pTools Drives New Pensions Board Learning Content Management System

Online, January 25, 2010 (Newswire.com) - pTools Drives New Pensions Board Learning Content Management System

January 20th 2010

pTools today announced the completion of a significant deployment of pTools Content Management Software (CMS) for the new Pensions Board online learning service.

Available to pension scheme trustees (of which there are more than 200,000) and anyone working in the pension's industry, the service provides training free of charge in an easy to use, self-managed environment. The new initiative was designed to respond to new legislation which, from 1st February, requires all pension scheme trustees to undertake training at least once every two years. 

The system includes extensive user management and learning content management features driven by the core pTools content management engine. pTools worked with The Pensions Board and pensions industry partners to deliver the technology behind the online learning solution that is easy to use, intuitive and capable of being updated to reflect a continuously evolving regulatory environment.

The project builds on the existing pTools implementation of a multi-dimensional website using pTools CMS software at the Pensions Board.

Commenting on the pTools deployment, David Malone head of information at the Pensions Board said: "Online engagement with all our stakeholders is a key priority for the Pensions Board. The deployment of the pTools Content Management Software for the e-learning system supports this priority and is a significant investment in technology for the Board. The system builds on the support services the Board provides for trustees and the broader pensions industry providing practical help for pension scheme trustees in carrying out their duties. The Board has a very strong commitment to providing our services efficiently, cost effectively and in the most accessible formats possible. "

Key features of online learning solution include:

· Video tutorials

· Questionnaire tutorials

· User registration 

· User assessment

· Audio tutorials 

· Learning content management

· Web content management

Technically, the initiative is about delivering and managing content across nine lessons, with over 400 topics and areas for users to complete to achieve the accreditation. Given the significant numbers of pension trustees involved the system includes extensive user management and learning content management features.

Speaking about the project, managing director of pTools Software, Tom Skinner, said: "This is another example of the deep and business critical content management delivered by pTools to our customers. We increasingly see demand for pTools as an extension to business systems that deliver content services to websites of significant scale and scope. This transactional content is often critical to the business and, in the case of the Pensions Board trustee learning initiative, the value of timely and accurate content and information is even more evident."

pTools is a leading enterprise web content management software vendor, providing high level feature functionality that delivers powerful content management for critical enterprise initiatives.


-ENDS-

For further information contact: 

Bernice Burnside, Bvisible Communications, www.bvisible.ie , [email protected] Telephone +353 (0)1 845 2401

pTools Software, www.pTools.com , [email protected] Telephone +353 (0)1 6789311


About pTools™ Software:
pTools is a leading developer of Enterprise Web Content Management software and Microsoft Gold Partner with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. pTools software is used to develop enterprise content application solutions for Intranet, Extranet and Internet systems for customers in private and public sectors in UK, Ireland and internationally. pTools software combines powerful content management functionality with user-friendly interface and enterprise application architecture.


About the Pensions Board trustee learning system:
The Pensions Board learning system is available at http://trusteetraining.pensionsboard.ie/ and also accessible from www.pensionsboard.ie

The e-learning system is designed to give a good understanding of the role and responsibilities of a trustee and how to apply them. 

The course has nine lessons ranging from the basics of pensions and trusteeship, through to more complex areas such as investment. These include:

understanding pensions
being a trustee
scheme rules, contributions and benefits
running a scheme
scheme financing for defined benefit schemes
investing a scheme's assets
administration and accounting
member communication
managing problems.

Each lesson covers a number of topics and is completed by carrying out an assessment at the end of the lesson. Each topic is designed to take about 10 minutes and each of the nine lessons takes on average about 60 minutes. The system allows you to complete the topics at your own pace. Each topic can be taken separately, and does not have to be completed in one session.

In order to take the assessment in each lesson, you must have completed all the material for that lesson. When you have finished all of the lessons and passed the assessments, the Board will provide you with a certificate to acknowledge your successful completion of the training.

About the Pensions Board
The Pensions Board is the statutory body established by The Pensions Act 1990 to regulate occupational pension schemes, trust based RACs and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) and to advise the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, on overall pension policy development. See www.pensionsboard.ie 
 
Under the Act, the Board has power to investigate the state and conduct of Irish pension schemes, and to ensure that trustees, employers, pension administrators and their advisers comply with the obligations they owe to current and former employees in relation to their pension contributions and benefits.