Report on IT Support Staff Training
April to September 2000

Jane Littlehales

Resources

• http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/its3/calendar/
  • Calendar for 1999, 2000 and 2001
  • ITSSG style applied
  • Updated to include 2001 and attendance numbers
• http://users.ox.ac.uk/~itssg/internal/itsss/index.html
  • Previous events and attendance numbers for 1996 to 1999
  • ITSSG style
  • Old index showed general days for seminars and links to 1999-2000 seminar info
  • Been removed and useful info incorporated into previous events page or calendar
• http://users.ox.ac.uk/~itssg/internal/itsss/t00seminfo.html
  • ITSS Seminar Info.
  • Been removed and useful info incorporated into previous events page or calendar
• http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/its3/resources/training.xml
  • Links to info on Induction workshop, calendar, local organisations and companies, seminars, annual report, CPD proposal, CBT pilot project report, links to training reports for ITSSG, etc.
  • OUCS style
  All pages updated September 2000

ITSS Seminars

• Trinity 2000
  • Topics were SAS Version 8, Computers and Users with Disabilities, Top Tips for Terrific Talking, Web Caching, Air and Share, Setting up an NT Server
  • Attendance figures added to Calendar where known
  • Advertising error led to low figures for NT server seminar
  • Air and Share, Soft Skills or specific software talks attract lowest numbers
  • Generally applicable technical topics (security, HFS, backbone, etc.) attract the highest attendance.
• Michaelmas 2000 seminars to start in November .

• Schedule complete except for 2 and 7 November since GCat pulled out. Disability Officers for OUCS and the University approached.
• Topics include pervasive computing, security, Admin computing, web tools and Support Service Futures.

Induction Training

• Thursday 25 May
  • 7 attendees
  • Organisation and preparation improving
  • Notes and slides held on shared area of OUCS network (o:/courses.itssind)
• Next workshops
  • Thursday 14 September
  • Thursday 30 November.
  • JML, JJ, GR, AESB, JEB to present.

Special Events

• Dell and E Business
  • Thursday 18 May
  • 40 attendees
  • Lunch provided by University Club/Dell
  • Profits?
  • Complaints that was too much sales pitch, not enough technical how-to
• Asked to arrange roadshow by Question Mark Computing
  • Thursday 9 September
  • Joint with OxTalent

5th Annual Conference

• Thursday 29 June
• 215 attendees
  • 213 registered
  • 2 appeared on the day
• Currently 58 payments outstanding
  • Considerable admin effort
  • Arrangements must be improved
• Venue generally liked
• Feedback info
  • ITSSG have seen all comments
  • Presenters sent comments on their own section
• Perl scripts written to analyse registrations

External Courses

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

• NT4 Admin course run at Reading College in June
  • 9 attendees
• Advanced NT4 Admin (course 922) proposed for September
  • Only 2 interested
• People can attend Reading College's scheduled courses
  • £450 per person, custom course (course 922)
  • £600 per person, scheduled course (course 922)
  • Contacts improving
• Discussions with ITServices re discount for ITSS
  • Based in Bristol
  • They offer all Microsoft and Novell courses
  • Probably 20% discount on all their scheduled courses
  • £775 Standard charge (course 922)
  • £620 with our discount (course 922)
  • Accommodation cost £180 for 5 day course
• Interest shown in Exchange 5.5 and 2000 courses, basic Admin, etc.

Certified Novell Engineer (CNE)

• Netware Admin course run in April at OUCS by Salford Software
  • 8 attendees
  • Poor lecturer - lack of preparation and knowledge
  • 25% discount negotiated plus 40% discount on scheduled courses at Salford for 12 months
• ITServices to run Advanced Netware Admin at OUCS in September
  • 6 booked so far
  • 20% discount described above would apply to Novell courses too

Unix/Solaris

• Solaris Admin part 1 run at First Alternative, Harwell in June
  • 8 attendees
• Solaris Admin part 2 to be run on 28/29 September
  • 5 booked so far
• 10% discount if more than one scheduled course booked on one order
• Some package discounts for a bundle of courses

Internet Security Courses

• 8 people interested
• Commercial courses cost around £1500 per person
• Few suitable courses around, no discounts offered
• Difficult run here due to variety of equipment needed
• Feasibility of sending one OUCS person on commercial course to teach others being investigated

General

• The future is probably in discounts/cheap scheduled courses rather than custom courses
• More flexibility for ITSS
  • More courses offered
  • Variety of dates
• Comparable prices
• Admin side would be push rather than pull?
  • Or push people to make bookings at certain intervals/dates

Continuing Professional Development

• See paper at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ITSSinfo/training/cpdproposal.html
• Appears to be good level of interest
• Will be advertised with ITSS Events mailings

Computer Based Training

• See paper at http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ITSSinfo/training/cbtreport.html
• CBT useful but to be really successful, it needs:
  • more titles
  • more licenses
  • a Resource Centre to hold them
  • proper admin tools

Social Events

• ITSS Dinner held Friday 31 March, Christ Church
  • 18 attendees
  • Thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended
  • Photos at http://users.ox.ac.uk/~geoff/photo/itss.html
• ITSS Barbecue held Friday 14 July
  • 50 1/2 attendees
  • Buffet due to unsettled weather
  • Successful boules tournament - results at http://users.ox.ac.uk/~itssg/internal/boules.gif
  • Only 25 salads ordered therefore only 25 plates and napkins
• Skittles proposed for September but not arranged
• Christmas Party at Halifax House proposed

Charities

• Guide Dogs for the Blind adopted as the ITSSG charity for the year
  • To encourage people to keep to deadlines
  • Donations, min £1, requested for late registration, forgotten BBQ tickets, etc.
  • Dog collecting tin borrowed from Tony Hunter, OUCS
  • £14 raised so far - much appreciated
• Choose another charity before ITSSC '01?