The Local Response

Cheshire and Warrington Learning and Skills Council

Anne Petry Director of Innovation and Inclusion

Steve Astington ICT and E-Learning Adviser

Cheshire and Warrington Learning and Skills Council Location

Over 4,500 employees in Cheshire and Warrington in

ITCE sector.

Recent strong job growth.

Research suggests that genuine skill shortages exist.

Routes for new entrants entering the industry.

Importance of quality work based training.

Information Technology, Communications and Electronics (ITCE) Sector Overview

Employee and Employment Sites Breakdown

Cheshire & Regional NationalWarrington

Employees 4715 (0.9%) 19,254 (0.7%) 235,475 (0.9%)

Employment Units 146 (0.4%) 836 (0.3%) 9,341 (0.4%)

Employment Units Breakdown

Size Band 1- 10 11- 49 50- 199 200+ TotalNumber 111 18 11 6 146

Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2000

Information Technology, Communications and Electronics (ITCE) Sector Overview

Information Technology, Communications and Electronics

Key Issues :-

Raising the awareness of ITCE within schools.

Need to increase the number of female employees.

Increasing tasters and work- experience placements.

Recognition of differing pathways into ITCE employment.

Cheshire and Warrington LSC is working with:-

Centres of Vocational Excellence (COVE) initiatives.

Cheshire Information Consortium and NWDA.

Regional Ufi staff and Cheshire and Warrington hub.

Centres of Vocational Excellence

New Media Design,Mid-Cheshire College

Regional & industry- targeted HE

Employers

SchoolsCommunity

Other Partners

Cheshire and Warrington LSC is working with:-

Projects to increase access to ICT in the community.

Support for local UK Online initiatives.

What would community based success look like?

local ICT Champions in place

community access points

training opportunities

links to appropriate networks

Community Grids developed

and beyond …

educational achievement

progression to FE/HE

employment

This project seeks to make Cheshire and Warrington, through research and effective partnership, a Centre of Excellence for the Telecommunications and ICT Sector :-

IT / Telecommunications Centre of Excellence

A web-site on jobs and learning opportunities.

Identifying the range of current and future job roles and skills.

Working partnership of learners, employers, education and training providers.

Project involving LSC and Business Link as key partners.

Breakfast briefing events during March and April.

48 Organisations from Industry, Education and Public Sector.

Feedback :-

46 believed that the Centre of Excellence concept was sound

43 believed that there were benefits for their organisation

39 were interested in playing a part in the development

IT / Telecommunications Centre of Excellence

Graduates into Hi-Tech Employment Project

www.chester.ac.uk/cwrs/

Now offered as CPD award for IT

Professionals

Modular Post- Graduate Programme

To enhance professional and personal skills of employed people working in ICT

Based on the concept of learning through work

Includes personal, professional and business skill modules

Developed with key partners from Employers and E-Skills NTO (now E-Skills UK)

Attracted over 200 applications with 11

graduates starting in October 2001

Funded by NWDA

Largest Development site in Europe - 558 acres

Omega located in North West Warrington bisected by M62

12,000 New Jobs created over next 20 years

Looking to attract IT Data Sciences and Telecommunications companies

Key partnership of NWDA, English Partnerships,

Warrington Borough Council, Miller Developments and Royal

Bank of Scotland

Key Partners in Cheshire and Warrington, including :-

LSC, Business Link, Connexions, NWDA, Liverpool University Consortium of Colleges, Warrington Borough Council Economic Development Unit Job Centre Plus and others

Skills Challenge Group created to :-

Identify future skills requirements for the site, define training requirements and locate training provision

In order to contribute to the development of :-

A region where ICT delivers real benefit for individuals, communities and businesses

NWDA/NWRA ICT Strategy for the Northwest

Cheshire and Warrington Learning and Skills Council is working with a range of partners, to support innovative solutions of an excellent standard to meet the needs of

individual learners and businesses in the locality.

Thank you