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How do you create JavaScript charts with the chart.js library that use data from a database on a server?

We use chart.js to display data about apprenticeship vacancies Sheffield. Each day we get the data from the gov.uk apprenticeship service API. The data's saved to a database and then used to build a chart that shows how the number of apprenticeship vacancies in each category is changing over time.

How do we get data from the server into the Javascript that creates the chart in the user’s browser?

Sheffield Apprenticeships is an online service for young people (and parents) who are looking for apprenticeship vacancies in Sheffield. It’s a free service developed and hosted by local software development consultancy Sheaf Digital.

You’ve got three main options if you want to collect useful data about customers, enquiries, leads and sales:

• Do it ad-hoc - build a series of loose systems and processes around MS Excel.
• Configure and use an established off-the-shelf system - perhaps a solution like Salesforce or MS Dynamics.
• Go down the bespoke path. Find a software development company and then design and develop your own custom solution.

This a 12 week programme of free online software development courses, activities and lessons for someone who wants to become a software developer. It’s a route through some of the best resources on the web.

The programme is for someone with little or no software development experience - a young person who doesn’t want to go to university or an older person who wants to switch careers and become a software developer.

The KES Language College in Sheffield is now using the Coursedate online booking software to publish its courses on the web and take online enrolments.

August and September are a busy time for the college admin team as they prepare the course brochure, take bookings and reply to enquiries. This year the team is even busier because the college is running online versions of some of its popular courses. Coursedate has had a big positive impact on the amount of work the team does before the start of a new term.

Sheffield based Marsden Weighing Group is the UK’s leading manufacturers of medical weighing scales. For more than 90 years the UK medical profession has relied on Marsden for high quality, accurate scales.

Marsden is now a market leading supplier of telehealth solutions. Its range of precision Bluetooth and wireless enabled scales can transmit weight data to nearby devices. Recorded weights are accurate and integration with hospital record systems means data can be shared between departments without the need for further weigh-ins each time a patient is assessed.

Many of the videos on YouTube are training videos, tutorials and short lessons and YouTube is now the first place many people go when they want to learn a new skill.

There are some good examples of training providers using video to build an audience, stay connected with customers and promote their brand. It is worth spending time on some of the different training related channels to get a feel for what you could do if you decided to create your own video content.

Why use a course booking system? There are three good reasons why training providers should use a course booking system.

Here are some simple things you can do to build a bigger online audience, promote your courses and increase bookings/enrolments. They are not complicated and most are based on things we can learn from successful sites like Amazon or YouTube.

How do you create good quality online training, particularly if you want to do it quickly and you’re on a tight budget?

Here are 5 different approaches - the approach you choose will depend on your own circumstances and requirements. These should give you an idea of what’s available and encourage you to think a bit more about your long term goals for your online training offer.