WES allows prospective students to browse noncredit course offerings available at each college, including FastForward training, open enrollment training, customized training, and community education. Once a desired course is selected, registration and payment are completed in WES. Student data collected through WES interfaces with PeopleSoft SIS, and financial data collected is picked up by the General Ledger for entry into PeopleSoft AIS.
Key Features and Benefits
Administration
WES provides the tool for staff in each college's Workforce Development division to set up noncredit course offerings.
Key function
Course descriptions, credentials offered, course schedules, and instructor information can all be advertised to students using WES. Students then use WES to submit their personal information so that they can register for and to pay for their course.
Integration
Data collected through WES interfaces with PeopleSoft SIS and uses the same search/match process as XAP/SIS for identifying existing EMPLIDs and maintaining SIS as the system of record for student data. Credit card and ACH payments may be made securely using WES via Nelnet, and third-party payments may be applied to student accounts for training that is funded by employers or by grants maintained at VCCS. Once a course is complete, grades are also assigned in WES and interface to SIS.
Getting Started
Designated staff from each college's Workforce Development division are assigned access to WES. WES users at the colleges are typically multi-functional, serving in a variety of roles with both technical and non-technical responsibilities. WES access enables college staff to conduct an array of activities, including creating and cloning noncredit courses, applying payments to student accounts in accordance with business processes, resolving discrepancies identified by the LMC, running enrollment and expenditure reports, assigning student grades, etc.
Getting Help
Requests for help with WES are received from Workforce Development staff at the colleges. The weshelp@vccs.edu email address is used to submit questions and requests for technical and functional assistance related to WES. These emails generate tickets in TeamDynamix, which are then addressed by designated AWP staff at VCCS and Augusoft staff. The WES support model was developed to implement a team approach for help desk responses, in which both VCCS and Augusoft staff share responsibilities for customer support. As a result, select staff at Augusoft have technician licenses in TeamDynamix so that they can respond to tickets directly. WES helpdesk topics include course setups, application of payments, updates to student data, reconciling interface issues, and troubleshooting. Responding to many of these questions and issues requires both technical knowledge and an understanding of business processes/policies for VCCS workforce programs. For instance, course setups and student payment options may vary significantly for students who are eligible for various workforce funding opportunities, including the Workforce Credentials Grant (WCG), FANTIC, and Re-Employing Virginia (REV).
Related Services and Links
WES interfaces with PeopleSoft SIS and Nelnet.
Availability
WES is available for college staff to set up noncredit courses and for students to register 24/7.
VCCS Documentation
Communication
Email distribution lists are established to communicate with WES users at the colleges. A monthly WES workgroup webinar takes place to communicate updates and respond to college inquiries. Periodic user sessions are also scheduled throughout the year, including training for new college users, showcasing new Lumens features, and user assistance sessions held at workforce conferences.
Other Instances
- Each college has its own WES TEST instance. The college WES TEST instances are refreshed from WES PROD following the same schedule as the VCCS SIS TEST refresh calendar.
- The LMC (Lumens Middleware Cloud) also has an LMC TEST instance.
Data Owner
Kevin Ratliff
Dean, Workforce and Continuing Education
Technical Owner
David Nabers
Enterprise Systems Security Administrator, Technology Services