Carl: Hello, I want to thank you for allowing me to interview you and for the record, can you provide my readers with some insight as to who you work for and with a description of your role?
Student from St. Louis, Missouri: I work for an energy company in the mid-west. The records manager retired and I made the decision to apply for the position. I have an IT background and friends thought I was crazy to take the position. It is clear that I am moving from a technology role to a management one, but my background in IT is an asset in managing the records of my organization. I am still trying to gain control of our paper records but I took this course to help prepare to manage the electronic records in the future
Carl: When did you get the idea to make AIIM Education part of your training focus and what were the drivers for the decision?
Student from St. Louis, Missouri: I went through the reference material of my predecessor and found a number of worthwhile sources of information for records management and it’s best practices. I looked at the training that was offered on the AIIM website and found the electronic records management course which looked perfect for my needs. I studied the agenda for the ERM Practitioner course and the Specialist course and the content looked very well structured – first of all, what is ERM and, secondly, how do you implement an ERM environment. As a new person in records management, it was clear that this was the course that would bring me up to speed to properly manage our electronic records. The bonus to this course was the best practices I gained in managing physical records and the files of our share drives.
Carl: What do you see as a benefit for you and future attendees of these programs?
Student from St. Louis, Missouri: The Practitioner course was incredible. Students can come into this course looking for, perhaps, the 12 tips to managing electronic records. Instead, we learn that an enterprise program is needed to manage the information assets of my organization. I learned that there is a body of knowledge of records management that has proven to be successful over several decades. I learned that there are technology solutions that can manage electronic records across the organization and automate many of the processes.
Carl: For the future, how do you see the role of AIIM education evolving in relation to you and/or your customers?
Student from St. Louis, Missouri: it was excellent to learn that records management is yet another administrative function, like Human Resources and Finance. It was valuable to recognize that my management needs to be educated about the important of records management in our organization, that there is a body of knowledge that is critical and there are also the technical solutions that can be taken used to our advantage.
The instructor’s knowledge, perspectives and experience really contributed to the information I gained from the class. Discussing my circumstances with the other students, seeing where they were ahead of my organization and seeing where I was further ahead than theirs was valuable. These discussions presented new perspectives that I will take back to my office and use to my benefit.
I will look at related courses that support my job requirements and strongly consider them. The comprehensive course material, the particular perspectives of the instructor and discussions with other students in my shoes are very worthwhile.
Carl: Is there anything else you might want to share with our readers related to AIIM Training and how it has been of benefit to you and may be of benefit to them?
Student from St. Louis, Missouri: The course allowed me to get away from my everyday activities and give me a broader and worthwhile understanding of what my job requirements are. I have lots of new ideas and perspectives to work through in the future. The workbook and resources and links that are provided will be of value far into the future.
Carl: I want to thank you, for taking time to talk with me and for sharing your valuable insights and perspectives with our readers.
Carl Weise -- AIIM
#ECM #ERM #ElectronicRecordsManagement