Case Study 3 - U3A

Cambridge U3A runs about 300 classes for nearly 3,000 members who are of retirement age. The staff of U3A needed a new system to manage member information but also to help allocate class places.

Members can request up to six classes with alternatives in case a specific class is full. To allocate classes manually is not feasible so Data Train (then trading as Vital Computing) proposed an Access/VBA solution. This system came online about 10 years ago.

Since then both training and technical support has been given. The system has functioned almost flawlessly with minor improvements being made from time to time.

U3A Office Manager Carol Spong said: "David of Data Train, set up our database some years ago, something we would find very difficult to be without now.  Our membership and the number of courses on offer have increased in this time and from time to time we have requested minor alterations to speed up the way we work.  These requests have always been met positively and the work been carried out swiftly.  If there has ever been a problem David has been quick to respond and remedy it, which is important as we rely on the database so much".

Types of client - some examples

• University - Land economy department
• Colleges - Westcott House
• SMEs - myIP (intellectual property)
• Consultants - Tricordant
• Overseas - Arabian Research Bureau

Can we help you? Contact David Everett:

Call 07932 041815 or email david@datatrain.biz