Turn the page, it's 2021!

 Happy new year!

Welcome to 2021, a year of hope for significant change. 

 

This post inaugurates the PowerPro Blog, a communication channel where you will find ongoing information about this Student Management System. Each PowerPro 2021 build will have a Blog post detailing the changes and fixes introduced by the build.

What's new? 

PowerPro 2021 is packed with functionality extensions suggested by RTO users who use the system on a daily basis. Here is a summary of what is new:

• Enrolment form compliance
  

• Web enrolment instant notifications

• Additional Web enrolment notification email address

• Course discount codes for online paid Enrolments

• AVETMISS error fixing improvements
  

• Track Unit prerequisites per Student

• Client and Company credit fields and function
  

• Additional Client emergency contact field set 
  

• Education Agents: track payments, attach documents and Log Contacts
  

• Improved Client merge process

• RAPT fee caps to comply with Lower Fees Local Skills invoicing requirements 

• TCSI reporting (Vet Student Loans)
  

• New "User activity" panel showing user and system stats

• Stats panel: Filter on accredited or non-accredited Training

   

Digging deeper

 

Enrolment form compliance

The Web enrolment form has been updated to comply with the latest (2021) NCVER requirements. Please, enter the URL of your RTO Privacy Policy in the new Training Organisation>Contacts & Privacy>Privacy Policy URL field:

 

 

The URL entered on the above screen is provided to the Student as part of the enrolment form.

Reviewing any other enrolment forms used by the RTO to ensure they comply with the latest NCVER requirements is recommended.

 

Web enrolment instant notifications

The Web plugin was updated to use an instant email notification engine. This way emails are dispatched immediately avoiding any delays. Providing there are no technical issues on the recipients end, Students and the RTO admin staff will get instant notification emails upon each enrolment. No change or configuration is required by the RTO.

 

 

Additional Web enrolment notification email address

Using PowerPro 2021, RTOs can configure two Enrolment notification email addresses. This is done in the Course>Web tab as per image below:

 

 

Course discount codes

Promote your Courses by enabling discounted enrolments for specific cohorts. Students who enter the correct Discount code will be charged the discounted fee:

 

Use the Course>Web section to configure the discount code and the discounted fee:

 

 

 

Please note: Course discounts only work on Version 2 of the Web forms which looks like this:

 

If your enrolment form does not look like the above please contact us and we will change it to Version 2.

 

 

 

AVETMISS error fixing improvements 

PowerPro 2021 provides a much quicker way to fix any Client or Delivery Location errors. The validation window contains a link to the record with the error/warning:

 

 

PowerPro 2021 also improves AVETMISS data validation by:

•  Checking for the use of the deprecated Funding Source Nation code 30
•  Checking that any code Funding Source Nation code 31/32 relates to a Client with an OSPC postcode.
  

 

Track Unit prerequisites per Student

Unit prerequisites can be tracked per Student per Unit. The
Enrolments & Results>Outcomes & Dates list shows status specific icons those Units with prerequisites:

 

 

Double click on the relevant Unit in to access the following window:

 

 

 

The Unit list shows a green tick icon now indicating the Unit prerequisites have been checked:

 

 

 

 

 

Client and Company Credit fields

In PowerPro 2021, Clients and Companies can be assigned as Credit value. The Credit value is recorded against the Client/Company:

 

 

When setting the Credit value, the system adds a descriptive text to the Client notes:

Then, on any Invoice for that Client, a new Available Credit menu option facilitates the use of the Client Credit:

 

 

Additional Client emergency contact field set

A common request from RTOs has been to extend the Client Emergency contact fields to include a second field set. PowerPro 2021 implements this functionality:

 

 

 

Education Agents: track payments, attach documents and Log Contacts

Easier access to the Education Agent area as well as the ability to attach documents are some of the improvements CRICOS providers will enjoy:

 

 

 

 

The Student payment can be linked to their Payment Plan installments and record the Education Agent payment details:

 

 

 

 

Improved Client merge process

The Client Merge function solves the occasional issue of duplicated Clients. In PowerPro 2021 this function has been improved as follows:

• If the older record is kept then use the newer record contact details: company, addresses, phones and email. 
  
• If the discarded record contains a USI and the kept record does not then keep the discarded record USI and its verification status.
• Create a Contact Log with both records details on company, addresses, phones  and email.
  

 

RAPT fee caps (WA only)

To comply with Lower Fees Local Skills invoicing requirements, a new Lower Fees Local Skills Cap field is now part of each Enrolment record:

 

Setting this field will not effect RAPT reporting. However, it will determine how the invoice lines (one for each Unit of Competency) are created (using the Unit RAPT Fees menu item): they will be capped to a value of $400 in this case:

 

 

 

 

TCSI Reporting

PowerPro 2021 has TCSI fields grouped in "TCSI" tabs. The system is ready to report TCSI data using the TCSI Portal. The TCSI Transition Guide has been prepared to guide our clients through the TCSI related changes in PowerPro.

 

 

New "User activity" panel showing user and system stats

You will notice when logging on to PowerPro 2021 a new User activity panel. This panel displays system stats on actions such as New Clients and AQF Parchments. The figures are split in two columns showing the values for the current user and for all users:

Notice the Time frame drop-down. It allows inferring on: this week, this month, last 30 days and Year to date.

 

The bottom of the panel shows the last time a Web>Course sync was performed.

 

Stats Panel: Filter on accredited or non-accredited Training

The background panel of PowerPro 2021 and the application status bar contain summary data such as the number of active Clients. In PowerPro 2021 users are able to apply Accredited and non-accredited filters to these figures:

 

 

Please note; the filter does not affect the User activity figures.

Smaller improvements

A few smaller changes which are worth mentioning here:

• Fresher look with green shaded GUI controls (buttons, menu items, etc)
  
• Qualification Rules: ability to move units from one Unit group to another
• Web files contents can now be viewed in Web>View downloaded files
•   

Installing the 2021 update

Installing the update is simple and will not take long.

 

PowerPro RTO Sky 

If you are using PowerPro Sky, please email us with a suitable time frame (15 to 20 minutes downtime) and our Support team will install the 2021 update for you.

 

 

PowerPro RTO local

If you are using PowerPro local (as opposed to the Cloud based version), please follow these steps:

1. Make sure all users is logged off from PowerPro RTO
2. From a PowerPro workstation download and execute this update (only once, from any workstation): https://powerprorto.com.au/tms/2021/2021.exe - The download is quick but the execution may take up to a couple of minutes.
   
3. Download and execute the following file: https://powerprorto.com.au/tms/2021/workstation.exe
4. All done. Log in to PowerPro RTO and you will be on release 2021
   

 

 

 

 

PowerPro Sky large databases

In 2021 a proportional charge will apply for databases exceeding 50GB in size. Larger databases incur significant Cloud hosting and backup costs. A tiered system based on database size will assist us absorbing those costs. The following table shows the different tiers based on the database size:

 

Open Help>About>Database to find out the size of your Database and the Database Volume bracket charge:

 

 

 

 

What else to expect in 2021

• Document validation system - QR code based system to validate AQF Parchments. 
• Web Trainer application available for PowerPro Sky.
  
• Course checklist - Ability to track admin tasks per Course (e.g. Trainer travel arrangements, accommodation catering, room hire)
  

 
More detailed information on the smaller updates (builds) will be published in this blog. We anticipate releasing a new build every month during 2021.


Stay tuned,

 

The PowerPro support team: Alison, Jack, Niels, Serge and Pedro using a completely random order :)