01 · What breaks
Design for the failure modes, not only the happy path.
The value of skilling placement and retention tracker depends on what happens when records are incomplete, evidence conflicts or the next action carries consequence.
Free-text states that cannot be counted
Make this visible in testing, ownership and review rather than leaving it as an implementation surprise.
Overwriting historical outcomes
Make this visible in testing, ownership and review rather than leaving it as an implementation surprise.
Unreachable graduates deleted
Make this visible in testing, ownership and review rather than leaving it as an implementation surprise.
Evidence links shared too broadly
Make this visible in testing, ownership and review rather than leaving it as an implementation surprise.
02 · Minimum viable model
Start with candidate placement and follow-up row and the decisions around it.
The smallest useful model for this page connects the following records. Each field should have a purpose, owner and retention rule.
03 · Implementation sequence
Move through reviewable gates.
A complete small workflow is safer and more useful than a large collection of unfinished modules.
Agree definitions and dropdown states
Agree the owner, evidence and exit condition before moving forward.
Protect identifiers and contact fields
Agree the owner, evidence and exit condition before moving forward.
Enter the placement baseline
Agree the owner, evidence and exit condition before moving forward.
Schedule follow-up views
Agree the owner, evidence and exit condition before moving forward.
Review conflict and nonresponse
Agree the owner, evidence and exit condition before moving forward.
Freeze reporting snapshots
Agree the owner, evidence and exit condition before moving forward.
04 · Evidence
Measure whether the work became clearer.
Usage alone is not success. Review the quality, timeliness and decisions the system is meant to improve.
05 · Responsible automation
Let systems prepare. Keep consequence with people.
Systems can support
- Protect identifiers and contact fields
- Enter the placement baseline
- Schedule follow-up views
- Review conflict and nonresponse
People should decide
- Final verification
- Resolving evidence conflict
- Contacting employers
- Responding to support needs
06 · Common questions
Practical questions teams ask.
Use these answers to clarify scope, compare approaches and identify the decisions your team needs to make before implementation.
How should a nonprofit use the skilling placement and retention tracker?
A skilling placement and retention tracker should separate placement claim, verification evidence, current employment state, follow-up attempts and reviewer decisions. It is a practical starting point for smaller cohorts and a clear migration source when a full MIS becomes necessary.
What fields or sections should the skilling placement and retention tracker contain?
Start with candidate placement and follow-up row. The minimum useful record set covers candidate and course identifiers, placement claim and start date, evidence and verification state, 30, 90 and 180-day follow-up, job change, exit and reason and next action, owner and review note. Remove any field that does not support a service, safeguard, decision or reporting obligation.
Who should complete and maintain the skilling placement and retention tracker?
The team that owns candidate placement and follow-up row should maintain the resource, with input from frontline, programme, MEL or data, technology and leadership roles as relevant. Keep one named owner responsible for version control, review decisions and updates.
How can the skilling placement and retention tracker be adapted for different programme sizes?
Keep the definition of candidate placement and follow-up row stable at every scale. A small programme can begin with one workflow and a few roles; a multi-state programme also needs delegated ownership, stronger permissions, shared definitions, integration rules and location-level quality review.
How can a team check that the skilling placement and retention tracker is complete and useful?
Keep the source, definition, time, owner, status and review decision together. Monitor rows with complete identifiers, verified placement coverage, follow-ups due and completed and nonresponse retained in reporting, and preserve limitations instead of cleaning them out of the report.