Skills for Business
In a rapidly changing global economy, it is important that regional businesses remain competitive and that new high growth industries can flourish in our region. The current economic challenges make that even tougher. Skills are a vital underpinning for this economic development and Digital 20/20 has played a growing role over recent years in strengthening the region’s IT and digital education and training provision.
Current activities are as follows:
Digital 20/20 is working with e-Skills to identify the regional opportunities presented by the National Skills Academy for IT, launched in pilot form in April 2010 and due to be launched in full in autumn 2010. The Academy is focused on employer-endorsed provision mapped onto the e-Skills procom competency framework to help individuals and employers select quality assured provision from the mass of IT training available.
Affordability of courses is an ongoing issue for employers. Yorkshire and Humber currently benefits from the Train To Gain Enhancement Fund, funded by Yorkshire Forward and the European Social Fund. Digital 20/20 works closely with the Enhancement Fund to scope commissions in the IT and digital media domains and has championed affordable access to industry courses and awards.
Specifically, the Digital 20/20 ‘Vendor Skills’ commission through the Enhancement Fund has successfully delivered a large array of vendor courses at 60% subsidy to businesses across the region.
Digital 20/20 has also commissioned the development of nine progressive short courses for business on topics such as Social Networking, Remote & Flexible Working, Search Engine Optimisation, and so on. The courses are freely available for trainers to download and deliver, adding their own expertise, or businesses can use directly.
See also sections on:
- Apprenticeships
Giving employers the intermediate technician skills that will help the economy to grow - Next Generation User Skills
Research commissioned by Digital 20/20 into the IT and digital skills that all employers will need, which they may not currently recognise, and the implications for occupational skills that people will need for future work, such as online communication, information research, and management of the digital environment.
