The Digitally Enabled Workforce (DEW) team at NES is commissioned by the Scottish Government and COSLA to deliver the Building Digital Data and Digital Leadership Capabilities Programme, which includes the KIND (Knowledge, Information and Data) learning network.
The network is open to employees from all health and social care settings in Scotland including NHS, Local Authorities, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Social Work, Social Care, Care and Support Providers, Housing, and the Third and Independent Sectors. It exists to further the leading role of the community in the digital transformation of health and care by supporting learning, sharing of best practice, and developing interdisciplinary collaborations.
Recruitment to the network remains strong, with 5166 members in the Teams channel from 181 organisations, and 3056 subscribers to the weekly email update.
We are running a network-wide theme week between 27 and 31 October about Open Source. Open Source refers to any form of technology, software or data where the work is freely available for anyone to use, modify and distribute. Such freedom drives creativity, innovation and community collaboration, which are hallmark traits of open source.
In many ways, Open Source work is the lifeblood of all the technology we see today. From the linux-based servers our work applications depend on, to the Webkit browser engine Apple phones use, and even the open data we share for transparency, integrity and public engagement - open source is everywhere.
Below we have a series of Open Source themed talks taking place the week ready to be booked.
| Talk | Date-Time | Speaker | Link |
| Open Data Scotland | 28/10 - 10:00 | Jack Gilmore | Open Data Scotland |
| Open Source in NHS Lothian | 28/10 - 15:00 | Zena Trendell & Julian Augley | Open Source in NHS Lothian |
| Introduction to Python | 29/10 - 12:00 | Gatz Osorio | Introduction to Python |
| Using Open Data | 29/10 - 14:00 | Ben Harley | Using Open Data - NHS Open Data Dashboard |
| Introduction to Tableau Public | 29/10 - 15:30 | Ben Harley | Introduction to Tableau Public |
| Open Data - The PHS Approach | 30/10 - 10:00 | Jay Roper | Open Data - The Public Health Scotland Approach |
| Introduction to Packages | 30/10 - 12:00 | James Hayes | Introduction to Packages (Part 1) |
| Creating and Using Packages | 31/10 - 12:00 | James Hayes | Creating and Using Packages (Part 2) |
| Packages for Charts | 30/10 - 15:30 | John Mackintosh | Packages for Charts |
| Introduction to Git/Github | 30/10 - 14:00 | Russell McCreath | Introduction to Git & Github |
We are thrilled to announce that the KIND Network has officially reached 5,000 members - a powerful testament to the growing community of knowledge, innovation, and digital transformation.
๐ฌ A Message to Our Members
To each of our 5,000 members, thank you. Your engagement, curiosity, and commitment are what make this network thrive. You are shaping the future of health and care in Scotland, and weโre proud to be on this journey with you.
With new resources, events, and learning opportunities on the horizon, the KIND Network will continue to evolve and grow.
| Documents & non-training resources |
This is the main page for the KIND networkโs live documents and non-training resources. These documents set out simple, human, and sensible platform-specific standards that we think some of the most widely-used knowledge, information, and data tools should follow. |
| The KIND training mini site |
The KIND training mini site contains links and resources for our one-off training sessions. All our sessions are:
|
Most KIND training happens in 6-week core training blocks that repeat four times per year. Most of our training - especially the Excel and Power BI courses - will be contained in those blocks. This year, those core blocks will be:
Theme weeks occupy a whole week with a single topic, with 10-20 events scheduled on a single topic. Still to come are:
These sessions are designed to give a complete introduction to Excel for new users, or for users whoโd like a refresher.
The sessions are designed to be taken together in a block.
| Booking Link | Materials | Date | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel first steps (Excel for beginners session 1) | Session materials | 10:00-11:30 Thu 06 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| Tidy data in Excel (Excel for beginners session 2) | Session materials | 10:00-11:30 Thu 13 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| References and names in Excel (Excel for beginners session 3) | Session materials | 10:00-11:30 Thu 20 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| Excel formatting (Excel for beginners session 4) | Session materials | 10:00-11:30 Thu 27 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| Excel tables (Excel for beginners session 5) | Session materials | 10:00-11:30 Thu 04 Dec | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| Excel formulas (Excel for beginners session 6) | Session materials | 10:00-11:30 Thu 11 Dec | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| Excel practical review (Excel for beginners session 7) | 10:00-11:30 Thu 18 Dec | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
Designed for experienced Excel users. Requires M365 Excel desktop.
| Booking Link | Materials | Date | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel foundations 1 (intermediate Excel session 1) | Session materials | 10:00-12:00 Tue 04 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Excel foundations 2 (intermediate Excel session 2) | Session materials | 10:00-12:00 Tue 11 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Lookups in Excel (intermediate Excel session 3) | Session materials | 10:00-12:00 Tue 18 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Pivot tables and pivot charts (intermediate Excel session 4) | Session materials | 10:00-12:00 Tue 25 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Excel programming (intermediate Excel session 5) | Session materials | 10:00-12:00 Tue 02 Dec | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
These sessions are designed to give a complete introduction to Power BI for new users, or for users whoโd like a refresher. The sessions are designed to be taken together in a block. Youโll need Power BI Desktop (not the web or Teams version) to complete the course.
