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The Data Challenge – Aptem launches integrated Power BI analytics

integrated Power BI data image

MWS has integrated Power BI into the Aptem interface. What does that mean for your business? Our latest blog tells you about our radical innovation which makes data analytics available to all our clients – with no additional specialist IT expertise needed.

Data analytics is swiftly becoming a business-critical function. A report by McKinsey shows that data can drive more effective marketing and sales, operations, and new ventures. In education, data analytics help identify institutional patterns around, for example, efficiency, retention and completion rates. Georgia State University, US, employed big data analysis to improve retention and accelerate the time taken to graduate, saving students money.

So data matters. And Microsoft was not slow to catch on. In 2013, it launched Power BI for Office 365, releasing it to the general public in 2016. Power BI is a cloud-based business analytics suite which includes capabilities such as data preparation, data discovery and interactive dashboards. In 2016, Power BI Embedded was launched, which allowed users to load custom visualisations.

So far, so good. But Power BI is complex to understand and master. Do busy training providers really have the time to use the tool among all the other functions they have to fulfil?

Words from our CEO

This data gap is where Aptem comes into its own. Richard Alberg, CEO of MWS Technology, explains:

“Some months ago, we enabled Power BI as an external function to report on Aptem data. But this meant a client knowing how to use the tool to design and create their own dashboards. Now we have gone one step further and embedded Power BI directly into Aptem so training providers can get all the benefits of powerful dashboards without having to create them.

“This innovation is transformational as it simply switches on unparalleled insight into how an Aptem user’s business is operating. From compliance to quality to financial performance, everything is available with a click of a mouse or a tap on a tablet. This new functionality is central to the core Aptem proposition: operational efficiency, compliance and commercial control.”

4 Integrated Dashboards

MWS has developed four integrated dashboards which means clients can immediately access the data that sits within their Aptem system.

The Compliance Dashboard allows you to see gaps in your documentation and see where your learners are in relation to the requirements of Ofsted and other agencies.

The Caseload Dashboard assesses learner progression and identifies learners who need extra input to help them achieve their target date for qualifying.

The Ofsted/Quality Dashboard means you can access real-time data for Ofsted visits at any time. It also holds previous Ofsted reports and ESFA funding allocations. You can drill down into the data anytime you want, allowing you to be prepared and pre-empt compliance questions.

The Financial Dashboard shows you the funding due to you from learners completing their studies. It displays estimated income for previous and upcoming claim periods. The Financial Dashboard also gives a high-level breakdown of the component elements of each learner’s funding claim as well as overall claim amounts and YTD figures. 

MWS’s innovation means that all the data a training provider needs – from tracking learners to effective compliance and business performance – will be readily available and in an easy-to-interpret visual format, ready to be imported into business reports and Ofsted evidence.

Richard Alberg says

“I am exceptionally pleased that the team have succeeded in delivering this remarkable innovation. No other educational support platform currently on the market has achieved what we at MWS have done here.

“At MWS, we are always looking for new ways to make our clients’ lives easier. Now, your leadership team can, in real-time and in an easy to understand format, see the critical data that explains how well you are doing.

“We help you move from gut feel to fully informed, facilitating faster and more efficient decision-making for your business. It will also allow you to spot struggling learners more speedily. A win-win for everyone.”

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