The assessment of a pilot agricultural census conducted in the period 23 May – 5 June 2011, SORS
Component 2
The pilot Agricultural census (AC) was conducted from May 23 to June 5, 2011.
The main objective of conducting the pilot was to test revised questionnaire and other methodological instruments as well as to train immediate participants in the census which will enable the best possible preparation for the full-scale AC in 2012.
The pilot AC covered 8 enumeration areas in the territory of 8 regional office of Statistical Office of Republic of Serbia: three in the territory of AP Vojvodina (Subotica, Zrenjanin, Pancevo) and five in the territory of Central Serbia (Smederevo, Leskovac, Nis, Kraljevo and Kragujevac).
In order to get a wider picture of potential methodological and organizational problems and identify the most suitable solutions to the conduct of the upcoming AC in 2012, it was organized training for Heads of regional offices entitled assessment of effectiveness of conducted pilot AC in Kovacica, in the period 3-10 June 2011. The Heads of regional offices gave their own observation on conducted action, emphasised problems that they had to face during the work on the field, and gave concrete recommendations for improvements of some organizational activities and application which was used for creating the electronic Control list which and tested during the pilot AC 2011.
Six training activities in Belgrade on 4 May, in Divcibare on 9-14 May and in Nis, Vrnjacka banja, Kovacica and Senta on 16-21 May for regional SORS staff, municipal supervisors and enumerators in preparation for the conduct of a pilot agricultural census on 23 May-5 June 2011
Component 2
SORS has requested the conduct of a second AC pilot survey for the purpose of once again testing the census methodological and organisational tools
For that reason, SORS developed an extended and more comprehensive training agenda to ensure that these categories of personnel are fully trained before the conduct of the AC.
The main objective of conducting the second pilot was therefore to test run the newly developed training curriculum under actual operating conditions involving also the consecutive field-work. Consequently, the conduct of the second pilot allowed for a final evaluation of the questionnaire and other methodological instruments that had been revised following the 2010 pre-test.
The training (levels 2 and 3) was aimed at selected municipal supervisors and enumerators who had no previous AC pilot or pre-test experience. The conduct of the pilot showed whether the training concept was adequate to the AC situation. In order to test and compare individual performance, fifty percent of the supervisors and enumerators posses knowledge about the agricultural sector or have previous experience of participating in statistical field operations.
Sixty-three republic and municipal supervisors and enumerators have been trained and prepared to (i) conduct training for other personnel categories and (ii) ready to conduct the pilot AC field-work following the pattern for the planned AC operations.Training activities in Novi Sad, Vrnjacka banja and Divcibare on 21-22, 28-29 and 30-31 March 2011 for enumerators and regional SORS staff in preparation for a pilot Structural Business Statistics survey
Component 1
In January 2011, SORS took the decision to request the implementation of the pilot survey which will be conducted on 4 April - 3 June 2011.
The objective of the training was to introduce the enumerators and the regional SORS supervisory staff members to the objective of the pilot, the new and comprehensive questionnaire, Supply and Use Tables and the new classifications CPA 2008 and NACE Rev. 2.
Sixty enumerators and regional supervisory staff members have been trained and prepared to conduct the pilot survey field work. The training took place in Novi Sad, Vrnjačka Banja and Divčibare. The trainings were supervised by staff from SORS’s Department for National Accounts, Prices and Agriculture, i.e. the Working Group for Supply and Use Tables that was established in 2010 under component 1.
Information and Communication Technology training, in the period January-July 2011,SORS
Component 3
II set of courses
The objective of the training was to provide SORS’s ICT and Publishing Department ICT staff with state of the art knowledge about and hands-on experience in working with MS DB Management and MS .Net Programming. The MS .Net Programming . There was one course on an advanced level (level 1) and one which was slightly less advanced (level 2).
The output was the provision of a set of 17 training courses. All courses were completed with the testing of the trainees and a project certificates were issued which confirm the knowledge acquired.
All training courses including the first and second bunch of courses were well received by SORS. All in all, 32 staff members participated in the training programs of which many enrolled to more than one course.
