CIMS Group Introduction

A few of the SETAS has started using the CIMS SETA Management system which Providers have to use to register learners and record Achievements as well as a host of other functions including SDF work. CATHSSETA is using it, but I believe some other SETAS are as well.

I have been using, or trying to, for a few months now, and am on the verge of giving up....

• Almost a year delayed in implementation and as such a years worth of learner data 'missing' from official records.
• So much data is missing that recording achievements for legacy learners is impossible
• The process that used to take a few minutes, now takes a few weeks as each of the about 5 or so stages requires one wait for approval of that stage before moving on. This includes but is not limited to: Submitting a Letter of Intent - then wait; Submitting learner names - then wait; download forms from CIMS - then wait; Submit forms - then wait etc etc. But in the meantime your start date has passed, so you have to withdraw the whole thing and start AGAIN.
• Inability to edit learner details as the system just gives an error.
• Inability to de-register a single learner
• Applications for registration get rejected with no explanation why.

Etc etc etc

What I would like to do is for this group to be a meeting of Providers who are using CIMS and we can try to help each other through this disastrous system. I truly hope in some way we can help each other and make this work somehow, but from my investigations so far over about 3 months of using it, and during which I still have not successfully registered a single learner fully, it is adding approximately R800-R1000 per learner per coursed to admin fees which will in the end have to be passed onto Learners.

What have you experienced? Please let us know and also if you have any insight into how to make it work and reduce the huge admin burden it is creating.