The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) has been hit with further criticism over “serious difficulties” faced by colleges because of delays in the release of critical new software.
Lynne Sedgmore, 157 Group executive director, has written to the SFA today to add her voice to growing sector concerns about the wait for new programmes that generate the value of provision delivered.
Her letter follows another from Association of Colleges chief executive Martin Doel, who wrote to the SFA last week to express his concerns about the software update.
Mrs Sedgmore said: “The problems with immediate implementation are causing serious difficulties for my members and it is imperative that they be resolved without further delay.”
Colleges and training providers have been expecting the Data Collections and Funding Transformation programme in which the Funding Information System (Fis) replaces Learner Information Suite (Lis).
Meanwhile, the Learning Aim Reference Service (Lars) is to replaces Learning Aim Reference Application (Lara).
But while an updated version of Fis was released today, allowing providers to test whether their data entries were correct, there is still no Lars, which complements the new system with funding values.
The delay in supplying providers with the full software system means providers now have just eight working days to check tens of thousands of Individualised Learner Records, rather than the usual fortnight.
“My members are extremely concerned about the ongoing problems with the Fis software and its effect on the 2013/14 academic year,” it said in Mrs Sedgmore letter, seen by FE Week.
These problems, said Mrs Sedgmore, included being unable to accurately calculate income generated from adult enrolments, enter into sub-contracts or calculate the ‘rollover’ value of students.
“These are all very real and serious problems for the sector and I hope we can work together to an immediate resolution,” she added.
Mr Doel called for “concerted action” from the SFA to rectify the situation in an open letter sent to its chief executive Kim Thorneywork.
“Colleges need a clear, non-technical statement to be issued which explains to all those interested in [agency] funded activity what the situation is, plus concerted action to ensure the current implementation timetable is met,” he wrote.
Mr Doel added communication from the agency’s Data Service to colleges and stakeholders had been “insufficient and late”.
And his concerns about communication were echoed by Mrs Sedgmore, who further wrote: “In general, communication has been poor. My members would like short, clear, concise information about how the problems will be resolved and request a new timeline and clear indication of when the software will be released.”
Nobody from the SFA was available for comment as to what was causing the new system delay.
More information on this story will be found in next week’s edition of FE Week.
Um, we usually have considerably longer than a fortnight!!! The fortnight referred to is the 2 weeks before a return when the Data Service doesn’t change the software.
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We didn’t think we were going to have as long this year as last year when we had LIS in July, but we’ve had more missed deadlines for FIS than I can count.
“getting serious”? I think we are past serious now, heading through critical and well on our way to fatal. Most providers expressing an opinion believe this should just be abandoned. We’re not a democracy but someone should be listening to the people trying to implement this mess.
The impact on MIS services in my college is significant, all planning for developments in 13/14 have gone out the window already after one missed deadline following another from the Data Service. We are being put in an impossible position and the only deadlines that do not change are the ones that Colleges are expected to meet.
I’ve seen the chaos that is the SFA ‘IM Services’ IT department.
Just consider the size of their budgets, the number of staff, external consultants, contractors and a massive failing contract with a large service provider and you have to wonder about how taxpayers money is being squandered.
Add their IT budget up for the past ten years. It must be somewhere between £600m & £800m. A disgusting waste of money