Adding a new technique in five easy steps:

When configuring e-skills Passport you can add techniques to the framework in use.  To do this go to: Configure Passport -> Framework Viewer.

1. Below the list of techniques you will find an empty box where you can add your new technique title
2.  Use the check box to the right of this box to choose whether you'd like to make this technique sector specific (SSU) or mandatory.  Use the Active check box to make the profile visible to your users
3.  Click ‘Add to add the technique.  (You will be able to edit these details later if you wish)
4.  The new technique will now appear under the other techniques
5.  To add a description of the new technique click on its name in the left hand column.   You will then see an empty box on the right where you can add a description.

Hint:  You will not be able to assign the technique to ITQ or job profiles until you have made it active.

Adding skills to your new technique

Each new technique you add has five different levels of competency: Inexperienced, Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced and Super User.  To view these click on the plus (+) sign next to the technique.

For Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced you can add the skills that you would like your staff to self-assess themselves against.  To do this:

• Click on the level you wish to add a skill descriptor to
• Click Add new descriptor on the right hand side
• Enter the details of the new skill in the box
• Click on save

NB: Remember to make the skill descriptors active if you wish them to be visible to your users before clicking on save.

Passport office explained

• From Passport Office you will be able to view the functions available to you and your organisation.

• Select ‘Configure Passport’ if you’d like to see details of all options available in the Passport Office.

• There are 6 sections to this site:

1. Configure passport
2. Manage users
3. Set targets
4. Manage training
5. Approve profiles
6. Reports

• These titles appear along the top of the page and you can enter each by clicking on the area you want to go into. 

• You can also read a brief summary of the different sections on the home page.

• You can also use Passport Office to modify the details you entered during registration in ‘Modify details’ on the top right corner of the page. 

• When you have finished using the site, select ‘Logout’ on the top right corner of the page. 

How to assign a profile

• To assign an ITQ profile or a job profile to an individual you will need to have already created one in ''Set Targets''.

• Once you have done this you will see a list of profiles when you click on the arrow pointing down by the side of the 'Job Profile' box.

• Then select a profile for an individual and click on ''Save'.'

Viewing a self-assessment

• There are three ‘view options’ you can chose from in order to view  an  individual''s skills levels and  their targets:

1.  Show skill level details
2.  Show qualification details
3.  Show both

• These options can be viewed running horizontally across the page and to change between the view options, simply click the radio button next to the one you want and then press ‘Update’.

Show skill level details:

• This view differs depending on whether you  have assigned a profile to  an individual  or not.

Profile not yet assigned:
 
• If you have not yet assigned a profile to  an individual  then the view will show their current skill level, by showing a grey box with 100% written in it.  This means that  they answered ‘yes’ to 100% of the questions about the skill for that level.

• There will then be a red box which is their target box.  This will be next to the grey one in the level above and will have a percentage on it which shows how much of this level they have completed, i.e. how many of the questions they have answered ‘yes’ to.  This is therefore their target level.

Profile assigned:

• If  you have  assigned a profile to an individual then you can view  their skill level for each technique in comparison to the skill level needed for the profile. 

• They may already be at a higher level than needed for a certain technique.  If this is the case then you will be shown that  they have reached their target by a red box with a target sign in it in the level which the profile  requires. (Not necessarily their current skill level)

• If  they have not yet reached their target for a certain technique for the assigned profile, then firstly you will see a grey box with 100% written in it, which will be in their current skill level for that technique.  If the skill level needed for the technique for the job profile is just one above theirs then next to the grey box there will be a red box with a target sign on it, therefore indicating that this is their target.  There will also be a percentage in this red box indicating how much of this level  they have completed (i.e. what percentage of questions  they answered ‘yes’ to for this level in their self-assessment.)

• If the level they need to get to for a certain skill is two or more above their own current skill level then firstly you will see the 100% grey box at their current skill level.  Then there will be another grey box in the level above with a percentage in it, showing how much of this level  they have completed.  Then in the level needed for the skill for the profile there will be a red box with a target sign in it, with no percentage as  they have not yet completed any of this level.

Example: 

You might have assigned a profile which requires an individual to be at advanced level for the skill ‘Operate a Computer’. 

If  they are only at the official level of ‘foundation’ (i.e. they answered ‘yes’ to 100% of the questions at the foundation level in their self-assessment and are therefore set at this level) then a grey box will appear here with 100% written in it. 

They  may have completed 60% of the level above, which is ‘intermediate’, (i.e. they answered ‘yes’ to 60% of the questions at the intermediate level in their self-assessment and have therefore completed 60% of this level) then a grey box with 60% written in it will appear under ‘intermediate’. 

The target level however for the job profile is ‘advanced’ in the skill ‘Operate a Computer’.  A red box with a target sign will therefore appear under advanced.  There will be no percentage here as  they have not yet completed ‘intermediate’ and are therefore not able to move onto ‘advanced’.

If the level needed for the job profile for ‘Operate a Computer’ was ‘intermediate'', then in this case there would still be a 100% grey box in foundation, but the box for ‘intermediate’ would be red with 60% and a target sign written in it, therefore indicating that this is their target level and that  they have completed 60% of it already.

