Job Centre Vacancy Information

Client or Beneficiary Database

A brief outline of both these processes will serve to illustrate the value of a systematic approach to information management.

Job Centre Vacancy Information (Online)

Information on job vacancies are notified to the Job Centre where a dedicated member of staff inputs the details into a MS Access Database system designed specifically for the project. This database is then electronically transferred as an email attachment to the information worker at the TAP office, Shipley Library. The files are checked and then transferred using FTP to the Shipley College server. The datafile can then be interrogated via a form on the SCOL website. This process is carried out regularly, say four times a fortnight, each set of files overwriting the previous ones. The fields included in the database which allow searching via the website are; the SOC code, part-time/full-time and qualification level. When a search is successful the following fields are returned to the screen; Title, District, Wage, Full or Part Time, Duration, Details, Qualification, SOC code and Reference number.

After some initial teething problems the process has worked well. Criticism has focussed on the narrow range of jobs which are notified to Shipley Job Centre. While this is not per say an information management problem it does raise questions of the capacity of the system to accommodate vacancies from other jobcentres in the region. On the other hand it is anticipated that the Employment Service will develop a cohesive national website thus allowing a broader geography.

Client/Beneficiary Database (Off-line)

 

There was at the outset of the project a requirement to record rich details about each client that participates on the project. A dedicated database was designed to administer client records. The types of information included were; personal, employment status, skills, aims, experience and qualification. This information was supplemented by the client's personal Action Plan and the client's outcome.

Typically the process followed this pattern; a client would visit a centre where, upon enrolment, a paper form was completed as part of a career guidance interview. These forms having been accumulated by the guidance workers would be sent to the information worker at the TAP office at Shipley Library. Here the forms were input into the client database. Those clients who registered via the college for online learning were recorded on a separate database system. The client database became a crucial resource within the overall management of the project and various different queries have been designed to guage the progress of the project.

Those involved in setting up this system had dearly wanted to have online access to the client database; however costs and concerns over security prevented this from happening. After some alterations to the administration and inputting side of the database the system has worked well. The evolution of the parallel online learners database has presented some minor difficulties, but these have now been overcome. There has yet to be developed a standardised client database manual which could be used to ensure higher quality of input and a sharing of this task with others.