IT Skills Strategy

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Skills Strategy Sponsors

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The North East Independent Economic Review (the Lord Adonis Report)

highlighted a number of key aims, these included:

• more higher skilled and higher paid jobs

• creating better quality opportunities for young people to prosper

• development of strong innovation and growth clusters

• doubling the amount of apprenticeships

• creating four University Technical Colleges

• identifying demand for services in the North East for the “new

economy” (Digital Media, Telecoms & Software)

These are all aims that can be related to and supported by the North East

IT industry.

Dynamo is the North East industry led IT cluster initiative whose focus is

to grow the North East IT economy. Our strategy for growth and skills is in

line with the key aims above.

Background

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Dynamo

Dynamo was set up with four main aims:

• be a focal point for regional IT growth

• promote our region externally

• support regional research and development

• develop skills and education

This presentation focuses on developing skills and education.

A recent Dynamo survey showed that over 32,000 people currently work

in the North East IT sector and there are almost 2,000 vacancies that

need filling.

To ensure the region can continue to deliver a steady stream of skilled

employees into the IT sector Dynamo has reached out to various

schools, colleges, universities, councils, business support organisations,

& IT businesses to create an IT skills strategy for the North East.

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Skills Strategy Aims

Only 4% of 15 year olds in the UK want careers in engineering and

computing ...

… placing the UK 35th out of 37 countries in an OECD survey.

The aim of the Dynamo North East IT skills strategy is to:

‒ Significantly increase the reservoir of young people who want to join

the IT industry

‒ to ensure young people have the technology skills to prepare them for

a career in IT

‒ to ensure there is an ongoing close and productive link between

business and education

Creating a comprehensive and long-term IT skills strategy, which links

business and education will make the North East region unique in the

UK, and will be the foundation for growing the North East IT sector.

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Strategy

The North East IT skills strategy covers the following:

o Primary schools

o Secondary schools

o Increase the number of Females in IT

o Vocational schools

o Colleges and Universities

o Apprentices

o Focus on Social Value

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The future’s here already…

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Primary Schools

• Encourage more young people into IT

• Spark excitement and interest in IT at an early age

AIM:

Coding Club (computer programming skills) and

Maker Club (make physical products using computer components)

in every primary school in the North East.

Can you help with the direct delivery of:

‒ clubs in schools?

‒ teaching for teachers/parents/voluntary support sector?

Join in with the movers, shakers and makers…..

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Primary Schools

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Secondary Schools

AIM:

Build on the foundations created at primary school

Work closely with Secondary schools in the following areas:

• develop and support IT projects

• help secondary schools enrich and build on existing IT Curriculum

• provide taster days in IT businesses

• provide IT career advice sessions

• highlight the long term, highly skilled, well paid long-term

IT career opportunities

• present to parents, showcasing IT as a career

• showcase role models

• providing mentors for young people

• create YouTube videos, showcasing the North East IT industry

and careers available

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Unleash the great minds of tomorrow

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Subtle messages we send to girls…

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Increase the number of Females in IT

Women comprise of 46% of the UK workforce.

Women hold just 15.5% of jobs in STEM fields.

2013: 1 in 6 (16%) of 1,129,000 people working

as IT specialists in the UK were women

753,000 people working in the IT sector just

1 in 5 (20%) were women

2013: 1 in 10 (11%) IT specialists were women

e-skills Women in IT Scorecard June 2014: http://www.e-skills.com/research/research-publications/women-in-it/

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To increase the number of females in

technical roles we need to:

• Create more Computer Clubs For

Girls

• Provide more female mentoring by

supporting initiatives such as

Girl Geeks who are looking to

create a Girl Geek Campus across

Universities, Colleges and UTCs

(initial North East pilot).

• Supporting STEMettes events, such

as Technology and Girls

Action

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Building the Talent Pipeline

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“If we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest

of the world, we’ve got to open doors for everyone.

We need all hands on deck, and that means clearing

hurdles for women and girls as they navigate careers

in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

Michelle Obama

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Vocational Schools

We are going to see more schools that base their curriculum on more vocational

training. For example:

Studio West; The first North East Studio School

Discovery School; Focusing on STEM subjects

University Technical Colleges (UTCs); The Adonis Report aims to have four North

East UTCs

Initial thoughts and ideas:

Tyneside: IT & Design

Durham: Medical & IT

Sunderland: Advanced Manufacturing & IT

Teesside: Process/Chemical & IT

Code Colleges: e.g. Newcastle College’s Digital Skills Career Academy

As an industry we need to reach out and support each of these Vocational Schools

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University Technology Colleges

• 14 – 18 year olds

• Focuses on technology training in addition to National Curriculum

• Typically focuses on one or two technologies

• Requires - University Sponsor

- Business Partners

• 14 – 16 years: 40% Technology 60% National Curriculum

• 16 – 18 years: 60% Technology 40% National Curriculum

• 50 UTCs have been approved in England – none in the North East

• Only one IT based UTC in England: UTC Reading

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Colleges & Universities

At the Higher Education level it is vitally important that industry supports

education through:

• being part of advisory committees

• providing input into curriculums

• delivering lectures

• providing work experience, through summer placements, sandwich

course experience, internships

• supporting projects

• providing information about job opportunities

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Apprentices

Apprenticeships are a great way into the IT industry – but we need

more.

We need to spread the word about the advantages of apprentices

and make it easier for SMEs to take-on apprentices.

Large firms need to provide more support to SMEs to help them take-

on apprentices.

A key next step is to create a not-for-profit IT Apprentice Hub which

assists IT businesses in taking on apprentices.

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Focus on Social Value

In developing our IT Skills strategy we will also focus on social

inclusion and social value.

We will look to support the Development and Growth of the Third

Sector in IT.

As well as being the right thing to do it also makes good business

sense, for example it will ensure compliance with the Social Value

Act which came into force in 2013.

Our skills strategy will therefore have a social value.

We will look to work with and support areas of social inclusion, for

example work with organisations such as the Prince’s Trust and

Autism Works.

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Summary

To increase the reservoir of young people we need a long term

approach to the IT skills agenda.

We need to ensure we have close collaboration and co-ordination

between business and education.

We need to obtain backing for this approach from education, business,

councils, support organisations (e.g. LEP support).

There needs to be a ‘call to arms’ to the IT industry to work with

education.

We will create a “matching service” between volunteers in the North

East IT Industry and those schools, colleges etc who need business

assistance, e.g. Code Clubs.