March 4, 2024. New on the Activity screen:
The Activity screen includes a feature that allows you to list participating employers (a required step, if applicable), and
participating students (an optional step) who participate in career development activities. As a new feature, you can now add dates and comments to these records.
This will be helpful for staff who want to track one-on-one services that they provide, such as job search assistance,
resume writing, cover letter writing, and other activities, and use the "Add Students" screen to list students, with a date and brief comment.
(Coming soon: an updated video on this topic.)
About the checklist on the Activity Screen. The checklist on the Activity screen lists the various types of
career development activities that the Connecting Activities network typically provides. As a quick update: the item "Individual Counseling / Guidance" has
been renamed "Individual Counseling / Guidance / Job Search / Resumes" and moved into the "Career Exploration" section of the checklist. You can use this
to identify some of the one-on-one job search support that staff provide; as well as one-on-one career exploration and guidance.
~~~~~~~~~
February 29, 2024. New in the database manual: There is a new page in the database manual outlining the recent changes in the
placement screen: https://massconnecting.org/default.asp?entity_id=530 (or go to massconnecting.org, and under Resources choose
choose the link for the Database Guide and then look for topic "2a.1 -FY2024 Placement Screen Definitions and Discussion."
Database workshops: Look on the calendar on the sign-in page at masswbl.org for database workshop dates.
Click the link to "Register" and fill in the form, and a zoom link will be emailed to you.
These workshops are small group sessions, via zoom, and include a tour of the database and
an opportunity to ask questions. Workshops are typically held twice per month; or please email jleonard@skillslibrary.com
if you would like to schedule a session for your small group.
(The workshop this afternooon, Feb. 29th at 2:15 p.m. is a special-topic workshop looking at the changes that
we made in the placement screen this year.)
~~~~~~~~~~~
January 30, 2024. Placement screen updates: There is a small change in
wording in the placement screen in the "career focus" question.
Is the career focus of this placement aligned with any of the following? (check all that apply)
[ ] Career exploration goals/interests of participant (if known)
[ ]
Related to a pathway, course or career-themed program
[ ] General Work-Based Learning Experience (Any Occupation/Industry)
[ ] Industry or occupation targeted by a regional/local BluePrint or other local/regional industry targets
ALSO: An update to the "completion bar" that tells you if you have filled in 100% of the fields that are
required for the Connecting Activities reports.... the bar now reaches 100%.
January 30, 2024. For regional coordinators: You will see a few
small improvements in the
set of quarterly report screens. (1.) The year and quarter are more automatically pre-filled into the
screens, based on your date settings in the reports menu. (2.) A smoother process as you navigate from the
quarterly report screen to the "write narrative" screen to the screens for submitting the report.
(3.) You can choose to upload a PDF or you can now simply click to declare your report is complete.
(4.) If you want to print the report to a PDF, please use the print-to-PDF feature on your browser. Use Ctrl-P or a print icon or File, Print
to print the document, and choose the option to print to a PDF rather than to a printer. The PDF will be saved to whatever
location on your computer that you want. Note that the old print-to-PDF button did not format well, and so it is better to use this option.
(5.) Notice that the report now prints in portrait mode.
January 1, 2024. Happy New Year!
[1.] See the workshop calendar on the masswbl.org sign-in page for database workshop dates. Click on the "register" link to register, and a zoom link will be emailed to you automatically.
[2.] As announced below, the placement screen has been updated. Please email with any questions.
[3.] For regional coordinators: The format of the quarterly report has been updated. You can view the new format
via the Reports/Admin menu (look for the "NEW" version).
Details will be shared at the next statewide CA meeting.
As always, the report draws from the
placement screen data.
We will work with you to phase in these changes. Email Jennifer Leonard at jleonard@skillslibrary.com with
December 19, 2023. Announcing changes to the placement screen! You will notice some changes to the placement screen including:
The checklist of "Workshop and Classroom Connections" is updated;
A new question in that section asks if an internship is a for-credit internship;
The PROGRAM TYPE field now offers options to choose Internship, Youth Employment, Career Capstone Project, or other Work-Based Learning Options, as well as various career exploration and job search activities;
The CAREER FOCUS TYPE field is now marked as required;
Plus a few small changes to the overall look of the screen.
June 21, 2023. At the end of the program year, we run end-of-year reports to show how many work-based learning experiences, activities, employer partners, etc., are collected in the database. We also run a report called "Qualifying Wages" to provide an approximate estimate of employer-paid wages during the year. (Regional coordinators run this report for their region, and we also run it statewide.) In preparation for end-of-year reports, here are a few clean-up tasks:
[1.] On the Placement screen: if you have inadvertently created duplicate records, please change the last name in the duplicate record to something beginning with the letters "zzz". This is a quick-and-easy way to label records that we can delete from the database. I (Jennifer L.) will delete any records with last names beginning with "zzz" (or if you have access to the Delete Records screen you can do it.... either way is fine).
[2.] Also on the Placement screen: if you use the "COPY" feature, be sure that any valid records have a valid name (and not "-fill in name-"). If you created stray records that say "-Fill in Name-" these will also be deleted before we run end-of-year reports.
[3.] FYI: I (Jennifer L.) will automatically update records to reflect the current minimum wage. (Similar to other recent years.) The original wage will be stored in a field called "Previous Hourly Pay" and with the date Jan. 1, 2023 in a field called "Date of Increase." You don't have to do anything.
[4.] On the Activity screen, you can use the "ADD EMPLOYERS" button to be sure to list employers who have participated in activities and events such as career days, guest speaker programs, industry events and other career development events. This information is stored, and appears in the EMPLOYER screens, giving you a great history of how employers in your region have supported your work.
[5.] There are various reports on the Reports/Admin menu that help you look over your data, including Report 01: Count by Program and Report 02: Placement List. Browse these to look over the data and notice any gaps that need to be filled in. Email me at jleonard@skillslibrary.com if you need assistance.
March 22, 2023. Several new model WBLPs, with job descriptions and skills, have been added to the bank of pre-written job descriptions. When creating Work-Based Learning Plans, on the screen for STEP 2 - JOB DESCRIPTION look for the dropdown list to IMPORT PRE-WRITTEN JOB DESCRIPTIONS and browse the list to see if there is a job title that matches the intern's job title. Once you have imported the pre-written job description and skills, you can edit as desired.
December 30, 2022.Happy New Year!!
TIPS: How to review your data. We have made some updates to Report 03: Database Checklist. This report, which you can
find on the Reports/Admin menu (1st column of reports) is designed to help you look at the consistency and quality of
the data you and your colleagues have entered into the database. There are a variety of charts included:
* Sample data for key data elements, such as samples of STEM placements, or samples of job titles, job descriptions and WBLP skills;
* Charts highlighting where fields might have been left blank;
* A chart showing possible duplicate employers;
* A chart showing how many employers are new vs. returning;
* A chart showing what types of activities you have entered, based on the checklist of types of career development activities;
* And a variety of other charts to let you review your data at-a-glance.
Please take a look. Don't worry if any of the charts show incomplete data, but just set some goals for data entry and data clean-up over the
coming months, and feel free to reach out for assistance as needed.
Employer Outreach. Interested in seeing how many new employers are providing work-based learning experiences
in your region? And how many long-time employers continue to provide work-based learning experiences?
Please look at the EMPLOYER ANALYSIS screen, found in the Employers section of the database,
for a look at a list of employers who have been active in your region since FY2015. This chart shows how many placements
each employer has provided since FY2015, along with columns showing the earliest and most recent year. At the bottom of the
chart you will see an analysis, showing how many employer have been active in the past year-and-a-half (since FY2022) and of these,
how many are new and how many are returning. Use this information to support your employer outreach work. (And also please check the
data for any duplicates, so that we have a clear employer history for your participating employers. Reach out for help if you want assitance with this task.)
October 19, 2022. To regional admins - thank you for the quarterly reports. If you haven't yet filled in the annual goals for the
year, please look on the Reports/Admin menu for "Quarterly Reports 01B" (Annual Goals) and fill in the regional goals.
Also: regional admins can open the screen "Report U-03" (Edit School List and Mailing List Contacts) and
check to see your current CA Partner schools are coded as "Yes" in the column for CA Partner schools. The quarterly report
includes a footnote about how many partner schools are included in the report, drawing from this screen. It also counts how many
other "active" schools are included, with an "active" school defined as one that is not a formal partner, but is participating in some Career Develpment activities,
using the database for internships, participating in professional development or special events, or other participation.
