Astun Training & Mentoring Services
Astun provides a training and mentoring service for the full range of OSGeo technologies. Our Training Courses have been delivered to hundreds of delegates with very positive feedback.
The OSGeo stack includes QGIS, PostGIS, GeoServer, GeoNetwork, MapServer, OpenLayers, Leaflet, MapProxy or other OSGeo implementation in the cloud.
Features
- Courses for QGIS, Geoserver, PostgreSQL/PostGIS and Python
- QGIS Essentials, Advanced and Enterprise courses
- GeoServer Essentials, Advanced and Wizard courses
- PostGIS Essentials and Database Administration Essentials courses
- Python Essentials and Python for QGIS courses
- Mentoring in the full range of OSGeo technologies
- One-on-one consultancy and instruction
- Follow up and support
- Requirements analysis
- On site or remote delivery
Benefits
- Courses for all levels of ability
- Public and Private Courses available
- Private Courses can be customised to meet your specific needs
- Public Courses at a number of venues around the country
- Most knowledgeable trainers in UK for GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS
- Courses Accredited for CPD points by the AGI
- Mentoring for specific tasks or projects using OSGeo technologies
Pricing
£275 to £400 a person a day
- Education pricing available
Service documents
Request an accessible format
Framework
G-Cloud 13
Service ID
2 1 6 6 5 8 8 8 0 4 7 9 7 8 4
Contact
Astun Technology Ltd
Astun Technology Sales Team
Telephone: 01372 744009
Email: sales@astuntechnology.com
Planning
- Planning service
- Yes
- How the planning service works
- Mentoring can include the provision of planning services for the implementation of a cloud hosted solution
- Planning service works with specific services
- No
Training
- Training service provided
- Yes
- How the training service works
- The different training options are detailed in the accompanying Service Definition.
- Training is tied to specific services
- Yes
- Services the training service works with
-
- GeoServer
- QGIS
- PostgreSQL/PostGIS
- Python
Setup and migration
- Setup or migration service available
- Yes
- How the setup or migration service works
- Mentoring can include the provision of asistance with the migration to a cloud hosted solution
- Setup or migration service is for specific cloud services
- No
Quality assurance and performance testing
- Quality assurance and performance testing service
- No
Security testing
- Security services
- No
Ongoing support
- Ongoing support service
- Yes
- Types of service supported
-
- Hosting or software provided by your organisation
- Hosting or software provided by a third-party organisation
- How the support service works
-
Please see our Geospatial Open Source Support service. This includes Support Packages for OSGeo products such as GeoServer, QGIS and PostGIS comprise call-off time to used by the customer as required.
All helpdesk support is via a dedicated Service Desk staffed with 1st, 2nd and 3rd line support personnel with customers provided real time web based service desk access to all customer tickets.
Service scope
- Service constraints
- A minimum of 3 delegates are required for Public Courses
User support
- Email or online ticketing support
- Email or online ticketing
- Support response times
-
Astun provide the support service during normal working hours, which are between 0900 and 1700 GMT, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays.
The response times for calls logged by the customer are set out in the accompanying Astun Platform document. - User can manage status and priority of support tickets
- Yes
- Online ticketing support accessibility
- None or don’t know
- Phone support
- Yes
- Phone support availability
- 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
- Web chat support
- No
- Support levels
- Please see our Open Source Support SLA Service
Resellers
- Supplier type
- Not a reseller
Staff security
- Staff security clearance
- Conforms to BS7858:2019
- Government security clearance
- Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)
Standards and certifications
- ISO/IEC 27001 certification
- No
- ISO 28000:2007 certification
- No
- CSA STAR certification
- No
- PCI certification
- No
- Cyber essentials
- Yes
- Cyber essentials plus
- Yes
- Other security certifications
- No
Social Value
- Fighting climate change
-
Fighting climate change
Our Environmental and Sustainability Policy (E&SP) helps us minimise our environmental impact.
