh Voluntary Sector. In 1983, the government in Wales had launched a ten year Strategy for the renewal and improvement of learning disability services. By 1989, most Local Authorities were making speedy progress in developing new services in line with the Strategy’s principles, but some were finding it difficult to develop a particularly important type of service, namely small-scale accommodation with skilled staff support. |
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This was the context in which it was seen that a new National Charity, Cartrefi Cymru, could provide the know-how and commitment, right across Wales, enabling local authorities to develop supported accommodation services and other new, high-quality services. Working in partnership with Local Authorities and Housing Associations, the Company quickly went from strength to strength, becoming the largest provider of home-based learning disability services in Wales. “We now employ in excess of 1100 staff working in over 100 teams from 11 offices”.
“We approached SDMS back in 2010 to replace our existing Access database and in comparison to other possible Qualification Management systems, we found that the SDMS V Learning and Skills application would fulfil our requirements and provide additional functionality should our needs change. Implementing the software meant that we were able to manage the Learning Plans of all of our QCF/NVQ Candidates in a much more efficient and leaner way.
Since the initial implementation, we were aware of the rich functionality available within the Staff Development and e-Training applications which would enable us to manage our Learning and Development functions alongside the QCF/NVQ management.
After several years of campaigning and fundraising, along with the support of the SDMS Team, a corporate decision has been made in the light of growing need to streamline our training delivery and to take advantage of the web features of e-Training as well as being able to have a system in place to assist in the management of the training and development unit that also integrates with the Learning & Skills module is a great benefit to the Company as a whole.
We are now able to implement the Staff Development application to assist in the day to day administration of training and the e-Training website to allow staff to be able to view and submit training applications On Line. As part of the package, we also received an Upgrade to the latest Version 6 of SDMS.
As part of the implementation SDMS have set up the homepage to the website based on our personal requirements and worked closely with our IT Department to install the application so our key administrators based in our office in Bangor and Newtown were able to access the latest version.
We were impressed with the standard of Training received for our New Users who commented on how easy the system is to use. We are confident that the training will help support the implementation and ensure a smooth transition to the new version for our existing users.
We are currently in the process of setting up the training calendar for the forthcoming year. Using the bespoke repeating import tool provided by SDMS has enabled us to import new staff records into the system, saving both time and staff resources.
The current goal we have set ourselves is to provide a full live On Line Access to our Training Programme within a 12 month period for all staff, providing them with the ability to enroll themselves onto courses to help manage their own learning and development.”
More information about the work provided by Cartrefi Cymru can be found at www.cartreficymru.org.
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SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access: Social Services Edition
Ms Louise Wilson, Support Officer, Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board:
"One of the key factors for us to move to the latest edition of the SDMS software was the internal decision to look at streamlining the process of staff booking onto the training courses which we run. We had long wanted to offer staff some form of On Line Booking for the Courses. We had looked at this over the last couple of years but never seemed to find the right solution.
Having worked with SDMS for over 10 years we had commissioned a number of bespoke amendments within the existing version of the software which we were keen not to lose if we decided to upgrade. SDMS were able to guarantee that any of the changes we had made for the version we were on would be found within the latest version.
When we decided to upgrade, SDMS worked closely with us and our IT partner to ensure the implementation was a success.
Although we encountered a number of technical problems with our infrastructure and working processes we were able to overcome these.
As part of the process of upgrading to Version 6; we attended an initial Project Planning Meeting which allowed the interested parties to discuss the proposal put forward by SDMS and agree the key dates and timescales needed to implement both the upgrade to the latest version and to roll out the On Line Booking System. As part of the upgrade procedures offered by SDMS they allowed us access to an Evaluation Copy of the New Version 6 which enabled us to start getting used to the new version while we were in the early stages of the upgrade.
During the upgrade we have found the Support services provided by SDMS very helpful in keeping the implementation on course.
During the training we had on the new version SDMS ensured that we were able to carry on using the software to perform the tasks which we did in the previous version in the latest edition. Once we were happy with this we then looked at using some of the new features within the upgrade.
Alongside this, we also were keen to move forward with providing staff with the ability to book themselves onto the courses we run. With the Self Serve element of the Web application we are able to offer this. We had some further training in how to configure and set up the elements within the Staff Development application so that when we run a new course this can be made available to the staff. We are currently working with the SDMS Support Team to finalise how we release this to our client base."