September 12, 2022
Welcome to a new school year!
(1.) On your main menu, you can set the filter bar to view records with a
start date since 7/1/2022 or 9/1/2022. In some regions and communities, you may
see a list of summer jobs entries for students in your communities.
(2.) If your region is "synching" data with the YouthWorks database, the list of
summer jobs may include YouthWorks placements. You can see the Work-Based Learning Plans for these
participants via the "History" screen.
(3.) Regional-level staff - check with Jennifer Leonard for any help with synching data with YouthWorks (jleonard@skillslibrary.com).
Employer Outreach: There have been a few updates to the Employer Screens to
support you in employer outreach. There are four views: the detailed Employer Screen view, plus three lists:
Employer View, Employer Edit, and Employer Analysis. In the Employer Analysis, the placmement history
now reaches back seven years (so that screens open faster) and show you which employers
are new since FY2022, and which are "returning" from previous years. Most programs will show a
blend of new & returning employers. (Also please note the screen to "Merge Duplicates" - an important step for
providing an accurate employer analysis; reach out for assistance with this function if needed.)
May 21, 2022 From the navigation bar on the home page,
look for the new WBLP Samples/Tools button.
This button brings you to a
collection of screens designed to browse and help to curate the
BANK OF SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTIONS and the BANK OF SAMPLE SKILLS/TASKS.
You can also find a screen that allows you to make a list of "CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES" for your participants.
Please explore these screens and email jleonard@skillslibrary.com with questions
about how you can best use these features in your program.
May 10, 2022:
[1.]You will see small changes on the ACTIVITIES screen.
The buttons to list participating employers and students are now included in the middle of the
screen as well as the top and bottom of the screen, as a reminder. It is totally OPTIONAL to list
participating students and it is REQUIRED to list participating employers where applicable (so that we
can provide a count for statewide reports and so that you can view employer history in the
employer screens).
[2.] Some issues with the screen to ADD STUDENTS have been resolved, and if this
feature interests you, you are encouraged to try it. If you use this screen, the student history
screen will show participation in career development activities and work-based learning.
[2.] View this What's New PowerPoint Presentation and the
What's New VIDEO with a tour through
some of the new database features, which include:
- On the WBLP Step 2 - Job Description screen ---> more emphasis on how to share your WBLP to the bank of examples,
plus more examples available in the dropdown list of IMPORTABLE pre-written job descriptions and skills/tasks. (Including
two examples of education-related internships, for use in HSSIEP and other opportunities.
- On the WBLP Step 3 - Skills/Tasks screen ---> some additional education-related skills were added to the
dropdown list of skills/tasks, such as Classroom Technology, Instructional Support, etc., for use in
HSSIEP and other opportunities.
- On the main menu and in the navigation bar, you'll see a link to the SETUP screen for setting up the WBLP Landing Page.
The WBLP Landing Page provides easy access for supervisors and interns to work on their WBLP online. This feature
has been available all along, but now has new enhancements worth exploring.
- Among the options on the WBLP Landing Page --> A TIMESHEET for interns, options for interns and supervisors to
work on the job description and skills/tasks via their landing page, and other customizeable options.
February 8, 2022 The SkillsPages.com website is online with an updated version of the blog, with thoughts & insights about
career development. A current series of articles is focusing on the First Career Steps survey. Visit skillspages.com or go to the
SkillsLibrary.com homepage and look for the link to the Skills Pages blog.
February 8, 2022 Did you know? The database offers an online timesheet that is built into the WBLP landing pages. Youth can
use the same link to view their Work-Based Learning Plan, fill in weekly timesheets, and other features.
January 24, 2022
The new WBLP Landing Pages is a set of screens that provide easy online access for supervisors/mentors and students/interns to the WBLP and related resources. A small "experts group" will meet approx. four times, starting in late January (first meeting is Jan. 28th, 10:30-11:45 am) to review and refine these screens. For an overview of the materials, please see this PowerPoint, and feel free to explore these screens in the database. Email Jennifer if you are interested in offering feedback via email and/or joining the new experts group.
View PowerPoint:
https://masswbl.org/DRAFT_WBLP_Landing_Page_Screens.pptx
January 3, 2022
WBLP Setup Screen: There is a DRAFT/PREVIEW of a new version of the "send to supervisor" and
"send to intern" setup screen. Thoughts and comments are welcome!
November 18, 2021
Newly added to the massconnecting.org site -- a calendar of DATABASE WORKSHOPS and CA Network Meetings and other events.
Database workshops are open to all. The next workshops are Nov. 30 and Dec. 7th, both at 2:30 pm., and on the first Tuesday and second Thursday
of each month for the remainder of the year. Find the schedule on the calendar at http://massconnecting.org/calendarpage.asp and
click to register for a workshop.
September 20, 2021
For staff who work in both YouthWorks and Connecting Activities: The new 'SYNCH' routine is now available
from the Reports/Admin menu, here in the CA Database. Use this routine to pull YouthWorks records into the CA database,
and to update records with fresh information as needed. In YouthWorks, make sure you have completed key fields such as the
worksite match, start date, end date, and program leverage. Then open this database, go to Reports/Admin, look for the admin screen
numbered "SYNCH 01" (in the third column of the menu) and follow the instructions on screen. Email
jleonard@skillslibrary.com with any questions.
September 14, 2021
Database trainings are scheduled for Sept. 27th and Sept. 30th. Register at skillslibrary.com/workshops
August 25, 2021
(1.) Please update your email list information to be included on Connecting Activities emails. Click on the MY ACCOUNT button to make updates.
(2.) Interested in a database workshop? Workshop dates are posted at https://skillslibrary.com/workshops August workshops on Aug. 26 and Aug. 31.
Workshops are small, informal sessions, repeated throughout the year.
April 28, 2021 Look for updates on the Reports/Admin menu to aid in analyzing HSSEIP data. Part I of the Reports/Admin menu
now includes a filter for HSSEIP Only so you can easily filter for this program (previously a custom filter). Part II of the menu includes
a new report H-01: HSSEIP Summary and Demographics. And Report T01 (school statistics/demographics) and Report 01 (Count by Program) now include
columns with HSSEIP enrollment counts (as well as CA, YouthWorks, WIOA Youth and Coop).
April 2, 2021 For regional-level staff working on quarterly reports: Report 02: Placement List now has a new feature to allow you to
view all of the placement screen fields required for CA reporting or just the basic placement information. I hope this is a useful update!
February 18, 2021 The "USING THE PLACEMENT SCREEN" video is now updated, reflecting updates to the screen. You can view this 11-minute video from the
database manual at massconnecting.org/database-manual. See item #2 in the Database Manual's table of contents.
Did you know? In addition to the database manual, the massconnecting.org website offers a CONNECTING ACTIVITIES TUTORIAL with tips for
leading work-based learning and career development education programs; with
links to many of the key resource guides, plus questions to think about and suggestions for further reading. See http://massconnecting.org/outline.asp
February 15, 2021: Please enjoy some design updates that are being gradually added to the database. The new banner of photos is a first draft, to be refined as we go through a series of
database updates. These updates will include a history page that gives a snapshot of Connecting Activities, YouthWorks and other placements and activities for each youth in the database. The "History" button
on the main menu brings you to a rough draft of this page, with more details to be added as we go along.
Winter 2021: The new WBLP Self-Assessment screen offers an opportunity for youth to use the WBLP as a self-assessment tool. This screen also links to
journal reflection questions, offering space to respond to any of a set of reflection questions about the work experience and about the work-based learning plan skills.
Workshop 1: Using the Database in Your Internship Programs.
Using the Connecting Activities Database for managing information about internship placements, job descriptions and worksites; using the online Work-Based Learning Plan.
Wed., Feb. 10, 2021, 10:00 am
Thur., Feb. 18, 2021, 2:30 pm
Wed. March 3, 2021, 10:00 am (REVISED TIME)
Workshop 2: Exploring Database Reports and Features
Exploring the menu of reports, career development activity lists, employer screens, skills lists and more in the Connecting Activities Database.
Wed., Feb. 17, 2021, 10:00 am
Wed., Feb. 24, 2021, 2:30 pm
Wed., March 10, 2021, 2:30 pm
October 2020: For YouthWorks program providers: This week, Summer 2020 YouthWorks information is being merged into this database to support you in working
on quarterly reports. Please email jleonard@skillslibrary.com with questions & suggestions. Over the next few weeks we will add additional
search and report features to build on the synchronization between these two programs.
October 2020: A new report on the Reports/Admin menu (Report S-03V: Skills Details - Virtual Internships) highlights job descriptions and skills/tasks from virtual/remote work experiences.
Please take a look at this report for ideas that may inspire some of your own virtual work experiences. Throughout the year this list will grow with more examples.
October 2020: Also see the Activites Report 1: Activity List to see a growing list of Career Development activities that use a variety of remote/virtual strategies. Browse this
report statewide to draw inspiration for your own work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July/August 2020: For YouthWorks programs: Congratulations as we wrap up a fun and challenging summer. Please watch for information to be shared in the next few weeks about how we will sync (link/import) data between
the Connecting Activities and YouthWorks programs.
July/August 2020
[1.] There is a new checkbox on the placement screen for "Virtual / Remote Internship." You will see this checkbox in the
Work and Learning Program Elements section. A virtual internship is one in which all or much of the work is done online or remotely, with alternative
models of mentoring, supervising, physical worksite and work projects. Using this checkbox will help us to see and share information about our development of
virtual experiences.
[2.] Three fields in the participant information section are now marked as required for Connecting Activities: Race, Gender and Disability.
We expect to use these fields in analysis about program outreach, equity and non-traditional career paths. During this year,
we can start to gather this data.
As we begin, if the information is unknown or not specified, please check the "Not Specified" option
rather than leaving the field blank.
[3.] Please also note that the question about career focus type is now marked as recommended rather than optional.
During our meetings this summer and fall we can talk about how to define and collect this information. Please do not feel
pressured by
these data collection fields, as we can phase this information in at a comfortable pace.
March 18, 2020
Please reach out if you would like to work together on database work; or if you need help finding any resources
for staff, teachers or students during this time.
Connecting Activities Tutorial: Once you have settled into new work-at-home routines, I invite you to try out the 'Connecting Activities Tutorial' that
tours through many of the resources and best practices that we share as a network. The tutorial can be a good refresher for
experienced staff and an orientation for new staff getting started with this work. Find the tutorial online at
http://massconnecting.org/outline.asp (link opens in a new window).
There is a progress bar for tracking your progress through the units, and you can view the progress bar within the tutorial screens and
in the database, on the reports/admin menu, in a new report, Report T-01: Connecting Activities Tutorial Progress Bar.
February 8, 2020
A "pilot" optional feature allows you to list the students who participate in Career Development Activities.
While a list of participating students is NOT required for Connecting Activities reporting, many pathway programs and
others would like to track this information. Look for this information on the Activity Screen. The feature works the same
as the ADD EMPLOYERS feature. Data from this feature is available on "ACTIVITY REPORT 5" which is available from the Activity Screen
and from the Reports/Admin menu.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you visit the Reports/Admin menu, you may notice that the list of reports in Part II of the Reports/Admin menu is slightly re-arranged. As always, you can find reports using the
search features and the 'favorites' option. (Or just use Ctrl-F to "FIND" anything on the screen.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some improvements to "Report 2B: Skills Details." This report allows you to browse Work-Based Learning Plan skills,
skill descriptions, job titles and job descriptions, both within your region and statewide. This report is valuable for
getting ideas for job descriptions and skills/tasks for your program participants. View the report for all types of
jobs or for specific industry clusters.
September 1, 2019 - Welcome to a new school year! Over the long weekend I did some updates to the database to make the database
run more quickly and smoothly. Pre-2015 records are now archived (but will be available through the reports menu) and there are slight changes to the menu page. When you first
open the menu page, no more than 400 records will appear on your list, but you can change that setting (in the filter bar) to list
more records. Also some behind-the-scenes work to speed up the screens. Let me know of any questions or any issues that you notice.
March 5, 2019:
On the Reports/Admin menu, notice that there is now an option to check "STEM Only" placements
in Part I, where you set the criteria for your reports. This checkbox will select the placements that
you identified as STEM via the placement screen.