Show qualification details

• With this view you are able to see your target level for each skill, which is shown with a red box with a target sign in it.  You are also able to see what qualifications an individual  has done.  This will be shown in the certain skill at the level which  they did the qualification in by a yellow box with an hour glass in it.

Show both

• Here you can see both views together.

Detailed view:

• You are also able to see all these view options in a ‘detailed view’ rather than the ‘pictorial view’ you have just been using.

• To do this click on detailed view above the key.

There are five stages to registration:

1.  Username – You will need to chose a username and enter it in the box indicated.  It should be between 6 and 20 characters long and contain both letters and numbers.  Remember which letters are upper and lower case too, as the system is sensitive to this.

2.  Password – Decide on a password and enter it where indicated.  Again it should between 6 and 20 characters long.  It should contain both letters and numbers.  Repeat the same password in the next box for confirmation.

Hint: It's a good idea to make a note of your User Name and Password in case you forget them.

3.  Security question - You are then asked to choose from a series of security questions, once you have chosen one, write the correct answer in the box indicated below.

4.  Site agreements – To continue, agree to the Terms and Conditions and the terms under Data Protection by clicking the box next to them.  Finally you have to decide whether you are happy for e-Skills UK to contact you.  If you are then click the box next to this statement.  Click on ‘Go’ and you will be taken to the second part of the registration.

5.  Registration form – To continue you must fill this form out, entering your details.  Please note that all fields are mandatory.  Once you have filled in this form click ‘Go’.

• After you have finished registering, you'll be taken to Passport Office.

How to run a skills capabilities report

To run a general report simply click on 'Run report'.

You do however have the option to make the report more specific. Your options are as follows:

1. Running a report for a certain team.

2. Running a report for a certain job profile.

3. Running a report for only approved or unapproved individuals.

4. Running a report for any combination of the above.

The skills capabilities report explained

This report will graphically show the number of employees at each skill level for each skill.  You can see skills on the x-axis and the number of employees on the y-axis.  Each skill level is represented in the stack and the number of employees at that skill level is also shown. This graph also shows the total number of employees that possess that skill in addition to how many are at each level.

How to run a skills progression report

To run a general report simply choose a start month and year and a period of time to run the report over, then click on 'Run report'.

You do however have the option to make the report more specific.Your options are as follows:

1. Running a report for a certain team.

2. Running a report for a certain job profile.

3. Running a report for only approved or unapproved individuals.

4. Running a report for any combination of the above.

The skills progression report explained

This report graphically shows the progression over time for each skill. If the report is run on an individual basis then it will be actual skill level, if the report is run based upon a team, job role or organisation then average skill levels for the group will be used. You can see a line graph with time on the x axis and skill level on the y axis. Each skill is represented as a line on the graph.

Running a skills gap ranking report

This report compares skill levels for all individuals in your organisation against their targets.  You will therefore need to choose an ITQ or job role profile before you begin your report.

Skills gap ranking report explained

This report shows ALL skills gaps within an organisation, highlighting the size of each one visually so the areas most in need of improvement are easily visible.

You can see a graph with skill level on the x axis and skills on the y axis. The different sized ‘bubbles’ indicate the number of people who for each technique are at each skill level but are required to be at a higher level.

Clicking on the bubbles will display a ‘drilldown’ view of the individuals that fall into that category and will show their actual and required skill levels to provide more detail for managers.

How to run a skills gap analysis report

This report shows skill levels against targets. You therefore need to choose a profile against which you can compare an individual or group.

The skills gap analysis report explained

This report graphically show the skills gap between assessed skills and assigned ITQ profile or Job Role Profile. You can see astacked bar graph with skill along the x axis and skill level on the y axis. Each stack will show both actual skill level and required skill level. Over time the gaps should be closed.

Planning an ITQ profile

• Firstly you will need to decide what level profile you wish to create.  There are three options:

                       1. Level 1 ITQ profile

                       2. Level 2 ITQ profile

                       3. Level 3 ITQ profile

• To choose one simply click on the box and you will be taken to the ITQ profile planning page.
• You will now need to select the skills that you wish to have within that profile.
• The ITQ profile works on a point system, allowing you to chose different levels within different techniques, tailoring the profile to your specific needs.
• For each ITQ profile level you will be able to view in bold the amount of points needed.
• Read through the techniques and select which ones are relevant for you by clicking the radio buttons in the required skill level for that technique. 
• To exclude any techniques from your new ITQ profile, either keep selected the radio button in the left hand column 'Exclude form profile' or re-select the radio button if you have changed your mind about including a technique.
• You will also be able to see any tehcniques which you may have added in 'Framework viewer'.

Hint: To view the details of a certain technique and what is involved at each level, click on the 'Details' button on the right.

• Once you have made your selection you can click on the 'Calculate' button to check that you have chosen techniques with enough points to reach the ITQ level you have chosen.
• You will then view a summary of the ITQ profile you have created and if you are happy with this click on 'Save'.