The Lancashire Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) has a major role to play in ensuring that children and young people in Lancashire are kept safe and that all agencies do what they can to promote their welfare. The Board itself is made up of Senior Management representatives from agencies across the County of Lancashire who are involved in providing services to Children and their families. The head office in based in East Cliff, Preston.
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SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access: Social Services Edition
Lynn Stokes, Staff Development and Training Coordinator, Sefton Social Services:
“We have a long standing relationship with SDMS spanning over 12 years and we have made a major commitment to further implementing their systems, most recently with the purchase of the latest upgrade to the SDMS V Staff Development for Windows software and in particular the SDMS V e-Training for the Web Module.
We have used the SDMS V Staff Development for Windows since we decided to move to the product in 2000 and have progressed from the initial version, through the various upgrades and have recently implemented the SDMS V e-Training for the Web application.
Prior to using the Web application we regularly needed to run a report from the software and upload the information to the Corporate website; the Web application means we can have details of courses and the number of places shown online in real-time.
With a large number of External Organisations and Partners sending their staff onto training courses we have provided them with the ability for them to be able to login and be able to enrol their staff onto the training courses and this has created efficiencies within the Team.
Throughout our relationship with SDMS they have continually proved to be a reliable and conscientious provider of Staff Development Systems and we highly recommend their services. We find we are able to work closely with the staff at SDMS and feel that they have our best interests in mind.
Local authorities have significant financial constraints placed upon them. It is now more important than ever to use systems and processes that have the ability to create efficiencies whilst at the same time helping us to achieving quality outcomes. This relies on timely and accurate data and information. SDMS enables us to utilise the Repeating Imports which automatically updates the details within SDMS for changes of static information such as staff who have moved offices as well as creating details for new starters who have joined the department and staff who have left.
We found that the workflow features of the application helped us look towards becoming a more paperless environment so we now are sending delegates confirmation notifications via email rather than sending them paper copies, chasing up non attendance electronically and are now exploring the Evaluation module to streamline the process of evaluating and reporting on the effectiveness of training activity.
The reporting features within the system enable us to produce management information on training activities easily and in a professional manner.”
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SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access: Welsh Social Services SQL Edition
Mrs Kate Dibble, Team Manager, Torfaen Social Services:
“Based in Cwmbran, Torfaen Social Care and Housing is a part of Torfaen County Borough Council and is responsible for the provision of a wide range of Social Care Services across the borough.
Torfaen County Borough Council has a Social Care and Well-being Strategy. This is designed to provide a coherent range of services to those in need in the area involving close working relationships with a wide range of partners. This holistic view of all aspects of public services supports the delivery of quality Social Care.
As a user of SDMS since 2002, we have increasingly extended the use of the software - initially we just had the Windows based product for Training Administration, then we extended this to the e-Training Web Access product and most recently extended the use of SDMS to help manage QCFs. When we found that SDMS had a new version available (Version 6) we decided it would be useful to see whether we could benefit from any of the new features.
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We were particularly interested in some of the new features on the Enrolments screen; in particular the option to be able to batch change the approval and attendance codes from one value to another. We see this as being a key time saver as we regularly send out emails and had to change them manually in the current version.
We are also interested in being able to access some of the Workflow elements from the Enrolments screen. We have been shown how we can easily track who had first made the enrolment whether it had been updated and whether any emails had been generated.
Another key reason for upgrading to Version 6 was that this was the first release of SDMS which fully supported the use of SQL Databases such as Microsoft SQL which is part of the Corporate IT Strategy. They are looking at moving all applications to use the same back end applications and so the upgrade meant we could satisfy this.
During our previous Upgrade to Version 5, we experienced a smooth implementation and this certainly helped with our decision to move to the latest release of Version 6. Over the years of using SDMS, we have received a positive experience of support and training from both the SDMS Support Team and the Project and Training Team.
We are confident that this will continue as we progress with our upgrade to Version 6 and as we explore all of the new features available in the system we are sure it will bring us added benefits and improve our training and service delivery.”
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SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access: Welsh Social Services Edition
Mr Adrian Robinson, Admin Support, Newport Social Services:
“Newport Social Services provides training and on-going support to the Social Care Workforce within the South East of Wales. Increasingly our work is extending to the involvement of many other groups of staff in the voluntary and health sectors, placing demands on our training management systems.
