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Working with AscentUP learners
Working with AscentUP learners

A guide to best practices for employers working with AscentUP learners

Updated over 6 months ago

Top tips for project creation

  • Provide information on your organization and the context of the project.

  • Focus the project scope to be concise and achievable within the 30 hours, over the 6 week timeframe.

  • You will be matched with a team of 5 learners. This means a project can require 150 hours of work in total.

  • Include any specific tools or programs learners will work with.

  • Include the type of support will you provide for learners (eg. weekly check-ins, team meetings, a staff member who will be their point of contact).

Employer commitments during the project

  • Employers should arrange an onboarding session to support learners to understand the company, meet key people on your team, and feel more comfortable asking for help when they need to.

  • You should host a project kick off to present the scope of the project and set expectations.

  • ‍Make sure you review the tools and technology the learners will need access to, and that you set them up with the appropriate logins, software, and access.

  • You should host regular check-ins for the whole project team, and should be available if learners have questions throughout the duration of the project.

  • You should provide mentorship throughout the project to each learner (a minimum of five hours is expected).

  • At project close, you should review deliverables and provide feedback on final submission and also on your experience working with each learner.

  • If learners are completing confidential work that you do not want shared through Riipen, you can create and sign off on a timesheet for the learner. In this case, we might also recommend that you have the learners sign an NDA before starting your project. You can use the Agreements feature to do this.

Managing your project

  • You can view each learner that has started your project by going to the “Teams" tab of your project page. To view further information about the learner’s progress or to launch a chat with them, click on their name.

  • You must have a dedicated contact for learners to answer questions and provide access to any resources they need throughout the project.

  • Establish your communication channels early on, and ensure learners are comfortable with the communication tools you’re using.

  • You should schedule regular (weekly, bi-weekly) check-ins with learners to monitor progress and address any questions as they come up.

  • Set project milestones on the Riipen platform. Milestones keep projects on track by defining intermediary objectives for learners.

  • Riipen platform tools to support connecting with learners include:

    • Milestone Notifications

    • Messaging

    • Integrations with Zoom & Google Meet

    • Uploading files and notes throughout the project

Completing your project

  • When learners submit deliverables, you will receive a notification and an email to alert you.

  • Final submissions may include multiple files. They could include files of the learners' work, a detailed timesheet, or a comprehensive written summary of the work completed.

  • You will be prompted to complete an exit survey, and provide feedback to learners directly on Riipen.

  • You will be able to provide private feedback to each learner and also public feedback which will be displayed on the learner's Riipen profile.

  • In your written feedback, make sure to highlight both the positive and the negative (if any) experiences you had when working with the learners. Were they quick to respond and professional in their communication? Were they quick learners who took initiative? Remember, any feedback you give will be publicly available on Riipen with your name attached as the author. With that in mind, remember to be courteous even if you need to provide negative feedback.

  • You will also receive feedback from each learner who works with you which will then display on your employer Riipen profile.

Still have questions? Reach out to us via live-chat in the avocado found in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen or via email at ascentup@riipen.com.

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