Setting Up Program Intakes
Intakes (also called cohorts) let you run your program with groups of participants who start and progress together. This is ideal for programs that benefit from peer learning or have set schedules.
When to use intakes
Use intakes when:
You want participants to learn together
The program has live sessions or workshops
You're running funded programs with specific timeframes
You want to create a sense of community
Use self-paced instead when:
Participants need flexibility
Content doesn't require group interaction
You want continuous enrolment
Creating an intake
Go to Programs > Manage Programs
Select your program
Click the Intakes tab
Click Create Intake
Intake details
Intake name Give it a memorable name or use a naming convention. Examples:
"March 2026 Cohort"
"Tourism Excellence - Intake 5"
"Regional Operators Group A"
Start date When does this intake begin? End date When should participants complete by? Enrolment deadline Last date for new enrolments (usually before the start date).
Intake settings
Capacity Set a maximum number of participants (leave blank for unlimited). Enrolment type
Open — anyone can join until the deadline
Application — review and approve applications
Invitation — you invite specific participants
Communication
Enable/disable intake announcements
Set up automated welcome messages
Configure reminder schedules
Managing intake participants
Viewing participants
Go to your intake
Click the Participants tab
See a list of all enrolled participants with:
- Name and contact details - Enrolment date - Progress percentage - Last activity
Adding participants manually
Click Add Participant
Search for existing users or enter email addresses
Select participants to add
Click Add to Intake
They'll receive an enrolment notification
Bulk invitations
To invite multiple participants:
Click Bulk Invite
Upload a CSV with email addresses, or
Paste email addresses (one per line)
Customise the invitation message
Click Send Invitations
Removing participants
If someone needs to leave:
Find them in the participants list
Click the ... menu
Select Remove from Intake
Choose whether to keep their progress data
Confirm removal
Intake timeline
Before the intake starts
☐ Finalise all program content
☐ Set up the intake with correct dates
☐ Send invitations or open enrolment
☐ Prepare welcome communications
☐ Brief any facilitators or coaches
During the intake
Monitor participant progress
Send encouragement to those falling behind
Facilitate discussions and Q&A
Address technical issues promptly
Celebrate milestones
After the intake ends
Review completion rates
Gather feedback
Issue certificates
Analyse what worked
Plan improvements for next intake
Intake communications
Automated messages
Set up automatic communications:
Go to Intake Settings > Communications
Configure:
- Welcome email — sent on enrolment - Start reminder — sent before intake begins - Progress nudges — sent to inactive participants - Completion congratulations — sent on finishing
Manual announcements
Send messages to all intake participants:
Go to your intake
Click Announcements
Write your message
Choose delivery (email, in-app, or both)
Click Send
Tracking intake progress
Progress dashboard
View overall intake health:
Total enrolled vs capacity
Average progress percentage
Completion rate
Engagement metrics
Individual tracking
For each participant, see:
Courses completed
Time spent learning
Assessment scores
Last activity date
Identifying at-risk participants
Look for warning signs:
No activity in 7+ days
Significantly behind peers
Failed assessments
Not opened communications
Reach out to offer support before they disengage.
Closing an intake
When the intake period ends:
Go to Intake Settings
Click Close Intake
Choose what happens to incomplete participants:
- Extend their access - Move to self-paced - Mark as incomplete
Confirm closure
Intakes create momentum through shared deadlines and peer support — use them to boost completion rates.