If youโre uncertain about your infrastructure, thereโs an optional pre-course tech check session at 2pm on Thursday 11th September - click here to register.
| Booking Link | Materials | Date | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| BI for beginners (tech check) | 13:00-13:30 Wed 29 Oct | ๐ถ :beginner-level | |
| BI for beginners (session 1) | Session materials | 14:00-16:00 Tue 04 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| BI for beginners (session 2) | Session materials | 14:00-16:00 Tue 11 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| BI for beginners (session 3) | Session materials | 14:00-16:00 Tue 18 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| BI for beginners (session 4) | Session materials | 14:00-16:00 Tue 25 Nov | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
| BI for beginners (session 5) | Session materials | 14:00-16:00 Tue 02 Dec | ๐ถ :beginner-level |
Designed for experienced Power BI users. Requires Power BI desktop.
| Booking Link | Materials | Date | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate Power BI (session 1) | Session materials | 13:00-15:00 Wed 05 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Intermediate Power BI (session 2) | Session materials | 13:00-15:00 Wed 12 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Intermediate Power BI (session 3) | Session materials | 13:00-15:00 Wed 19 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Intermediate Power BI (session 4) | Session materials | 13:00-15:00 Wed 26 Nov | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| Intermediate Power BI (session 5) | 13:00-15:00 Wed 03 Dec | ๐ถ๐ถ : intermediate-level |
| The KIND technical mentoring scheme |
| The KIND mentoring scheme follows a simple structure to put mentors and mentees in touch. We invite proposals for specific professional mentoring needs - usually to support a single project for about 8 weeks. For more information on the mentoring scheme and to join the network click here. |
This month has concentrated on delivering training at scale. 33 training sessions were delivered, with a total of 2772 participants, leading to the delivery of 3971.5 delegate-hours of training. In total, we ran 2 webinar(s) this month. We had a total attendance of 87 people at those sessions.
5 training sessions were delivered this month, with a total of 128 participants, leading to the delivery of 177.5 delegate-hours of training. We also ran 1 webinar. We have also shared further information about the KIND network across health and social care as well as promoted on our LinkedIn page.
8 training sessions were delivered to the network, with a total of 200 participants, leading to the delivery of 249.5 delegate-hours of training. In total, we ran 6 webinar(s) this month. We had a total attendance of 229 people at those sessions.
12 training sessions were delivered to the network - 859 participants were present across those sessions, leading to the delivery of 1086 delegate-hours of training: this included the first day of a special theme week about troubleshooting from the 30 June
This month 26 training sessions were delivered with 3442 participants present across those sessions, leading to the delivery of 4094.75 delegate-hours of training - this included a special theme week about Microsoft Power Query from the 19th May. In total, we ran 10 webinar(s), largely as part of Power Query week, and had a total attendance of 493 people at the sessions.
This month 8 training sessions were delivered, 950 participants were present across those sessions, leading to the delivery of 1365 delegate-hours of training. Vay Ly, an information analyst from Public Health Scotland, continues to assist with the network, including assisting with the delivery of an Excel training session.
This month 13 training sessions were delivered, 1001 participants were present across those sessions, leading to the delivery of 1480 delegate-hours of training. Vay Ly, an information analyst from Public Health Scotland, has joined the network on a part-time basis.
This month has concentrated on delivering our core training offer. 28 training sessions were delivered, 1543 participants were present across those sessions, leading to the delivery of 2285 delegate-hours of training. With the new intermediate Power BI/Power Query course being piloted. Two KIND community webinar sessions ran during the month, with a total attendance of 171 attendees.
This month 21 training sessions were delivered, 1059 participants were present across those sessions, leading to the delivery of 1421 delegate-hours of training. Recruitment to the network remains strong as we enter 2025 with 3359 members in the Teams channel from over 120 organisations, and 1940 subscribers to the weekly email update.
Brandan Clarke - Digital Workforce Specialist Lead
Brendan leads on the KIND Network within the Digitally Enabled Workforce (DEW) Team portfolio.
Stay connected: