National Apprenticeships Service

UK Government Apprenticeships Initiative

Client Testimonial

"I found Digital Potion to be highly competent technically, with experience in a wide range of technology, as well as the ability to effectively communicate complex concepts in simple-to-understand terms.

They illustrated excellent problem-solving skills throughout the project, stuck to the agreed plan and strove to ensure both value for money and best practice .They were also keen to ensure that we invested in a solution that fitted the needs of today and those of tomorrow.

They offered many different views and opinions about possible approaches which, after discussion, added significantly to the "value-add" that they brought to the table. They showed commitment and enthusiasm which assured me I had made the correct choice in appointing them.

I felt very comfortable, well- advised and informed; I relied on their judgement and guidance throughout the project- as one would expect, with a trusted supplier.

They over-performed on deadlines and flexibility, showed great 'can-do' attitude, were dedicated in their work and had a very good work ethic.

I would strongly recommend them.

Mike Hindson-Evans - Programme Director - Learning & Skills Council, UK Gov

Agency Testimonial

"Panlogic has worked with Digital Potion during 2008-10 to augment our existing technical infrastructure. We have found the technical solutions provided to be robust and well considered and well adapted to our individual clients' requirements.

The services Digital Potion have provided for us have included: technical and server architecture; technical solution scoping; and technical project management.

In particular, working with Digital Potion's Director Ed Davison was a very positive experience for us. He has a great ability to solve the project's technical issues, as well as being able to specify and deliver solutions on our behalf, which were both on time and on budget.

As a result, we look forward to continuing to work with Digital Potion in the future."

Background

The National Apprenticeships Service (formerly Learning and Skills Council) is responsible for the planning and funding of further education (post-16 education and training other than higher education) in England. On 28 January 2008, the government published their strategy for the future of Apprenticeships in England, re-launching the provision of Apprenticeships in the UK, through a £1billion programme of work.

Digital Potion was approached in advance by Panlogic to provide the technical expertise and steerage required to successfully win the pitch and deliver the technical confidence, management and experience required in creating such a high-profile and business critical solution for the UK Government.

Objectives

Digital Potion are responsible for the delivery of the public-facing digital offering for this programme to a hard deadline, as a result of a proposed national television campaign.

Being a flagship website for the UK government, the technical constraints and best practice guidelines imposed on the project are intense. The strict adherence to web accessibility, Freedom of Information and the Data Protection Act are at the heart of the site's values, ensuring the information is available to all internet users.

Full site architecture was required, leading to content migration, wireframes and user journeys with the creative look and feel developed in parallel.

Panlogic and Digital Potion had to engage with a range of internal stakeholders including the LSC's marketing, eCommunications, and policy teams. In addition, Digital Potion had to liaise with a range of third party stakeholders delivering other pieces of the programme, including the hosting provider, a technical consultancy building another part of the programme (CapGemini), content providers and a rich-media content providers.

The technical challenges of providing a service that demands this degree of uptime and stability, with the flexibility to respond to huge peaks of visitor numbers immediately preceding high profile advertising were key requirements for this project.

Results

Within two months of the launch of the new site:

Average visits per day were up from 3,074 prior to the new site launch (in November 2008) to 9,128 visits per day by January 2009, an increase of 296%

236% year on year improvement in total apprentice web-forms completed

The total number of apprentice enquires by online enquiry form between 10th Nov 2008 and 7th Jan 2009 was 19,752

The total number of potential apprentices interested in the VMS by web between 10th Nov 2008 and 7th Jan 2009 was 14,920

In Feb 2009 the website was being advertised on national network television with high profile celebrity Sir Alan Sugar. 

Recent analysis reports indicate visitor numbers to the site are more than 11,000 uniques per day. 

By working in partnership with Digital Potion, Panlogic secured themselves a very high profile and profitable project with tremendous client feedback and satisfaction.

Update 2010

Two years on Digital Potion are still the Technical Architect's and development managers of the site and continue to maintain a fantastic relationship with all services providers and key stakeholders.

 

In the past year user numbers has continued to grow to over 120,000 unique per month.