Getting on board with Onefile Enrol: How Onefile’s new Onboarding portal benefits FE Colleges

Issue

Further education colleges have a huge administrative workload. As training providers, they are responsible for much of the mandatory ‘paperwork’ required when setting up, running, overseeing and delivering a successful apprenticeship. And for college staff, the hard work begins well before an apprentice has even applied to join a training programme.

So that an apprenticeship application can progress, colleges must first assess the prospective learner’s eligibility and any previous learning they have which could impact on the DfE’s strict funding rules. Apprentices with Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – i.e. skills they already possess – receive less public money towards their training.

Colleges, must, also for example, check that 16–18-year-old applicants have the necessary GCSEs/Functional Skills in maths and English to qualify for an apprenticeship. And, added to all these responsibilities, providers also have learners’ enrolment and onboarding to look after.

Educate

Although most FE colleges have moved from the old paper-based systems to digitalised ones in recent years, not all online platforms are made equal. Problems can arise when different systems don’t ‘speak to each other’ leading to serious communication issues internally and externally.

And, while Gen Z and Generation Alpha are obviously digital natives, they too can find form filling off putting. If the online apprenticeship application process is too onerous and difficult to navigate, some learners might just give up, leading to more drop-offs. A complicated application system is also more likely to lead to missing documents, inaccuracies and other admin errors by staff and applicants, slowing down and delaying the process.

Fortunately, enrolment and onboarding don’t have to be like this. As the leading learner management platform, Onefile has introduced a sophisticated new Onboarding Portal which offers training providers an even simpler and smarter solution than our previous version.

Solution

We appreciate just how busy colleges are, not just at peak enrolment times when many campuses have to draft in extra staff, but throughout the academic year. That’s why we’ve made our latest Onefile Enrol feature release even more user-friendly.

Onefile’s Onboarding portal makes enrolment and onboarding a breeze, saving everyone time and hassle. Its personalised features include form building, smart forms, to do actions, uploads, required action alerts and secure electronic signature capture

Customisable forms can be created and tailored to an employer’s individual specifications, with the welcome page featuring videos, images and graphics as well as text about the apprentice job role.

And, because they’re so easy to read on a mobile phone, applicants can fill in and review their forms while they’re on the move. Applications don’t need to be completed all in one go, either, thanks to the handy save and resume button. Whether they’re adding information about RPL, looking at their training plan or signing their apprenticeship agreement, learners will always have a clear view of exactly where they are in the process at any given time.

Personalised workflows with tailored steps based on the applicant’s chosen programme makes for a much better experience for learners, improving their understanding of what’s required and boosting their confidence.

Keeping track of learners onboarding progress

Tutors, college admin staff or assessors will be able to view detailed information about learners from the moment they log in, with the Onefile onboarding portal allowing them to create their own learner dashboards. They will see for example, which learners are assigned to which tutors, making the system easier to navigate and saving precious time.

Looking at just one screen, system users can track and monitor a learner’s progress, and configure templates to add next steps, such as sending them a reminder or a ‘well done on completion’ message. These interactions, sent by text or email, can also go to employers as well as learners.

Another major plus point is the portal’s ability to integrate seamlessly to third party systems such as Century and BSKB, again improving efficiency and streamlining the process.

Reducing delays and ensuring compliance

Enrol’s ability to track an application so closely and accurately reduces delays and flags any admin omissions or oversights, avoiding costly errors. It also cuts the amount of time college admin staff and tutors spend on manual follow-ups and increases onboarding completion rates.

And having such clear real-time visibility of workflows alerts tutors and employers to any apprentice eligibility issues early on. These features are so important for compliance. Apprenticeship funding allocations are based on information such as RPL so it’s essential to get this right.

When you get onboard with Onefile you can say goodbye to slow, outdated, potentially unreliable admin and the poor communication and higher drop off rates it can often lead to. Book a discovery call today to discover how Enrol’s new release can transform your onboarding process, freeing up more time for teaching and training.