Having purchased the Welsh Social Services Edition of SDMS V Staff Development for Windows in 2002, we have since chosen to keep pace with the latest releases of the software. We have done this by taking advantage of several upgrades offered by SDMS - Version 5, On Line Course Booking System and more recently, upgrading to the latest release of Staff Development Version 6.
During the previous upgrade to Version 5, we were offered the necessary support to get the team and the software up and running as soon as possible and this led the team to decide to continue this process with the upgrade to Version 6.
Other the past year or so the training team which supports the Social Care Workforce has gone through major changes with staff turnover and we were looking at Version 6 to offer us ways in which we could start to make better use of the data we were currently holding. During the Upgrade Process, we were keen to improve our processes and build upon the information we record to improve the quality of the data.
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e-Training - Enrol Delegate Screen |
We began the process of upgrading to Version 6 with an initial Project Planning Meeting where we discussed the project planning proposal put forward by SDMS and agreed the key dates and timescales that we were looking for in the implementation. We were also offered access to an Evaluation System for Version 6 which we could use to start getting used to the new version whilst we were setting up and arranging our own upgrade.
We also received On Line Training to support this Evaluation Access which we found very useful in identifying our immediate plans for initial use of the system.
Throughout the upgrade process, we have found the support services offered by SDMS to be excellent. The SDMS Support Team have been very helpful and prompt in answering any questions and queries that we have in respect to the new version and enhancing our use of the application as it is. We have also found the support offered by our SDMS Project Managers to be very supportive. The advice and help we have received from the team has been very clear and they are always at the end of the phone for advice and help with the implementation.
We have recently completed our first On Site Training Day for the upgrade to Version 6. During the day we were shown lots of useful tips about the new version including some new features on the Enrolments screen such as being able to sort by the column header so we could see the number of people from the same organisation to being able to use the Register Check function to make sure a delegate met all the requirements for the course. We have found many of the new features extremely helpful and in particular we find the system user-friendly.
SDMS have installed Version 6 on our servers in a test environment to allow us to get to grips with the system with our own data. Over the next few weeks we plan to make the final move to Version 6 for our Live System and are confident that with the support from the SDMS Team it will be a smooth transition.
The help and support which we have received from SDMS has been fantastic and we have no doubt this will continue once we are able to look at using more of the new features available.
Newport Social Services
SDMS Staff Development
and Learning Management for Windows
SDMS
e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access: Welsh Social Services Edition
Vickie Lawday, Staff Development and Training Officer, City & County of Swansea Social Services:
“Swansea Social Services provide services to people who need support to live independent lives, someone to care and look after them and protection from harm often working in partnership with other organisations in the area to provide these services. We also work with people who care for relatives or friends to support them in that caring role.
SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows provides an integrated system for managing training and On Line Course Bookings which we found met all our needs for a Single system with all information in one central place. We were using lots of databases to hold details of our Training Records, NVQ and QCF records, Staff Data, Library Resources and Job and Post Details for the Social Service returns.
We found SDMS to be a very flexible system with the provision for us to replace all of our existing databases and to bring this information together into a single system so that we would be able to have a accurate and up-to-date view of the training and to continue to meet the needs of our demanding Social Services department and help provide a high level of support to the people of Swansea. We are also integrating SDMS with our Personnel software so that the details of the staff who come onto the training courses we offer are maintained and updated without our intervention, so all that happens is we are provided with the details from Personnel and they get automatically updated into SDMS with any changes of details, new starters and leavers automatically processed.
During an evaluation of the software, we found that SDMS would be able to help in the simplest day to day tasks by providing both the ability to sending confirmation emails and letters to the production of attendance registers and certificates of attendance which previously have been handwritten or manually typed by the administration team, therefore allowing us to see a saving in both time and money. Qualifications, Skills and Job Roles can also be recorded for staff enabling us to help in the production of the annual reports for the Welsh Assembly quickly and easily and with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access, staff will be able to view what courses are available to book onto these.
To help with the implementation of the SDMS systems, we have conducted a series of On Line Pre-implementation meetings involving many of the key staff from the Training, IT and Internal Support and Personnel to ensure all aspects of the implementation and technical issues were discussed and solved before it became a problem.
