Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Post-16 Curriculum Development e-skills UK May 2004 Terry Watts

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Agenda… pick and mix Background to e-skills? What e-skills does? What employers want? (By sector!) e-skills approach Sector Skills agreements

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 e-skills UK Sector Skills Council for IT, Telecoms and Contact Centres responsible for developing the quality and quantity of professional skills in these sectors in addition, remit to improve general IT user skills in the UK uniting employers, educators and government on a common, employer- led agenda delivering programmes designed to increase productivity and business performance in the UK the UK Government has recognised the link between Skills and Productivity for future prosperity – considerable support!

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 e-skills UK boards Industry-driven organisation Boards for each of the following communities: the IT Industry CIOs/IT Directors (employers of IT professionals in other industries) the Telecoms Industry the Contact Centre sector. Alongside SME representation, Board Directors include: the CEOs/MDs of Accenture, Dell, EDS, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, the senior executives responsible for IT in Sainsburys, the Inland Revenue, The Ford Motor Company, John Lewis, Morgan Stanley, BT and BA.

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Specific issues from research 57% of employers report skills gaps in their workforce (47% in 2002) Most in demand skills Business Management IT Operations Networking Programming/Development IT and Telecoms are mission critical to UK industry success Sectors make little use of Publicly Funded Training! Given that how do you start??

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Focused action Recruitment / Sector attractiveness promoting the sectors to attract the required quantity, quality and diversity of suitable employees Skills supply encouraging and supporting education and training providers to meet the skills needs of the sectors Workforce development supporting continual re-skilling of the existing workforce for increased productivity and business competitiveness Influence providing compelling strategic leadership for sector skills, based on unrivalled market understanding

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Sector attractiveness Promoting the sector through: Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G) - new concept pioneered by e-skills UK and SEEDA to bring professional, current technical skills to girls through innovative activities using professional software ( “Go for IT” School Workshops - a tested programme for employers to deliver to promote a positive, exciting and up-to-date image of IT to teenagers Careers materials - working with employers and careers services to create careers guidance materials for the IT, Telecoms and Contact Centre sectors

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Skills Supply Influencing the institutions through: Employers Curriculum Forum - bringing leading employers from both Telecoms and IT sectors work together to represent the voice of industry in work with universities and colleges – e-skills Degree Qualifications and Standards - major project to radically revise and restructure the e-skills National Occupational Standards (NOS) with extensive input from industry, education and government ( skills.com/nos) - e-skills Passportswww.e- skills.com/nos Graduate Professional Development Award (GPDA) - nationally recognised training route for IT and Telecoms graduates to achieve a blend of technical, personal and business skills ( IT Systems Support Technician/Professional - ITSST/P Entry level learning materials leading to Level 2 and 3 qualifications.

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Workforce development Providing tools for employers such as: One Stop Shop – Portal to engage SMEs. launched Feb 04 – training versus SFIA, Gov’t initiatives and funding, access to support services. ( – SFIA Profileswww.e-skills.com/training Careers and Skills Frameworks - providing a common reference structure for skills gap analysis, personal development planning and training strategy, leading to increased uptake of training - three frameworks are available covering IT & Telecoms, Contact Centres and IT User Skills ( skills.com/frameworks) – e-skills passports/Profileswww.e- skills.com/frameworks

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Research & policy leadership Programmes include: e-skills bulletin - a quarterly summary of all the latest IT and Telecoms Labour Market data collected from Government and private sources ( e-skills Regional Gap Reports - a comprehensive set of regional and national reports detailing the current situation regarding the supply and demand of IT and telecommunication professionals in the UK ( skills.com/research) Contact Centre Survey - a report published in May 03 to identify key skills shortages and gaps and establish a programme of regular, future-focussed analyses of the sector's labour market

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 <<< Which priorities Now? SchoolFEHEEmployedUnemployed IT Telecoms CC User CC4G ITSST/P e-skills degree Level 1 qual Managed MA CC Skills Profile Foundation degrees e-skills Passports ITQ SFIA Profile GPDA

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Some consistent messages All employers want flexibility and simplicity All employers want reduced bureaucracy Employers want to know that they can expect consistent quality All need to see a return on investment

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 To grossly simplify…. IT Sector (Professionals) Don’t really use FE/public Worried about school teaching and use of IT Recruit Graduates – accept they have to retrain HE produces mainly researchers, need a broader range of skills IT User 3 rd Basic Skill No bridge between, GCSE, Post 16, Industry Certifications, Employer Training Millions spent, benefits no quantified

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 To grossly simplify…. Telecoms Sector Engage with FE for (eg) Field Engineers – expecting a growth of Apprenticeships Worried about quality in FE and ability to keep up Growing need for Voice over IP, and 3G Architecture Also looking for Post Graduate deep technical staff Contact Centres Maturing sector, needing to protect global leadership position Better training for entrants Starting to look at progression – Apprenticeships, NVQs Training has positive impact on attrition rates ie ROI!

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 What do you do? 1.Use the common language SFIA – IT & Telecoms e-skills Passports – IT User Contact Centre Skills Framework 2.…To Link to National Occupational Standards New Standards delivered in 2004 Review map to Standards (SFIA to tweak) 3.Get the products right in priority areas (Learn from employers!) IT – Degrees then FD’s and Apprenticeships Telecoms – Apprenticeships Contact Centres – Pre-employment then progression (Apprenticeships) IT User – ITQ and Passports 4.Target products at specific needs and be flexible in delivery Work locally with employers Offer onsite delivery, out of hours?

Copyright e-skills UK ltd 2003 Sector Skills Agreements Starting with IT Sector and IT User January-July 2004 Public and private provision research Future of the sector – 5 years and 10 years (Gartner) July-December 2004 National Contracts through the Skills Alliance Regional Implementation through the e-skills Exchange Starting now Build and refine over the next 2-3 years

Copyright e-skills UK ltd