1. Save time and reduce workloads
TPRO is designed to reduce the workloads associated with managing professional records, for both principals and staff. Essentially TPRO enables principals and staff to manage these records more efficiently. There are also savings in resources because a school does not need to set-up, maintain and upgrade TPRO on its own computers because Trend Technologies manages TPRO centrally, and therefore assumes responsibility for these tasks, as well as providing training and support, and data backup.
2. Reliable, secure, confidential and easy to use
TPRO is a reliable, secure and confidential system which allows authorised users to record information directly into the database (e.g. via laptops in classrooms). It enables easy recording of data which principals and staff currently include in their professional records.
3. Facilitate compliance with Teachers Council, Ministry of Education and Education Review Office requirements
TPRO is designed to facilitate compliance with Teachers Council and Ministry of Education requirements and as such, enhance principals' ability to demonstrate to external auditors their school's compliance with these requirements. For example, a principal needing to approve the registration of a provisionally registered teacher who has taught in more than one school, will (with the teacher's written permission) be able to check the teacher's records from previous schools in order to ensure registration requirements have been met, providing that the teacher is a current TPRO member.
4. Flexibility
TPRO has a degree of flexibility in the way in which it is implemented for a school. For example, a principal may wish to delegate some of the responsibility for the system to the DP/APs and Supervising/Tutor Teachers, and the access permissions can be organised accordingly. A further example: TPRO allows customised (i.e. non-standard) information to be created which suits the particular school.
5. Manage professional development records more effectively to support staff professional development
During discussions with principals and teachers in 2003 prior to the development of TPRO, many expressed a desire to manage their professional records more efficiently, so that they could monitor registration and professional development processes more readily, support the professional development of teachers more effectively (i.e. as individuals, as syndicates, as a staff, and/or within curriculum areas), and thereby enhance the learning of their students. TPRO can be used as a school-wide tool to support principals and staff members in recording professional development processes, planning, analysis, evaluation and reporting.
6. Off site storage
TPRO provides the advantage of a school having staff professional records stored in a secure manner off site so that, in the event of fire or theft at the school, the records are still available.
7. Save schools the cost of developing their own individual electronic systems
The use of TPRO will save schools the expense of developing and maintaining their own electronic systems for managing staff professional records.