Leeds College of Building and leading technology firm Collsys have joined forces to pioneer a new software package for the further education sector. 

The Collsys ‘Academic Suite‘ is designed to track knowledge, skills, and behaviours across all academic disciplines. It combines with their ‘Employability Suite‘ to provide a comprehensive single platform solution including work placement, enrichment, apprenticeships, and careers.

The project began when Leeds College of Building reviewed its existing systems post-pandemic and asked for staff feedback. Increasingly complex requirements and software that was no longer fit for purpose meant that investing in a new college-wide system became a priority.

Steve Connell, Assistant Principal at Leeds College of Building, said:

“As a busy further education college, we deliver a host of construction specialisms from plumbing, carpentry, and brickwork to civil engineering and transport planning. As such, we needed software that could not only track student work placements and enrichment, but also monitor progress, hold Individual Learning Plans (ILPs), link well with maths, English and support areas, hold student reviews and exam results and monitor attendance and punctuality.

“However, little is available to the FE sector which can manage data for both employer placements and student progress, and which is also user-friendly. Market leaders tend to offer solutions for one or the other but not together and can also be difficult to retrieve the correct information. We needed software that would be a one-stop-shop and present data quickly and consistently. 

“Our old systems were labour intensive and lead to silos or pockets of good practice, so I began talking with one of our existing software suppliers, Collsys. Their CEO, Brian Varley, was keen to explore this further and use expertise in his team to expand existing Collsys software parameters.” 

The College Work Based Learning and Employer Engagement teams already used Collsys modules for tracking work placements, enrichment, and employer engagement data. The aim was to extend this to a bespoke management platform used by all Leeds College of Building staff.

Brian Varley, CEO Collsys, said:

“This project has been a great opportunity to enhance our existing Employability Suite offering. Together with Leeds College of Building, we designed the Academic Suite to be easy to use with additional options for tracking ‘Knowledge Skills and Behaviours’ of vocational courses. This means staff can monitor if students are on track at any point in the year and put in earlier interventions. 

“We also included a joint training plan and review system that is not readily available on the market, given products are often not specifically designed with colleges in mind. A benefit of our system is that because we offer our Employability Suite alongside the Academic Suite, all data is in one place. Tutors can easily look at all aspects of a student’s data without having to switch between systems for reports.”

Over the last 12 months, a joint project team spent time researching, developing, designing, testing, and eventually rolling out the Academic Suite project. The new system is now live at Leeds College of Building and manages all aspects of students’ learning. 

Users can drill down to faculty, departmental, course, or individual student level data. Staff can quickly access vital data, generate reports, and view insights using a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating to quickly identify at-risk students, monitor progress, and tailor interventions.

Adam Sharpe, system super-user and Leeds College of Building carpentry and Joinery lecturer, said:

“The new system has great potential. The fact that Collsys has been made to suit our needs as a college is really pleasing, as this means that people like me and others within our organisation can make this new system the best it can be. Working with the Collsys team has been a pleasure; they have been so responsive when we have had technical issues and very patient when delivering training.”

Work is now underway on the next phase of development. The project team has hosted drop-in staff training sessions, created champions and super users, and helped with data transfer to the new system. Plans also include a portal and mobile app to allow employers, parents and carers to monitor a student’s attendance, progress, results, and staff feedback.

Steve concluded:

“This was an ambitious project, but it paid off. We’ve never had this level of data before! It’s fantastic to have everything in one place and quickly access data in real-time. It’s very user-friendly and is a much more efficient use of precious staff time. This bespoke platform will be crucial for external assessors moving forward as it ties together all aspects of apprenticeships and study programmes. Thanks to Collsys for listening to our needs and building a bespoke system for us. “

Visit www.collsys.co.uk to find out more about Collsys Academic and Employability Suites or email customerservices@collsys.co.uk to learn how Collsys can support other Further Education providers.

Teaching staff at Leeds College of Building are elated after receiving eleven articulated trailers of equipment donated by Legal & General. The materials and tools will be used to train the next generation of construction professionals enrolled across the College’s North Street and South Bank Campuses. 

The donation includes 60 pallets of fire, moisture, and general-purpose grade plasterboards, bathroom suites, consumer units, switches and sockets, timber flooring, internal doors, plinths and skirting, paint, workshop vacuums cleaners, strip lights, mini skips, toolboxes, timber chop saws, portable power tools, a pallet of spirit levels, plumbing consumables, and more. Richard Longley, Managing Director in Legal & General Capital’s housing division:

“When an opportunity arose to further develop tradespeople of the future, we were delighted to be able to offer our support to Leeds College of Building and contribute to the next generation of UK home builders. A lot of our own team came through the College’s doors to learn their trades, so it’s wonderful to give something back.”  The Legal & General donation will be split across multiple departments and used to benefit most of the Construction Crafts trainees at the College. This includes students and apprentices studying plastering, carpentry and joinery, painting and decorating, wall and floor tiling, multi-skills, brickwork, plumbing, welding, and electrical specialisms. 
Wayne Chappelow, Head of Construction Crafts at Leeds College of Building, said:
“We have worked with Legal & General for many years to establish qualifications that met their needs and placed several apprentices with them.This donation is the latest development in our partnership, and we are absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity!

“My thanks go to Legal & General for this incredible donation of materials, tools, and equipment. It will help to ensure Leeds College of Building students receive the best possible training for successful employment as they go into the workplace. 

“We rely on essential material donations like these to continue our training and are so grateful to the exceptional businesses that work with us regularly. This work is vital to build the construction workforce of the future and boost the number of skilled professionals needed to fill critical skills gaps across trades.” A significant part of the donation includes brand new tools and equipment designed for “tape and fill” – a key skill in the dry lining industry and an area where Legal & General found a significant shortage of talent. Other equipment includes general and battery-operated hand tools, PPE and RPE such as air-fed face masks, and specialist Teflon-coated setting-out tables for welded, brazed, and soldered components to be used in the fabrication and welding department. 
Legal & General’s donations are the latest in a series of substantial material donations to the College, including roofing supplies donated by SR Timber, Glidevale Protect, CUPA Pizarras, BMI UK& Ireland, Rinus Roofing Supplied Ltd, Hunslet Roofing Supplies Ltd, Wienerberger UK, Velux, Midland Lead Ltd, Hambleside Danelaw, Monument Tools Ltd, Permavent Ltd, and more.

Find out more about Construction Craft courses at the next Leeds College of Building open event on Thursday 22 February (5 – 7 pm, North Street Campus). Register for your free place at www.lcb.ac.uk/events.