Hint: You can change the ITQ level at any time by clicking on 'Change ITQ level' at the bottom of the page.

Planning a job profile

This is where you have the opportunity to tailor a profile to a specific job role or function.

Read through the skills and select which ones are relevant for the profile you are creating by clicking the radio buttons in the required skill level for that technique. 
To exclude any skills from your new job profile, either keep selected the radio button in the left hand column 'Not required' or re-select the radio button if you have changed your mind about including a technique.

You will also be able to see any tehcniques which you may have added in 'Framework viewer'.

Hint: To view the details of a certain technique and what is involved at each level, click on the 'Details' button on the right.

Once you have made your selection you can click on the 'Save'.

How to add training

• To add training categories, write the title in the box provided and click 'Add'.  You will then see the category appear.
• To make training active or to amend the title click on 'Modify'.

Adding courses to training categories

• To do this click on the training category in the left hand column.  You will then see an option appear on the right to 'Add new'.
• Click on this and you will then be able to add the course title, a summary and make it active.  Remember to click on 'Save'.
• Add as many of these as you need by clicking on 'Add new'.

How to map your in-house or partner training provider programmes against the IT user framework

• Select a skill from the left hand column against which you want to map one of your own courses.  Do this by clicking on the plus sign next to the skill.
• A list of skill levels will then appear and you can select one by clicking on the skill level name.
• You will then see the option to 'Map new' in the right hand column.
• Click on this and you will be able to view the list of courses which you have added in 'Add training'.
• Click the box for 'Exact match' and then save your choice.
• In the left hand column you will then be able to see which courses have been mapped.

Hint: If one of your courses does not appear in the right hand column when you are trying to map a new course then you may not have made the course active at the 'Add training' stage.  If this is the case simply visit 'Add training', click on 'Modify' for the relevant course and select 'Active'.

How to create individuals

The create individuals function allows you to add individuals to the e-skills Passport system.  To do this go to Manage Users->Create individuals.

• Enter the e-mail address of the individual you would like to add
• Alternatively you can use a CSV file to create multiple individuals in one go (see separate help item for information on CSV files)
• Select the correct access key for the individual(s)
• Where applicable choose the correct team for the individual(s)
• Choose if the individual(s) should be team manager(s)
• Where applicable aasign the individual(s) to a profile
• Leave the "Send a welcome email with login details" check box ticked to send the individual(s) a welcome e-mail with their login details
• Click Create record

Hints:

• Avoid creating multiple users across a number of different teams, it will make re-assigning them to their correct team time consuming later on.
• Create managers separately.  You can have multiple managers in one team, but it may not be advisable to create a whole team of managers in one go.

Using CSV files with the Create individuals function

It is possible to create multiple individuals in one go using a comma separated value (CSV) file. This can be done by going to Manage Users->Create Userson the menu system.

CSV files are a universal method of recording and transferring data. You can create a CSV file of individual's e-mail addresses using common text editing or spreadsheet software. Please see your software's help items for more information. e-skills Passport Office will accept files with extensions .txt and .csv and an example of the required format for a CSV file can be seen by clicking on the "view example CSV file" link next to the Browse button on the Create individual’s page.

To create and use a CSV file:

•   Ensure that the users are not already registered.
•   Enter email addresses into a .csv or .txt file, making sure there is a comma between each email address.
•   Save the file.
•   In Manage Users-> Create Users, click browse and upload the saved file.
•   Assign a team and profile to the group of individuals, if necessary, and finally choose if you would like to Send a welcome email with login details.
•   Create record

How reliable are self-assessments?

Receiving emails

You may find that emails automatically generated by the e-skills Passport system are not received by you or your users. To give email notifications the best chance of getting through, please follow these steps:

1. double check that all email addresses are entered correctly;

2. check your junk e m ail folder regularly and tell your email software to accept emails from us (passportinfo@e-skills.com);

Receiving emails

You may find that emails automatically generated by the e-skills Passport system are not received by you or your users. To give email notifications the best chance of getting through, please follow these steps:

1. double check that all email addresses are entered correctly;

2. check your junk email folder regularly and tell your email software to accept emails from us (passportinfo@e-skills.com);

Using CSV files with the Create individuals function

It is possible to create multiple individuals in one go using a comma separated value (CSV) file. This can be done by going to Manage Users->Create Administrators on the menu system.

CSV files are a universal method of recording and transferring data. You can create a CSV file of individual's e-mail addresses using common text editing or spreadsheet software. Please see your software's help items for more information. e-skills Passport Office will accept files with extensions .txt and .csv and an example of the required format for a CSV file can be seen by clicking on the "view example CSV file" link next to the Browse button on the Create Administrators page.

To create and use a CSV file:

• Ensure that the Administrators are not already registered.
• Enter email addresses into a .csv or .txt file, making sure there is a comma between each email address.
• Save the file.
• In Manage Users-> Create Administrators, click browse and upload the saved file.
• Assign a team  to the group of individuals, if necessary, and finally choose if you would like to Send a welcome email with login details.
• Create record