We monitor our carbon footprint, have made the SME Climate Change Commitment and are members of Race to Zero. We’ll cut our greenhouse gas emissions by half before 2030. Staff are required to turn off equipment when not in use.
We operate fully remotely, reducing travel and heating emissions. If an employee prefers to work from a shared space, we fund their use of a local co-working space.
We have a ‘virtual meetings first’ policy. If travel is essential for business or wellbeing we encourage the use of carsharing or public transport.
We prefer to deliver training courses remotely.
IT equipment is securely recycled or refurbished/ rehomed where possible. Disposal is a last resort.
We encourage a ‘paperless’ office mindset. We share electronic collateral where possible.
We take environmental criteria into account in the procurement of goods and services, e.g. recycled pencils for giveaways or phones from Fairphone.
Our cloud services are hosted on AWS, an energy and water-efficient platform that’ll be 100% renewable energy powered by 2025.
In 2022, we’ll undergo EcoVadis assessment to drive further improvements.
We are evaluating how we can drive more environmental awareness across our supply chain. Sub-contractors are already asked to comply with our E&SP.
To influence environmental protection and improvement, we respond to clients’ requests for products/services which help improve the environment, such as a mobile GIS that will enable councils to monitor the health of trees. iShare, our popular web mapping solution, is used by councils to promote the use of green spaces and recycling centres.
We publicise environmentally-friendly initiatives. For example, we publicise how we helped The Ramblers gather the information needed to protect paths for future generations. We also post about our own commitments. - Covid-19 recovery
-
Covid-19 recovery
We follow specialist recruitment and employment guidance. We create permanent jobs in preference to contracting. We’ve employed and mentored graduates through their early careers. Many activities, such as structured 1:2:1s, align with the Good Work Plan. We’ll give particular consideration to requests for work/student placements or internships made by those affected by COVID-19. We’ve committed to the EcoVadis assessment.
We allow employees to request changes to employment contracts and flex their hours. Everyone is eligible for bonuses, pension and pay above our Living Wage commitment plus training and progression opportunities based on skills matrices and structured 1:2:1s. We encourage mentoring and internal recruitment. Employee salaries are paid by Astun Technology, not a subsidiary.
We improve workplace conditions by following best practice and encouraging employees’ ideas, e.g. via surveys.
Our activities reduce the demand for health and public services. Examples included in other themes include: measures to reduce employee loneliness, mentoring, reviews, transparency, encouraging volunteering and ensuring employees recognise the part they play in our success.
We support the GIS community, e.g. through sponsorship.
We’ve introduced GP/counselling support services, plus life assurance. We’re evaluating a Mental Health First Aider training scheme.
Many activities are embedded in policies, such as Equal Opportunities and Recruitment/Promotion.
We involve local stakeholders and users in the design of services. We ensure services are intuitive for a diverse user range and can be used remotely. We’re willing to adapt service delivery to meet user needs following community consultant and engagement.
We help clients communicate their activities and GIS-enabled service improvements to stakeholders, e.g. via case studies and presentations.
We provide training videos and comprehensive user guides for clients’ employees and their user communities. - Tackling economic inequality
-
Tackling economic inequality
Despite our limited supply chain, we’re open to using new businesses and SMEs as suppliers (subject to risk evaluation). Staff and clients can make recommendations. We pay suppliers fairly and promptly.
We pay above our Living Wage Commitment. The differential between our lowest and highest-paid employee is 1-5x. All employees are eligible for bonuses, pension and cost of living rises. We benchmark salaries.
We share performance information at monthly meetings. Employee feedback is gathered during an annual survey and 1:2:1s.
We base training and development opportunities upon skills matrices, progression plans, 1:2:1s and requests. We encourage in-house mentoring and volunteering for GIS-related charities or groups, including MapAction for whom we have provided free training.
Employees have the autonomy to manage their own workload and work flexibly.
