Onsite Technician Service
This extremely popular SICT service has been established for over eleven years now and provides subscribing schools with an onsite technician for an agreed frequency, in order to provide local administrative tasks and support. The service has gained a notably respected and widespread reputation for its ‘can do’ attitude, technical innovation and user friendly working practises, and the attention paid to maintaining the high standards of quality our customers expect of SICT service delivery.
Times and Working Hours
SICT Onsite Technicians (OST) are contracted to work 3.5 hours per school half-day, (i.e: 7 hrs per complete working day), fitting into the school’s working day wherever possible.
Onsite Technicians Primary Duties:
Server Admin:
The Server is at the heart of the school network and its healthy operation is vital to the smooth running of the ICT environment.
Your SICTU Onsite technician will:
Check Backups, event logs, AV, updates, drive space and services to facilitate smooth day to day operation
Rectify minor issues and refer any major server issues or potential problems to SICTU consultants or calls team.
Maintain users / groups / file structure / scripting / deployment / R&D / active directory and group policy objects
Maintain network overview in line with established Microsoft infrastructure guidelines
Client Management:
Resolve software, hardware and driver issues
Provide technical help and advice to staff/pupils as required
Maintain general PC health / build images / manage hardware (regardless of origin – including all third party / whiteboards / projectors etc.)
Maintain, install and manage software as required / requested
Help to maintain a store area of applications, drivers, manuals and hardware
Perform R&D testing of a nature beneficial to the school and/or smooth running of the network
Help to arrange hardware exchanges liaising with SICTU directly
Help in the assessment and procurement of all other ICT purchases (Projectors / Whiteboards / Network Cabling etc. etc.) and liaise with third party and external contractors and suppliers as required / requested
Third Party Kit & Other Duties:
Third-party hardware will be supported at the school’s request, where there is no other technical support in existence. It must be noted however, that any such maintenance is carried out on a ‘best-efforts’ basis and at the school’s discretion. The OST will advise as to cost / risk beforehand.
On Arrival:
As soon as is reasonably possible, the OST should liaise with the ICT Co-ordinator (ITCO) and/or Head if necessary.
All OST schools should have a Schools ICT Unit Fault Logging Pack in which staff can note any faults, problems or IT issues. Our experience has proven that this logbook is best kept in the staffroom, as it is the most central, convenient and easily accessible area for school staff members.
If it is feasible, the OST and ITCO should go through the logbook together, prioritising the jobs accordingly, (although this task can be done in advance by the ITCO as long as priority is clearly indicated).
The OST will then complete/investigate tasks as listed, noting down details of further issues and solutions for future reference.
By working closely with other members of SICTU Onsite team your OST can maximise allocated customer time by minimising time spent on replicated issues that may be known to have occurred elsewhere.
OST and the Calls System:
The OST is not a replacement for the calls system. The School should continue to log faults with SICTU equipment as usual, recording faults in the SICTU Fault Logging Pack. The OST is better utilised to remedy issues which cannot be dealt with on calls – e.g. : third party equipment, user and group access, classroom software, whiteboards etc. The OST may also log calls if they feel it necessary. The development of a close working relationship between the OST and ITCO will soon iron out any potential areas of confusion and guarantee the best all-round service for the school.
Subscription details
To allow the SICTU to calculate and employ staff to specifically deliver this service, agreements are required to define schools subscription commitment to this service.
Schools initial subscription must be for a period of two years.
Once this initial two year period has concluded, subscription is then renewed on an annual basis.
Should a school wish to terminate at the end of the initial two year subscription or end of further annual subscription, then the SICTU require a full term’s notice period.
Should a school wish to amend their subscription, increase or decrease hours, then again the SICTU require a full term’s notice period, but would try to accommodate changes sooner wherever possible.
New subscriptions are dependent on current available capacity within the Onsite Schools team. Should there be no capacity, then SICTU will setup a waiting list and actively seek ways of delivering schools’ requirements.
Recharges will be made retrospectively each term for actual days service delivered.
Service Development:
An annual service development review will be undertaken to include changes required by schools, SICT and department.
Recharges for the service will be reviewed annually in line with the SICT main Service Level Agreement, this will involve consultation with schools and will take into account changes
identified in service development review.
Technician Assignment:
Should the assigned technician be unavailable due to sickness etc., then SICT will make best endeavours to cover or reschedule the session, but this cannot be guaranteed.
If a session cannot be delivered, then no charge is made.
To try to ensure continuity of service, a regular technician will be assigned to a school.
However, it may be necessary for SICTU to change the assignment of its staff to facilitate staff development and help manage staffing changes within the team.
SICT will also change staff assignment at the request of school, should capacity within the team allow.
Get a technician
If you are interested in the onsite technician service, please contact Mr Martin Whittle
Telephone: 01204332034