Council shortlisted for second top award

29 July 2021

Aberdeen City Council has been shortlisted for Best Public Sector Project in the National Technology Awards – after revolutionising the production of education plans in schools.

The council is using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to securely transfer information to a central system, where it can be accessed by partner agencies supporting the development and welfare of pupils. Automating this task has greatly reduced the administrative workload for teachers, who previously had to re-type the plans, freeing up time equivalent to having 14 more teachers in city schools.

The announcement comes just days after the council was shortlisted for its RPA project in the Digital Impact category in the separate LGC (Local Government Chronicle) awards. Two council employees are also in the running for the LGC's Rising Star award – Customer Experience Officer Emma Shanks and Assurance Manager Vikki Cuthbert.

Aberdeen City Council is the only Scottish local authority to be contending at the National Technology Awards, which are organised by National Technology News.

Education Operational Delivery Convener, Councillor M Taqueer Malik, said: “To be shortlisted for a second prestigious award relating to our digital transformation programme is fantastic news.

“RPA is just one example of the council embracing new technology to benefit both staff and customers – in this case, our young people and their families. Being able to better manage information means we can better understand our residents’ needs, helping us modernise public services in schools and other areas.”

In developing an RPA solution for education plans, the council worked with Microsoft and digital services company Agilisys.

The council’s Director of Customer Services Andy MacDonald said: “Our staff are collaborating with the best in the field, challenging them to develop bespoke solutions for the people of Aberdeen.

“The RPA project demonstrates the ethos behind our digital programme – forging pioneering partnerships, improving services whilst conserving valuable resources, and turning technological success into social success.”

The winners of the National Technology Awards will be announced on September 29.