What's New In Version 9.0
WorkExpo Version 9.0 introduces a range of new features and functionality that make it easier than ever to manage you work experience or work placement program at your school or college.
Automatic Multiple Backups: In previous versions of WorkExpo you can create a backup copy of the data file when exiting the program. In version 9.0 you can now tell WorkExpo to create multiple backups of the data file. This means that if you save a bad data file, you still have other good backups from which to retrieve data from in case of an emergency. WorkExpo will append the day of the week to each file name so you have will have up to seven backups at any one time.
Use School Logo with Certificates and Letters: Import your school logo into WorkExpo and use in letters and certificates.
Formats can be .bmp, .jpg, .png and .gif. - works with top of page logos
only.Set fonts and font sizes for all letters in WorkExpo: When setting up letters in WorkExpo you are now able to choose fonts and/or font sizes. Certificates and lists will still use WorkExpo defaults however.
Partial "Update import" of student records: With version 9.0 you can perform an update import of student records from your school's central database. Any new records are added, any duplicate records are ignored and any records which have changed are updated. This means that you can effectively update student details at any time from your central database system without losing existing student information.
Improved Letter Addressing: Many small employers (sole proprietors) have the contact name also entered as the business name. For example, "Terry Jones" a self employed solicitor is enter as, say, "Terry Jones" (BusinessName). WorkExpo is now sensitive to this and does not list two repetitive lines on letters. Instead of two address lines: "Terry Jones" (Contact) at BusinessName ("Terry Jones"), the contact name and business name are combined to a single line ("Terry Jones").
Improved Follow-ups/Reminders: Follow-ups within WorkExpo have been extensively re-worked and improved. You can now view follow-ups in a variety of different ways/formats. Each view can be printed. Follow-up options have been enhanced and follow-up information is more reliable and useful as a result.
Tracking Student Progress - now allows multiple tracking: In previous versions of WorkExpo the tracking feature was available on a single item basis. Version 9.0 allows multiple tracking for each student. This means that if a student has two placements you can now track the progress of each separately. You can link tracking to a specific arrangement. A new batch update wizard for tracking is also available.
New Delete Wizard: Allows easy database clean up. With the new delete wizard you can delete students by year level or by homegroup and delete them all easily. You can select several students from any mix of year and/or homegroups and delete them all with a single click. The Delete wizard Works with employer records too. In previous versions of WorkExpo you could only delete one student or employer at a time.
Improvements in Archiving: In the archive wizard you can now multi-select students and/or employers for archiving. The archives now display a new column which shows the Year that records were archived, thus when browsing the archives you can see at a glance when records were archived. The archived date and the user who archived the records is also visible. All archives are now available in a Datasheet view which means that you can sort and filter the archives. You can also copy and paste archived records into Excel. None of these things were possible in previous versions.
Help File completely re-written: The WorkExpo on-line help has been re-written and extended to provide more assistance with common tasks, making it quick and easy to find the relevant help information. State Specific information relating to work experience is also included. This provides quick and easy reference to relevant state guidelines as they relate to work education.
Spell checking now available: When you edit letter content or other user-defined information in WorkExpo 9.0 you can now press F7 to start the Office spell check wizard. This wizard is the same user interface that you are used to using in Microsoft Word. WorkExpo taps into Microsoft Office and finds the spell check wizard for you allowing you to spell check your text in WorkExpo with ease.
Arrangements DataGrid: When you view arrangements in the arrangements window you can now opt to view a Data Grid of the arrangements. There are several built-in filters to allow you to sort and group the arrangements list. You can control the sort order of the columns as well as the being able to filter on any field to produce your own custom listing on screen. This listing can be printed directly from the arrangements window without needing to go through the Print Wizard.
New Arrangements List Report - By Industry Sector: Now you can print out a list of arrangements by Industry Sector. Each page contains a separate industry sector and students are grouped by industry sector. For example, all students undertaking placements under the broad industry grouping Office and Business Services are grouped together on the same page even though their individual work types may be different. Each industry sector begins on a new page.
Parent Mobile Phone: WorkExpo now includes a new field for you to store the parent mobile phone number in addition to the separate home phone number and parent work phone. Click the Parent hyperlink in the students window MAIN tab to add/edit Parent mobile phone number.
Date Last Edited field: Student and employer records now have a "Date Last Edited". The system updates this date automatically. This means you can view, say, the last five student records you have edited by sorting on this field.
Improved Arrangement window statistics: The statistics available in the arrangements window now provide the ability to drill down to find more detailed information. For example, a statistic may reveal that there are 6 students on work experience during May. Double-click on this statistic to see who those six students are.
Improved Default Date Handling: You can now set the default date in letters and reports. All of these letters have a date at the top. This date by default is set to the current date (computer system date). You can now change this default behaviour in the Print Settings section of WorkExpo Options.
Use Specific Date for Letters: WorkExpo defaults to the current date for all letters and printed documents. In version 9.0 you can override this behaviour and specify a date which WorkExpo will use for all documents.
New field for Arrangements - Transport: This new field is associated with arrangements. The Transport field records how a student is planning to get to and from the work experience venue, includes a user specified look up list for use with the Transport drop down box e.g. bus, train, private car etc.
Warn if Student has Medical Condition: When creating new arrangements you can tell WorkExpo to warn you if a particular student has a medical condition which may impact on your decision to place the student. WorkExpo gathers this information from the student details area and alerts you when creating new arrangements for the student.
Safe@Work: You can assign a date component to both the general and industry modules. A new datasheet (list) view of the Industry module has been added. You can set options to tell WorkExpo to completed the dates automatically. You can print lists of students who need to re-sit Safe@Work modules or lists of students who have yet to undertake modules. WorkExpo also automatically maps work types to industry. (Victoria Only)
Victoria/NSW Border Schools: When a student with a Victorian school has an employer in NSW, WorkExpo will print a special Work Experience/Placement form for Victorian students who are working with New South Wales employers. WorkExpo determines this by looking at the home school state and if it is Victoria and the Employer is in NSW then WorkExpo will generate the special arrangement form.
Many other small subtle productivity improvements: Little things have been improved here and there which make working with WorkExpo easier and more intuitive that ever before.
Upgrade Notes
Continued Software Support
Upgrading to the version 9.0 includes support until the next version is released. This includes web, phone and email support to the school. All support calls will continue to be handled personally by Terry Chapman.
Multiple Schools Edition available
WorkExpo 9.0 is also offered as a Multi-Schools Edition. This edition has all the features of the standard WorkExpo package but also includes support for multiple schools. This means you can have several cohorts of students assigned to several schools within the one WorkExpo database. This edition would be suitable for LLEN's or VET cluster organizations. The Multi-Schools Edition allows you to import data files from WorkExpo schools and WorkExpo will keep track of which schools students belong to. This edition is available as a new full version or upgrade from an existing version. More details here.
See pricing for costs.
Network (Multi-User) version now available.
If you share the WorkExpo database at your school with other teachers and/or across campuses you need to upgrade to the Network edition of WorkExpo. This Multi-User edition of WorkExpo allows for up to 5 simultaneous users. Network support is also included. The stand-alone version may only be used by a single nominated teacher and does not include network support.
User Profiles and Software Settings
During the upgrade your data file will be modified structurally but the content of the data file will remain unchanged. All of your user settings will also be migrated during the upgrade. If you share WorkExpo with other users you will need to run the software upgrade on each user machine separately.
Setting the Defaults
The defaults settings which you have stored in your Windows registry will not be changed. All settings will remain in the same (hive) place in the Windows registry.
Improved Installation routines
WorkExpo 9.0 will detect your version of Microsoft Office and install the correct version files. In the past version issues with Microsoft Office and particularly, Microsoft Access caused some problems for school IT support staff. The new installer detects versions and settings and installs the correct files seamlessly.
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