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SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations can be summarised into four key areas:
- improve external relationships, for example, with institutions
- develop a more effective on campus and localised service for applications and inquiries by students, to reduce initial errors and reduce demand on the call centre
- develop better information and communications, and
- review some operational policy and definitional issues.
The following detailed recommendations follow the structure of the report.
Design of Student Loans Delivery System
Objective
- DWI focus the objective of the student loan delivery system on enabling efficient and effective outcomes for students and institutions, based on the interdependence of the loans delivery system and enrolment systems.
Style
- DWI adopt a more co-operative and consultative style with key stakeholders, including institutions and students.
- DWI develop effective external relationships with institutions, student bodies, and other key stakeholders, and develop a sufficient understanding of enrolment systems and other stakeholder requirements to meet the objective in recommendation 1 above.
- DWI share information on the student loan delivery system with institutions to enable institutions to ensure their enrolment and other systems can effectively and efficiently interface with it.
- DWI consult institutions (and students where appropriate) on how the student loans delivery system can most effectively and efficiently interface with enrolment systems.
Structure
- DWI develop more effective on campus and local services for students for some functions, as a supplement to the centralised call and processing centre at Palmerston North.
- DWI develop an account management approach to institutions, and a more effective service for students with complex circumstances, for example, through expert advice and personalised service.
- DWI appoint a risk officer who does not have any direct responsibilities for system implementation or management of student loans.
- DWI develop a risk management strategy which recognises the interdependency of the student loan delivery system with institutions' enrolment systems, and reassesses processing risks in light of past experience.
- DWI develop an enhanced capability which is able to respond to and comment on the potential and actual implementation implications of policy decisions.
Systems
- DWI plan work flows and resource requirements based on actual enrolment patterns (while still encouraging students to apply early).
- DWI plan resources for work flows based on actual numbers of anomalies and error rates, taking into account expected improvements.
Staff and Skills
- DWI review the ratio of permanent to temporary staff, their functions, numbers, location, and training requirements.
- DWI review and revise, for completeness and ease of use, the manual for DWI staff advising students and institutions.
- DWI ensure staff who answer queries on loan status are able to use and correctly interpret the relevant information on the computer system.
- DWI ensure sufficient specialised staff, whether located centrally or locally, are adequately trained to deal efficiently both with anomalies, and with students with complex circumstances (eg TIA or postgraduate students).
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