As a business, you want to recruit people who have a broad range of up-to-date skills and who can hit the ground running.
The first of its kind, the National Student Database is designed to help ensure alignment between industry and education. Based on Lantra’s Online Competence Framework (OCF), the National Student Database enables skills and qualifications to be recorded, career options evaluated and skills gaps identified. It also enables the development and recording of “Key Skills”, such as application of number and “Soft Skills” including leadership and teamwork - a new addition to the OCF’s functionality.
The system itself includes information on all Lantra’s Sector Approved job role Profiles, across 17 industry sectors (nearly 600 in total). Based on National Occupational Standards, these allow students to search careers and identify the exact qualifications and experience they need for their desired profession. Being an online system, access is available any time, any place, any where there is internet.
The Database enables students to record all their formal and informal learning. These can then be collated into a CV by a simple tick box principle and then printed to send to an employer. The fact that the CV can be endorsed, for example by tutors or part-time/work experience employers, guarantees it is one that employers can trust and is one that demonstrates exactly what level of skills they have achieved.
The National Student Database therefore clearly has fantastic benefits for industry as it improves the quality of new entrants and ensures they are work-ready. Employers can also take advantage of JobShop, part of the Database which works to match students and their skills to jobs and/or work placements, helping employers find the right person for the job.
The National Student Database has been in development for the last 12 months and follows extensive research amongst students, tutors and college administrators as to what they want from a skills development and recording tool. The earlier research was based on what are known as “Wireframe models”. These are a web-based system that look, feel and act like the planned system, but are not connected to the underlying database. This ensures that potential user can get a very close approximation as to how the final system will operate, so that accurate feedback can be generated.
For more information on the National Student Database please contact Lantra by emailing connect@lantra.co.uk or calling 0845 707 8007.
