Training Continues

Computer training began today, and what a treat it was. Everyone had their own laptop for the training, and once the initial bugs were worked out with regard to logging in, it went quite well. They have quite advanced software compared to the archaic scribblings I've worked with in my last two positions. In both previous jobs we used DOS based software, which was such a joke for the most part. In Nova Scotia it wasn't nearly as bad as in the Yukon. At least we entered notes and could open and close files, search easily, and get social sets in a reasonable amount of time. In the Yukon, the software is so outdated and the server SO DAMN SLOW that one would drift off waiting for the screens to load. A search for someone would give you enough time to go to the bathroom, AND make a couple of phonecalls while you waited for results.

With the NWT system, everything is on-line, from forms, notes, social sets, database, case plans, investigations, the whole nine yards. And the forms are ALL STANDARDIZED leaving no room for whimsical changes to suit managers on power trips. You can fill out the forms online, and simply print them off. There are pop-up reminders for anything and everything, ones that come automatically and those you can set. I am so impressed with it, it does nearly everything we were asking for in Nova Scotia when I attended a think-group to come up with a wishlist for the new software they were shopping for. NS has the software but implementation is taking years, and I don't think child protection has it yet.

Now, the system certainly has room for improvement, and we chatted about this today, however it is LEAPS AND BOUNDS above anything I've used previously. Nice.

And so what are the photos from? We had a fire drill/alarm during training so the masses were cleared from the tower and huddled in the -25C weather while the slow to respond fire department made its way downtown (from a couple of blocks away). Everyone was outside by the time they showed up. It didn't turn out to be much, as we were let back in shortly after. Our computer trainer was the unlucky one...left her coat on another floor so had to go out in shirtsleeves. She popped into a tavern across the street to "warm up" heh heh.