We found these meeting extremely useful and has meant that we were able to move very quickly with the implementation and training of the application.
We are looking forward to going live with the system and reaping all the benefits that SDMS has to offer.”
City and County of Swansea Social Services
SDMS Staff Development
and Learning Management for Windows
SDMS
e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access
John Sheldon, Quality Assurance and Training Manager, Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency:
The Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency (NIGALA) provides a 'voice' for children who are subjects of public law and adoption proceedings before the courts in Northern Ireland. Guardians ad litem are independent, qualified in social work and experienced in working with children and families.
SDMS Staff Development for Windows was selected in March 2004 to provide the learning management tool for recording the delivery, attendance and reflective thoughts on the training courses undertaken by the team of guardians and administration staff within the agency. These details were mainly managed and recorded by the management team and helped provide the basis for the recent 3 yearly appraisal and performance review initiative. In previous rounds of the appraisal process, we were not easily able to provide our staff with any evidence of the training they have received. Since using the SDMS application to keep the records of the training this is the first time we have been able to provide staff with their training history which has been well received and proved very helpful. It is particularly helpful in relation to the recording of continuous professional development for the purposes of three-yearly registration with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
After recently implementing another web based solution within the Agency, we looked at the solution SDMS were able to provide for the management of online training applications by staff. We had seen how providing access online to our internal systems has helped improve our efficiency and reduce the paperwork and administration required by the team and hope to achieve the same benefits from SDMS V e-Training for the Web and Intranet Access.
We are currently in the process of implementing this and are aiming to provide four key main functions within the Agency. We want to initially allow our administration staff and guardians to view training courses which we are running during the year and submit online applications. We also want to provide them with the ability to keep a full record of the training and self learning they have undertaken so will ask them to record any additional professional training they take using the Self Study section of the software. The final element of the software which will be used will be the ability for staff to see details of the training they have received and provide evidence during the appraisal process.
Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency
SDMS Staff Development
and Learning Management for Windows
SDMS
e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management, SDMS V e-Training for Web and Intranet Access and SDMS V QCF/NVQ Learning and Skills:
Mrs Lynne White, Workforce Development Officer, Torfaen Social Care and Housing:
Torfaen Social Care and Housing is a part of Torfaen County Borough Council and is responsible for the provision of a wide range of Health and Social Care Services across the borough. Torfaen County Borough Council, along with the Torfaen Local Health Board has a joint Health, Social Care and Well-being Strategy as required by the Welsh Assembly.
This is designed to provide a coherent range of services to adults in the area involving close working relationships with a wide range of partners. This holistic view of all aspects of public services supports the delivery of quality Social Care.
“As a user of SDMS for the past 8 years, we have increasingly extended the use of the software - initially just using the Windows based product for Training Administration, then extending this to the e-Training web product and now recently extending the use of SDMS to help manage NVQ’s (now QCF’s). Throughout this process we have been supported by an extensive range of services from the SDMS Support team; Data Migrations, Remote and On Site Installations and of course responding to our day to day “how to I do that” questions.
We have used the software to help plan and administer training for our own staff as well as staff from service partners to improve their standards and skill sets. We are now using the latest version of SDMS V Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows: Welsh Social Services Edition along with the Evaluation and Appraisal modules. The core system enables us to plan Courses and enrol Candidates onto Courses along with the ability to report on aspects such as budgeting. We rely heavily on the financial management side of the software to evaluate the spending from our training budgets.
Using the Evaluation module we are able to evaluate the impact to the staff following the training.
In 2006, we implemented SDMS V e-Training to extend the use of the software to allow members of the Social Care Partnership for Torfaen to view and book courses in an On Line environment. This has become a very constructive way to advertise courses and provide our partner organisations, who send their staff onto training courses, a method of viewing details of the courses which we run and then submitting, via their Line Manager, an application to attend the training course. These requests are then registered within the Windows application allowing the administration team to then approve or reject the application with an automated email response then being sent. As many of the organisations who are interested in our training work out the normal working hours of the administration team, providing 24/7 access to the details of the training courses saves us a great deal of time and provides the team with the ability to book onto training when they have a spare moment.