Information and Communication Technology training,
October - December 2010, SORSComponent 3
I set of courses
The objective of the training was to provide SORS’s ICT and Publishing Department experts with state of the art knowhow about the new MS DB Management and new MS Server Operating System and IT Security measures
During the assignment, the following courses were conducted:
- Implementing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
- Implementing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services
- Implementing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services
- Implementing a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database
- Maintaining a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database
- Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services
- Configuring and Troubleshooting a Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure
- Planning and Administering Windows 2008 servers
- IT Security Measures
- Configuring and Troubleshooting Internet Information Services
The first series of training courses was implemented in the period October-December 2010 and covered MS Server Operating System, MS Database Management and IT Security measures. In total, 10 courses were conducted.
The assessment of the pre-test agricultural census
on 6-7 December 2010 in Vrnjacka Banja
The pre-test field work took place on 2-15 November 2010 which was followed by a pre-test assessment in Vrnjacka Banja Agenda. The objective of the pre-test assessment was to obtain feedback on the work conducted in the field by assessing all methodological and organisational issues involved. In particular, it was important to get feedback on the census methodological tools such as the questionnaire, the enumerators’ manual and other auxiliary material and the method applied for capturing data from the legal entities.
During the workshop, the participants discussed the pre-test activities in general and the most frequent problems faced during the field work. Proposals concerning the improvement of data collection process were brought and some of the organisational measures were recommended.
photo gallery
Training in preparation of the Pre- test of the agricultural census methodological tool for the Heads of SORS regional offices and enumerators, on 1 November 2010
The main methodological agricultural census tools (questionnaire, enumerator’s handbook etc.) were tested in a pilot census carried out in December 2009. The adjustment of the census tools was initiated in February 2010 based on the overall pilot experience and through the comments given by the enumerators during two post-pilot census workshops conducted in December 2009.
The objective of the pre-test (2-15 November 2010) was to test the revised census tools on a small sample (105 units), but also to test specific methodological aspects related to the system of data collection. For that reason, the heads of the SORS’s regional offices were informed about the adjustments to the tools during a one-day workshop in Belgrade on 1 November 2010 Agenda. Following the pre-test, the final revision of the census tools will be conducted.
Training for trainers and enumerators in preparation of the conduct of
a Pilot Agriculture Census to be conducted
on 1-15 December 2009
Under the overall context of the Project, the contractor is to assist the Beneficiary in the design and timely implementation of the pilot census. The essence of a pilot census was to test on a limited scale the technical, organisational and methodological foundations of the full census, which is to be conducted in 2011, among which a core issue is represented by the activities related to carry out data collection in the field. Training for the activities related to data collection constitutes a critical part of the pilot census planning process and was timely organised and conducted to identify problems, gaps and limitations that may affect the smooth operation and success of the pilot census.The pilot census organisation consists of various levels of people. Some of them belong to SORS with its regional office level while others, enumerators and controllers (hereinafter enumerators) are recruited for the purpose of conducting the pilot census field work. Different types of training programmes are developed so that the training given is appropriate to the level of the task the participant is expected to perform during the pilot census operation. Three training seminars are organised under the pilot:
- One seminar designed for training of trainers. The training of trainers took place in Belgrade on 25-27 November 2009
- Two seminars for training enumerators. The regional training seminars took place in Vršac and Kragujevac on 25-27 November 2009.
The overall objectives of the work were to cover the requirements for conducting the field work activities under the pilot census.
The objective of the training of trainers was to give a broad overview of all phases of the pilot survey development. The training covered the pilot survey objectives, particularities related to data processing and reporting of results.It has also equiped the participants with the necessary skills applied in the two regional trainings of enumerators in Kragujevac and Vršac. The training is designed to take the participants through the key topics related to data collection, but also to data quality assessment. A strong emphasis is dedicated to the importance of understanding the core methodological issues for filling out the questionnaires.
Two methods of data entry – Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and classical punching are in use worldwide in data processing. It has been decided to include the use of OCR in parallel with the classical approach in the post-pilot data processing work. For that purpose training in how to fill out the OCR adapted questionnaire was given.