"First Strike Solutions builds software applications for businesses in specialised industries, or to satisfy specialised requirements."
What does First Strike Solutions do?
The core of our business is developing customised applications for individual companies. Some of these applications are further developed to become fully supported software products for use by businesses with the same need. We often partner with the original client to bring the product to the market.
All of our software is developed using the more advanced application development features of Microsoft Access. This platform has many advantages for smart businesses looking for practical and stable long-term solutions to their business needs, and who want to control the impact of technological change on their business.
Recently we have limited our consulting work to concentrate on developing and implementing Enquiry Mate for Trainers. We have several products at various stages of commercialisation. We are still supporting existing consulting clients and only taking on new projects that may lead to future packaged products.
How was Enquiry Mate for Trainers developed?
First Strike Solutions have developed and supported student records systems, in a "VET In Schools", context as early as 1999, as part of our consulting work with Bradfield College in North Sydney.
Enquiry Mate for Trainers started as a custom-built sales enquiry system for Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE (NSIT) in 2003. That software is still in use today after several updates and is now implemented using SQL-Server shared across six campuses.
In 2004, we were approached by Back To Basics , a Newcastle-based RTO with a view to extending the system to include AQTF student records and other compliance and business functions and then packaging it as a commercial software product. Since that time, the system has had many enhancements in response to: the needs of clients with diverse and challenging compliance and business needs; changes to the AQTF standards; new funding schemes and AVEMTISS standards; and updated Microsoft Windows and Office products.
That process of improvement and enhancement continues at a steady pace today and will continue for the forseeable future. We plan 3 to 4 major releases per year with minor releases to address urgent needs. Updates are usually optional, however some changes (such as the AQTF 2007 quality indicator reporting system planned for Aug-Oct 2008) will require every RTO client to update to the latest release. Issues with MS-Windows and MS-Office may also force the need for an update.
How committed are we to the Australian training industy?
We are currently a member of ACPET , VELG and HTAN and regularly attend their annual conferences. We also attend workshops and seminars offered by DEEWR and other regulators to help us keep up-to-date with changes in the industry.
There has been a recent trend for the regulatory authorities to involve software providers in the implementation process. This means that we can provide compliant interfaces and features to our clients very soon after they are required. NCVER in particular has been excellent in this regard and we thank them for that. There are also trends to reduce state-based variations and alternatives to the AVETMISS standard, although there has been some movement away from that lately.
Where are we located?
We are based in Toronto, NSW (Australia), a busy little suburb on the shores of Lake Macquarie, 30 mins South of Newcastle and 60 minutes North of Sydney. Our clients are all around Australia and we support them using GoToMeeting meeting software from Citrix Online. We travel to other regions regularly to provide local on-site support services, on-site sales demonstrations and attend training industry conferences.
We also have an office in Second Life - the internet virtual world which may be the next big advance in on-line learning. Click here to visit our office in Second Life. You can create a free account if you need to.
Contact Details
Office: (02) 4959 4958
Mobile: 0418 480 131
Mail: PO Box 993 Toronto NSW 2283
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