Your training needs: what we've learnt from our Winter 2023 surveys
We've delivered 21 online, in-person, and e-learning training courses to higher education providers across the UK since August 2022. Our HE providers have shared their feedback with us on their experience with several HESA collections, using our training needs surveys.
In our training needs surveys (which can be completed anonymously), we simply ask you to share how you found a particular collection, what helped you, what training you would appreciate and what you found challenging.
We’d like to thank everyone who completed the surveys which help tailor our training programme to suit your needs. Here's a summary of the feedback that will inform our future training programme.
The Graduate Outcomes Survey Results (C20072)
You told us that the e-learning and webinars were especially useful, but that the changes to the structure of data regarding salary made the analysis more difficult, as fewer responses were received.
You suggested that more support in the development of benchmarking and metrics would be beneficial.
Register your interest: If you would like more support in the development of benchmarking and metrics, please email [email protected] to register your interest so that we can tailor our training course.
Graduate Outcomes Contact Details (C20071)
Most respondents said they had intermediate to advanced knowledge of the record and had worked for more than three years in their roles. Due to this vast amount of experience, many of you were able to complete the return using just your own knowledge alongside the coding manual.
Your feedback on the e-learning course told us that it's a useful tool when it comes to highlighting updates and responsibilities and being able to refer to the e-learning at any time was appreciated.
Your feedback on the collection told us that the XML was easy to produce and well formatted, and that the population being defined by HESA was beneficial. However, you found it difficult to maintain graduate contact details for the required time period of 15 months, which we sympathise with.
Reintroducing live events: This year, we reintroduced live in-person and online events so please keep an eye on the monthly Training update for upcoming opportunities.
The Aggregate Offshore Record (C21052)
Most respondents are responsible for a full collection cycle, from collating to submitting data and have intermediate to advance knowledge of the return. Some of you start the preparation as early as May, but the majority of you work on the return in September.
You consider the return to be relatively easy, however reconciliation with the student return and understanding some of the quality rules has been identified as challenging in some cases.
The coding manual and guidance on HESA website remain the most used resource in preparation for the return, followed by e-learning course and internal training and documentation.
Those of you that used our e-learning, found it very useful and timely. The majority are happy with the e-learning format of the training because it can be completed at your own pace and in your own time, however some of you would prefer live webinars and bespoke sessions.
You’ve said you would like to see more support and training on the coverage of the record and some fields, the submission process, and identifying and resolving quality issues.
Support and training: please email [email protected] so that we can assess your needs and produce the best training option for you.
The Staff record (C21025)
More than half of respondents reported having intermediate to advanced understanding of the collection, while the remaining respondents only had basic knowledge. Those with advanced knowledge had been in positions for at least three years, so used the coding manual to make sense of the Staff collection.
Those who completed the staff e-learning said it helped you carry out your job. From December 2021 to September 2022, each of you began preparing for the Staff collection. To help, you all participated in relevant webinars and finished the e-learning. Feedback stated that you learn better with others and would like to see more in-person events.
Finding the best training solution: To assess your needs and tailor training solutions to suit you, email [email protected].
Explore our training page and e-learning platform to find solutions designed to help you to develop in-house expertise on all aspects of the HESA data journey.
