About the University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong (UOW) employs over 2470 full-time staff members and manages contractors across nine different campuses. It has over 30,516 students enrolled and offers an impressive 476 degrees. In 2013, UOW was ranked in the top 2% of universities worldwide.
Key project features
Automated contractor management
Compliance
Online training
THE CHALLENGE
Move from manual to automated
UOW was looking for a contractor management solution to centralise their contractor work health and safety information and needed an automated way to monitor contractor insurances and licences. All contractors also required consistent induction training that complied with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) and self-insurance requirements.
Previously they’d been using a manual process for evaluating and inducting contractors. This process was performed to varying degrees across the different campuses and involved members of UOW staff manually collecting documentation, insurances and licences. This manual paper-based system only stored contractor details locally which gave no over-arching view. UOW needed a new process that could be streamlined and accessible across all campus sites.
The ideal contractor management solution needed to fulfil the following requirements:
- be an Australian-based vendor
- provide daily support for use of the system to both UOW employees and contractors
- offer a branded portal
- have strength in both contractor compliance and online training
- be a cost effective solution (for both set-up fees and annual fees)
- allow system configuration based on UOW needs.
One of UOW’s major pain points for implementing a new solution was agreeing on what the system would realistically cover. Some members of the team had some unrealistic expectations, which needed to be managed to ensure that they would not experience any disappointment and would gain widespread buy-in.
OUR SOLUTION
A centralised portal
e3Learning (now part of Kineo) was selected to implement an online contractor management solution using SitePass.
Setting up SitePass for UOW was a straightforward process. A branded portal was created as the central point for all contractors and administrators. Contractors can self-register and upload all of their licences and qualifications onto an individual profile. This information is then verified by the relevant UOW representative to ensure that the contractor is eligible to carry out work at the university.
UOW’s SitePass implementation also includes a custom card printing service. Once a contractor has been verified, the individual is issued with a UOW-branded induction card, printed with an individual QR code so the contractor can be identified and signed in on site.
Custom online training
e3Learning also helped create two custom-developed induction online training courses. The primary course is automatically assigned to all contractors that register on SitePass. UOW administrators can also assign additional modules based on the type of work a contractor is performing. When a contractor logs in they can access the courses assigned to them, allowing them to complete their online training before they even step on site.
This ensures that all contractors, no matter what campus they are working at, have a consistent induction process which includes only the training relevant to the work they’ll be performing.
Branded and customised
UOW’s strong branding was replicated on its online portal and throughout the course content. The project also included several other features including custom email notifications, a work health and safety questionnaire and the integrated ability to track any external training within the SitePass central system.
THE RESULTS
179 users have easier access to manage their records
This new solution has ensured that UOW maintains its commitment to the safety and quality of work that takes place at all of its campuses.
It gives UOW a greater oversight of their contractors no matter which campus location they are in. The system is currently being used by 61 separate contracting companies to UOW and 179 individual users.
Upon the initial setup there was some resistance from members of staff and contractors to move into a new process. This was quickly remedied once the system and its benefits were properly understood by all users.
The UOW team was particularly impressed and pleased by the level of service they received from e3Learning. They have also made suggestions which are informing the ongoing development of the SitePass solution.
case study