Here’s everything you need to know NOW.
By Lina Bickel, CalSAWS Project Manager
Will you be using CalSAWS in your job? Then you're what we call an End User. End Users will begin CalSAWS training on December 19, 2022, starting with online courses (we call these Web-Based Trainings, or WBTs). Classroom courses and practice labs will follow later.
Some folks got a head start on
training, so they can help others with it. These include Early Training (ET)
and Train-the-Trainer (TTT) participants (who started their online training
in late November), and Change Network Champions (who have previewed the
curriculum).
Read on to learn about your upcoming training!
Step 1: Web-Based Trainings (WBTs)
You'll start with online courses, which we call Web-Based Training modules (WBTs). These interactive WBTs provide the foundation for learning CalSAWS functionality.
Various WBTs are assigned to each user, according to their job duties. (For example, an Eligibility Worker assigned to the Benefits Service Center will complete WBTs modules in Orientation, Eligibility-General, EDBC, Eligibility-CalFresh, Eligibility-Medi-Cal, and Contact Center Operations.)
To access your WBTs, you'll log into the CalSAWS Learning Management System (LMS). There, you'll find your customized Learning Journey Map. The Learning Journey Map shows which WBTs are assigned to you, guides you through them in a logical order, and keeps track of your progress.
You'll launch your WBT modules right there in the LMS. They typically run 30 to 90 minutes each. Because they're web-based, you can even access the WBTs from your home computer.
End Users will begin their assigned WBTs on December 19, 2022. You must complete all your WBTs by the end of February 2023 so that you're ready to start classroom training. End users and their supervisors will need to develop a plan for completing their WBTs by then. Supervisors will be provided with weekly reports to track the progress of their staff.
Step 2: Instructor-Led Trainings (ILTs)
When you've finished your online WBT training modules, you'll be ready to attend classroom training courses. We call these Instructor-Led Training (ILTs). The ILTs will give you hands-on practice in CalSAWS, and touch upon related county business processes.
For End Users, ILTs will be held from the end of February 2023 through mid-April 2023. (ET and T4T participants will complete their ILTs in late January through February 2023.)
Most End Users will have about three 8-hour classroom training sessions covering General Eligibility and Program-Specific Eligibility, Clerical, Imaging, and Supervision. There will be shorter ILT sessions for Employment Services and Child Care, Fiscal, Foster Care Programs, Special Investigations (Fraud), Hearings, and Resource Databank.
End users will be assigned to the appropriate ILT courses through the CalSAWS LMS.
Step 3: Practice Labs
Practice Labs are half-day sessions, held the last week before Go-Live, to give you hands-on practice using numerous scripted scenarios. Practice Labs offer an excellent opportunity to work through actual case scenarios in the CalSAWS training environment, so you're prepared to process cases in CalSAWS when we go live.
Step 4: Go-Live!
We will Go-Live on April 24, 2023! From that day forward, we will be using CalSAWS instead of CalWIN.
Tips for Training Success
- You will have two months to complete your assigned WBTs. Do NOT wait until the last minute! Work with your Supervisor to schedule time for WBTs.
- HOT TIP – WBTs can be completed remotely! See if your Supervisor will approve Remote Work Time for WBTs.
- Virtual webinars will be offered throughout the training timeframe in order to reinforce WBTs—you will be encouraged to attend and ask questions.
- Master the Learning Journey Map. It will help you stay on track and complete your WBTs in a logical and orderly way. You will receive instructions for this. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!
- ILTs will be scheduled and available in Santa Maria, Santa Barbara AND Lompoc. You will NOT need to travel to complete your ILT classroom training. However, you might need to flex your 9/80 schedule. BE FLEXIBLE!
- Participate fully in ILT classroom training. Ask questions!
- Know who the Change Network Champions (CNCs) are in your division, and who your Early Training participants are. Test their knowledge by asking CalSAWS questions.
- Sign up for Practice Labs when prompted, so you are ready to GO on April 24, 2023.