Before you create a Skills session, consider if you need a new Template. If you deliver the same or similar sessions on a regular basis, a Skills Session Template saves time by storing information that can populate individual Skills sessions.

See How to add a Skills session template.

To add an individual Skills session, follow the steps below.

CONTENTS

• Create New Skills Session
• Complete session details
  • Training type
  • Induction
  • Bookable
  • Visible
  • Generate certificate?
  • Session name
  • Session description
  • Reason for session
  • Session date
  • Start time
  • Duration (in minutes)
  • Location
  • Capacity
  • Immediate post questionnaire
  • Second post questionnaire
  • Topics covered
  • This skills session supports
  • Session leader
  • Add Additional Facilitators
• Restrict Attendees
• Save your session

Create New Skills Session

• Hold the cursor over the Skills menu and click Create New Skills Session.

• Choose a template from the dropdown menu as the basis for the session, or click Create new session to start from a blank form.

Complete session details 

Complete the below fields to describe your session. Adjust any pre-populated Template fields as needed.

Training type

• Required field. Select Scheduled if session is part of a scheduled programme, or Ad Hoc if by one-off arrangement/bespoke/unplanned.

Induction

• Check the box if the session is an induction (to inform statistics).

Bookable

• Check the box. This enables Members to be booked on a session in advance (or added to it once the session has passed.)
• Check the box to make the session bookable from now OR enter the number of days before the session you want Members to be able to be booked on. E.g. if you want to do the admin of creating the session well in advance, but do not want to accept bookings until 5 days before, enter '5'.

Visible

• Check the box to show the session in your Forthcoming Skills Session list, on your public LKS page, and in evidence updates emails where this is enabled.
• Check the box to make the session visible from now OR enter the number of days before the session you want it to be made visible. E.g. if you do not want to publicise the session until 14 days beforehand, enter '14'.
  

Generate certificate?

• Required field. Will you be providing attendance certificates to attendees? Select Yes or No from the dropdown.
  

Session name

• Required field. Enter the session name if not pre-populated from a template, or edit the existing name if necessary. (There is a limit of 127 characters.)

Session description

• Required field. Enter the session description if not pre-populated from a template, or edit the existing description if necessary.

Reason for session

• Check the relevant boxes (to inform statistics).

Session date

• Required field. Use the calendar icon to select the date of the session.

Start time

• Required field. Use the dropdown options to set the start time (24h clock).

Duration (in minutes)

• Enter the session length if not pre-populated from a template, or edit the existing length if necessary. (This will generate your end time.)

Location

• Enter a location for your session, for example 'Library Training Room' or 'Online via MS Teams'.

See also: Can we add Teams links to online Skills sessions?

Capacity

• Enter the maximum number of attendees. This will trigger your waiting list if the number of bookings exceeds the capacity. (You can increase the Capacity later if you want to allow members on the waiting list to be booked on.)

See also: How to manage a session waiting list

Immediate post questionnaire

• Select Yes to make an evaluation questionnaire available immediately after the session. 

Second post questionnaire

• Select Yes to make a follow-up questionnaire available at a later date. If you select Yes, enter the number of days after the session to make it available.

See also: How to collect feedback on Skills sessions

Topics covered

• Required field (if Generate certificate? is set to Yes). Enter the topics covered if not pre-populated from a template, or edit the existing text if necessary. This is included on the Certificate. Maximum 14 lines, 81 characters per line.

This skills session supports

• Required field (if Generate certificate? is set to Yes). Enter the qualifications/development areas supported by the session if not pre-populated from a template, or edit the existing text if necessary. This is included on the Certificate. Maximum 4 lines, 98 characters per line.

Session leader

• Required field. Select from the dropdown or click Assign to Me if you will be leading the session.

Add Additional Facilitators

• Click the button to expand a list of staff at your LKS. Check the box(es) to include additional facilitators.

• Expand the Organisations list using the plus sign.
• Select the organisation(s) you wish to restrict bookings to. (Only Members from the selected organisation(s) can be booked on the session.) 
• Select the division(s) within a specific organisation you wish to restrict bookings to, if applicable.
• Expand the Job Roles list using the plus sign.
• Select the job role(s) you wish to restrict bookings to. (Only Members in the selected job role(s) can be booked on the session.)

If all boxes are left unchecked, members from all organisations you serve and in all job roles will be eligible. 

Nb only Members from organisations you serve can be booked onto your sessions, even if no restrictions are applied.

If you share an organisation with another library service, members of this organisation can book onto sessions from both library services.

Save your session

• Click Save to save the session and go to the My Skills Session page.

OR

• Click Save and Store as Template to create a new template based on this session. Use with caution so existing templates with the same name are not overwritten in error.

OR

• Click Save and Add Attendees to save the session and go straight to the Attendee Register.