Over the past 6 Months we have implemented the NVQ/QCF Learning and Skills companion product to enable us to start recording details from our Assessment Centre about the Candidates we have registered on the NVQs and the Qualification and Credit Framework. Prior to the purchase of the NVQ Learning and Skills software, SDMS gave a clear commitment to modify and upgrade the software as the requirements of QCF changes came into place. The company has formed an On Line User Group to share ideas on these changes and has already released an initial QCF upgrade.
Of course one of the great advantages of using the NVQ/QCF product alongside the other uses of SDMS is that it provides a single coherent set of data about all aspects of learning and development – Staff Skills, Training and Qualifications”.
Torfaen
Social Services
SDMS Staff Development
and Learning Management for Windows
SDMS
e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
SDMS QCF/NVQ
Learning and Skills for Windows
SDMS V Staff Development and SDMS V e-Training for Web and Intranet Access:
Stephanie Davies, Systems Administrator, Newport Social Services:
“Newport Social Services provides training and ongoing support to the social care workforce within the Newport area in South Wales. Increasingly, as joint working arrangements proliferate, our provision of workforce development services is being extended to social care, health and allied professionals across South East Wales, necessitating robust and efficient management and administrative systems. Since implementing the first elements of our SDMS applications within the organisation in 2002, we are now providing an annual 6000 training places per annum and have input some 13 years worth of social services training records into our data base.
During the last financial year (2009-2010) we were able to offer places to staff on some 600 training courses, all of which we manage and administer with SDMS Staff Development. We have also been able to use the information which SDMS enables us to gather, to provide statistical data for our annual returns to both the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) and the Local Government Data Unit.
We have worked closely with the SDMS team to implement the SDMS Learning and Skills module which assists our Newport Assessment Centre’s NVQ administrative team to manage our Awarding Body’s procedural and statistical requirements, and to track the achievement of our NVQ candidates.
We are now well into the process of extending the use of SDMS further by introducing the SDMS e-Training for the Web and Intranet Access module. This will allow us to provide on line booking facilities for the employees of our commissioned agencies and the Council’s staff.
We are confident that the SDMS team will continue to offer the same high level of support during this new phase of product implementation as we have received over the past 7 years.”
Newport Social Services
SDMS Staff Development and Learning Management for Windows
SDMS e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
SDMS QCF/NVQ Learning and Skills for Windows
SDMS V Staff Development for Windows with SDMS V e-Training for Web Access
Lisa Lepley, Senior Administration Assistant, Cornwall Adult Social Care:
“In April 2009, Cornwall Council merged with the six Borough and District Councils in Cornwall - Caradon, Carrick, Kerrier, North Cornwall, Restormel and Penwith to become Cornwall Council Unitary Authority to become the largest employer in Cornwall and provides a wide range of services to more than half a million residents.
As a user of SDMS for over 16 years, Cornwall Social Services Learning and Development Unit has been collecting and recording training and staffing details since the initial implementation of SDMS in 1994. During the time we had continued to use the various editions of SDMS and used the Staff Development Management System to assist with training administrative functions. The system has a wide range of functions which record the staffs learning and qualifications for their Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Registration. It helps the administration team provide statistical data for performance management purposes and is a powerful tool for the effectiveness of learning, training and development activities. We also record the department’s financial commitment to learning, training and development.
During 2008, in a number of review meetings within the Council we identified that a key target for the Department should be the process of producing the information for the National Minimum Data Set. Since then SDMS has worked closely with the department to help us find the best solution to progress towards this target. During discussions with SDMS to try and identify the best source of Post and Post Assignment information, it became obvious that since the change over of our Payroll System that the organisation didn’t seem to hold the relevant historic details of when staff started in their current jobs in Electronic format, so SDMS has been able to work with us and we have recently completed the final stages of a Data Cleansing Exercise to remove duplicate records and have enabled the correct information to be transferred from the HR System.
In the earlier months of 2010, the decision was made to extend the use of SDMS further by introducing the SDMS V e-Training for the Web and Intranet Access module. We had always wanted to provide an automated booking and course monitoring element to allow Staff to see what courses we run as a department and allow our local External Agency departments, as well as the Councils Staff, the ability to use the On Line Booking facilities.”
Cornwall Adult Social Care
SDMS Staff Development
and Learning Management for Windows
SDMS
e-Training for Web and Intranet Access