We improve delivery, productivity and quality by researching, evaluating and adopting new technologies. We expect our suppliers to do the same.
We take a solution-led approach, co-designing services with users, suppliers and other stakeholders. Client input is gathered at regular meetings. Feedback from internal QA processes, user acceptance testing and customer surveying drives service design and innovation.
We review projects and share lessons learned.
We share our learnings with the wider GIS and client community, e.g. by giving talks. We seek learning opportunities from our business and GIS communities, e.g. from the ODI and the AGI.
We share innovative functionality to benefit others.
We have an Information Security (IS) policy and Cyber Essentials/Plus certification. We have signed up for the Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership and the South East Cyber Resilience Centre. Backups are held in disparate locations. We advise clients about cyber issues and close off vulnerabilities. We’re evaluating cyber training and ways to audit our supply chain. We promote our IS measures. - Equal opportunity
-
Equal opportunity
As an SME, we use external HR consultants to ensure compliance. We are members of the Equality Register and have made the Mental Health at Work Commitment. We have Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Recruitment/Promotion policies. We will be EcoVadis assessed this year.
Our recruitment practices are inclusive and accessible, including initial redacted CV scoring. We are open to making further changes to allow the disabled a more level playing field. We encourage employees to apply for internal vacancies.
We are open to using Occupational Health and Access to Work to support employees.
Flexible working and learning/development opportunities encourage all employees to grow. Sub-contractors can work flexibly, if appropriate.
We pay competitive salaries that exceed our Living Wage Commitment plus bonuses.
One of our team chairs the AGI task force on Diversity & Inclusion during work time.
We encourage progression by holding regular, structured reviews based on a collaborative document. We use skills audits and matrices used to identify skill gaps.
Staff use a task management platform to allocate SMART tasks and monitor their own performance.
We have a company-wide budget for training and development. Training needs are identified during the review process. Staff can request training and books on demand. There is a shared library.
We encourage mentoring at all levels. Junior staff enjoy mentoring for a significant proportion of their work.
Employees are encouraged to take part in out of work learning events. For example, we pay international travel costs so employees can attend FOSS4G events.
Employee achievements are recognised internally and externally, e.g. via newsletter.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery. We have a Modern Slavery policy. It includes a whistleblowing procedure and a commitment to fair pay. New employees are subject to reference and identity checks. - Wellbeing
-
Wellbeing
We have a Social Value policy.
We reduce loneliness/disconnect via virtual chats, coffee meetings, ‘pub’ and company-wide meetings plus regular in-person meetings/socials.
We fund ‘co-working’ spaces for staff who prefer to work outside the home. Employees can work from anywhere with no change to pay.
We offer flexible working which allows employees to exercise and attend classes/appointments during the day. They can use technology to silence work messages outside working hours. We believe in ‘family first’ in case of family ill-health and emergencies.
We have an ‘open door’ policy for confidential 1:2:1s about health and wellbeing as well as regular structured reviews.
Employees can access an employee support programme that provides 24/7 GP consultations, fitness advice, health checks and counselling.
To help drive further improvement, we conduct an annual staff engagement, wellbeing and working conditions survey. This evaluates the success of current activities and encourages staff to help identify further support measures. We have recently made the Mental Health at Work commitment and will improve our reporting measures as a result. EcoVadis assessment will also help drive further initiatives.
In terms of influencing support for health and wellbeing, we talk openly on digital platforms, including newsletters, websites and social media, about our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our workforce. This helps to encourage employees, suppliers, customers and the wider GIS community to take similar measures.
We recognise that we have limited ability to influence support for health and wellbeing within our largest suppliers. For example, AWS already offer an employee support programme and a Working Well initiative. However, we plan to evaluate how we can further encourage and measure health and wellbeing measures amongst suppliers as part of our EcoVadis commitment.
Pricing
- Price
- £275 to £400 a person a day
- Discount for educational organisations
- Yes