There are updates to the "ONE STEP" supervisor screen. (a.) After you write the job description and skills/tasks, you can
use the feature below the job description to send an email to the supervisor, or send it to yourself to forward to the supervisor.
The email provides a secure link that the supervisor can use to open the review screen and complete the WBLP reviews.
The report screen "Report 8S" provides a list of supervisor emails, with status of each, and with an option to
generate an email to all supervisors on the list.
Additional Recent Updates....
Sept. 15, 2018. Many of the workforce boards are in the midst of changing names
and email addresses. Many schools are also changing email addresses as they add new
email systems. If you need to change your username to match your new email address, please click on
the MY ACCOUNT button on the navigation bar along the top of the main menu page. You will see an option
to update your username. Note to regional-level coordinators: please contact me (Jennifer) if you would like to
update usernames for staff in your region.
Sept. 12, 2018. If students or employers in your internship program fill in the placement screen:
The version of the PLACEMENT SCREEN used by interns or employers has been
updated to reflect recent updates to the career area list and other updates. Click here for a PowerPoint
presentation about this screen:
Placement Details Screen - For Interns (link opens in a new window).
July 6, 2018
FY19 New Version of Placement Screen. The new version of the PLACEMENT SCREEN is now online. This new
version replaces the "AGROWE" program elements section with a new set of questions, including a checkbox for STEM placements, and for other
information about the industry and career area focus of the placement. Read more at http://massconnecting.org/program-elements
June 14, 2018
Updated version of REPORT 9 - PROGRAM ELEMENTS. Are you working on end-of-year data and goal-setting for next year?
Some of the reports you'll find useful include:
The quarterly Work-and-Learning report, which provides the basic placement goals and placement numbers
A newly-updated "REPORT 9 - PROGRAM ELEMENTS" (available from the Reports/Admin menu), which provides more details, by school, by activity and by other parameters.
Report 10: School & Employer Partners report, which provides a statewide, regionwide and school-by-school
count of employers who participate in Work-Based Learning and Career Development activities.
Activity Report #3, which shows data you have entered about in-kind and monetary support you have received from your employer and community partners.
There is a 'favorites' box at the bottom of the third column on the Reports/Admin menu, which highlights some of these report options.
Did you know... You can run any of the reports for placements in a specific industry
cluster or for a roll-up of all the STEM-related clusters or other broad industry groups. (For example
the "ALL STEM" roll-up includes the Healthcare; Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture; Information Technology; and Manufacturing, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math industry clusters.) Look for this option on the
industry cluster dropdown box on the top of the Reports/Admin menu.
April 20, 2018
Do you have some duplicate employer records in the database? There is a new version of the "Merge Duplicates" screen that helps to merge
any duplicates. From the Main Menu, click on EMPLOYERS and the REVIEW DUPLICATES. You will see instructions on top of the page, explaining that
you can view possible duplicate records side by side, update any missing information and then click to MERGE the two records.
This is a task that regional database admins typically do -- especially near the end of the school year,... now easier with this redesigned screen.
You will see some small changes on the placement screen.
There are two new features being piloted - at the bottom of the Job Description screen you'll see an option to import a sample
job description and another option to get a link for single-step access to the performance review screen. We'll have more discussion over these
features in coming weeks - feel free to create a sample placement and experiment with these features.
January 20, 2018.
(1.) Report 2B: Skill Details: Report 2B: Skill Details has been re-designed to allow easier browsing of
examples of Work-Based Learning Plans skills, skill descriptions, job titles, and job descriptions. On the REPORTS MENU, choose an industry cluster (or broad roll-up category like STEM)
and a date range and any other criteria and then click to APPLY. Then scroll down and look for Report 2B: Skill Details in the first column of reports. Click to view.
On the report screen, you can use the bar at the top of the screen to customize report settings and details.
(2.) Viewing Reports by Industry Cluster and by broad/general category: On the REPORTS MENU, when you choose criteria for your reports, you can now choose a broad roll-up category of industry clusters, such as
STEM or Business, Retail and Hospitality. This feature will help with looking at data for STEM initiatives
as well as any other initiatives that involve several industry clusters.
Here are the broad roll-up categories. This is currently a "draft" feature... and may be refined more in the next few weeks.
Arts Media and Communications
Includes: Arts Media and Communications |
Business, Retail and Hospitality
Includes: Business | Hospitality Tourism and Recreation | Culinary Food Service and Restaurant | Retail and Services |
Construction, Design and Transportation
Includes: Construction and Design | Maintenance / Landscaping | Marine Industries | Transportation / Automotive |
Human Services, Education and Public Sector
Includes: Education and Child Care | Human Services | Law Government and Public Service | Postsecondary Education Institutions |
Includes: Environment Natural Resources and Agriculture | Health Care | Information Technology | Manufacturing Science and Engineering |
January 20, 2018. While working on updates to the REPORTS MENU, I removed the dropdown lists to view reports by
a specific username. That feature was rarely used. If you DID use this feature,
please email me (Jennifer) at jleonard@skillslibrary.com for instructions on how to filter reports by username.
January 16, 2018 and January 19, 2018. There are small cosmetic changes to the Placement Screen and Reports Menu.
September 15, 2017. If you are working on YouthWorks: (1.) notice that two fields have been added to the YouthWorks
program information section at the end of the Placement screen, with 'Exit Status' and a box for 'If Not 125 Hours'. If you are
submitting YouthWorks data, you can use the placement screen or the custom editing screen to fill in these fields.
(2.) When you run the Detailed Placement List, a calculation of hours worked will be included in the report.
Note -- not working on YouthWorks? Did you know you can hide this section from your placement screen if you don't need it?
See the 'My Account' screen or email Jennifer at jleonard@skillslibrary.com for instructions.
August 21, 2017. A note to Connecting Activities regional coordinators -- the screen for annual goals is now ready for your
FY18 annual goals. Each year, one person per region types the annual goals into this screen. The goals appear in the goals column in the quarterly reports.
This is a task that should be done before the first quarterly report (which is due mid-October). Thank you!!
August 11, 2017. The navigation buttons along the top of the screens have been re-arranged slightly so that the NEW review screen and printer-friendly screen are
emphasized. The OLD links are now at the end of the set of navigation buttons. Eventually those will be smaller, but will remain available.
June 26, 2017. Some reminders and updates:
QUALIFYING WAGES. Are you working on the end-of-year qualifying wages report? Notice that the report requires that you fill in an end date.
You can use the custom editing screen to do this for any that are blank. You should at least fill in the YEAR for the end date. You can let the report assume June 30th if you aren't sure of the exact end date.
REVIEWING DATA. Use the "PLACEMENT LIST" on the reports menu (or any similar list) and the "COUNT BY PROGRAM" report to review data before submittting final end-of-year reports. Look for missing
dates; look for any possible duplicates or incomplete records; also look to make sure program enrollment checkboxes are accurately completed. The COUNT BY PROGRAM
report is helpful because it shows how many records are entered for Connecting Activities, YouthWorks, WIOA Youth or other programs.
SUMMER JOBS. Are you entering summer jobs? If any of your summer jobs begin before July 1st, you can just assume a July 1 start date OR you
can enter the actual start date and then, on the placement screen, fill in the "PROGRAM YEAR" field to specify FY2018. The PROGRAM YEAR field is found near the
region and organization on the placement screen. This will properly credit your
summer job placements to the new FY2018 program year.
June 3, 2017. As we transition to our new version of the Work-Based Learning Plan, you'll see updates underway.
Watch this 'what's new!' section as more updates are added.
The placement screen remains the same.
The job description screen no longer shows the foundation skills/ employability skills because those are included in the review screen.
As you have seen, the workplace/career skills screen now has the option of choosing a skill
from a dropdown list and using the automatically generated skill definitions.
As always, you can also write your own skills and definitions.
REVIEWS for current placements can be completed using the original version.
As summer begins, you can choose the NEW version of the REVIEW screen. This will eventually be the regular screen and not 'NEW'
You can use the new or original printer-friendly print-out screen as appropriate.
Note that existing Work-Based Learning Plans will remain in their original format and can always be revisited and reprinted using the
WBLP version that we had at the time of the placement.
The new version of the Work-Based Learning plan as a Microsoft Word document:
May 3, 2017. Database users have suggested that the screen "STEP 1B - EMPLOYERS" be integrated into
the placement screen. You will now see this change --> look for the new employer information box on the
placement screen.
