Speakers: Dave K Jones, Tutor / Coach, BlueLion Training Academy
How has the Bud platform helped your organisation?
Dave K Jones: The Bud platform has really helped Blue Lion structure the, uh, apprenticeships in such a way that they're really well laid out in terms of activity, assignments, tasks that are required for the apprentice and really helps me as a tutor understand where they are on their journey and how well they're doing against the set off-the-job hours.
Why did you choose Bud over the other platforms on the market?
Dave K Jones: Really, the platform itself is not chosen by myself as a as a tutor. But I've been with Blue Lion for five years working as an associate, and within that time we've used Monday.com, we've used Onefile, others that are available on the market. Uh, but I think that once Blue lion had landed on Bud and we got comfortable with its structure, it is by far the easiest to allocate
What part of the Bud's functionality has had the most impact on your organisation?
Dave K Jones: I'll come at functionality of Bud, from two different, um, sides really. Number one, from the business' point of view, which, as I I'm an associate, so I don't see it. But I do see the reports that come out for those apprentices that are behind and off the job, it pulls in what tasks are behind, how many hours they're behind, the reporting, the comments that can be made within the functionality of Bud for each individual apprentice is very clear, and it's very easy to fill in, very easy to update, drop down menus are there for you to pick from. You can add your comments. You can add screenshots from emails, everything. So I think that really helps the business side of things. look at where all of the apprentices are on their journeys to success From a tutor's point of view, the functionality of being able to get signals on my landing page of those tasks that have come in, the messages that the apprentice is sending me through Bud, which shows that they're engaged and working. The tasks land and that's one area of Bud where I know that that's the information that I need to review, mark off, sign or feedback with partially complete, send it back with comments. It tells me who's, um, inactive. Fantastic piece of, uh, signaling from Bud Systems that they are inactive. And from that I can take steps to then email the apprentice and set up further support, one to ones if needed. That is like gold dust for me as a as a tutor that that while I might make my own personal notes, the system is tracking it for me and then anyone that's overdue any reviews, uh, within the system are on my landing page. The structure of the landing page for the tutor, and I've got currently 42 apprentices, it it is easily managed with 42 and it would be easily managed with 142 if you wanted to take that many apprentices on as a tutor, Um, if you could manage that many. So hopefully that answers the functionality, uh, in in the respectable.
What would you say to someone who's undecided about implementing the Bud platform?
Dave K Jones: For me, uh, in terms of what I would say to somebody who's undecided, who is a training provider who wants to track apprentices, uh, through their journey. If you're undecided, rest assured that Blue Lion have already tested 2 to 3 other providers. We've been through that learning, and we like to share best practice. We are born into business improvements, if you like, in our history at work, in our careers, we like to share lessons learned, um, and I think for me we would do everything that it's supposed to do. It's in line with the, um, governing bodies, the I A, or Ofqual, or and anyone else that has a vested interest in the funding, the government, et cetera. It's all in line with that. It's all been done. It's off the shelf package that you can structure to your own training, tutorials, assignments and tasks that allow you to modify the system, upload it into the system and allocate it to your apprentices as and when you win them. So you know, for me, talk to Bud, have a have a chat with them. We've been through it. We've tried and tested two or three, as I say. And there isn't anything I've seen better than Bud. So I congratulate the team, uh, for the work that they've done in the background. And, uh, we are very happy. I am very happy with Bud. Mhm.
