eskills Summit The Regional Response

1
e-skills Summit - The Regional Response

• John Parsonage
• Director of Regional Learning and Skills
• South East England Development Agency

2
Role of RDAs

• Further economic development and regeneration
• Promote business efficiency, investment and
  competitiveness
• Promote employment
• Enhance the development and application of skills
• Contribute to the achievement of sustainable
  development

3
Why is SEEDA involved?

• Planning for the future - Foresight
• Responding to key South East employers
• Importance of skills particularly ICT
• Development of work skills - outside national
  curriculum
• Innovative idea, need organisation prepared to
  pilot
• Therefore crucial work in partnership and link in
  with other developments

4
IT Skills

• Acquisition and application of IT skills critical
  to the knowledge economy

5
The Rise of the New Economy

• The new economy marks a shift from an industrial
  economy to a knowledge economy, driven by rapid
  advances in IT, especially the internet
• IT has made knowledge the new competitive
  resource, but knowledge only flows through
  technology - it resides in people
• IT has increased the pace of change, making
  flexibility and adaptability the name of the game
  - for organisations and for people
• New Economy, New Skills, BSL - August 2001
• Prepared for Skills Insight

6
Employer Needs
Source Annual Skills Review 2001 Skills Insight
7

• Clear Profiles of ICT Rich and ICT Poor
• At the extreme, ICT Rich are Male, 25-45, Full
  time employed in higher order occupations, and
  living in proximity of London
• At the extreme, ICT Poor are 55
• At the extreme, ICT Poor are female, not in work
  and living in the South of the region
• Where there are children in a household, far more
  likely to have computer and internet access
  (could be age related)
• Wired Region Research SEEDA 2000

8

• Clear Polarisation in views on, and enthusiasm
  for the internet
• More positive amongst young people
• Tails off amongst the 45 (a key workforce group
  for the future)
• Less positive amongst low income groups, and
  lower order occupations
• Work access really only applies to those in
  higher order jobs
• Others have to be motivated to have home access
• Wired Region Research SEEDA 2000

9
Access to Computers Important

• Day to day access - more widespread with
  intermediate and high skilled
• Low skilled - more likely to access at home
  rather than work
• High skilled more than 3 times as likely to have
  access at home and work
• Less than half employed in small businesses have
  access at work
• Low skilled with access are more likely to
  undertake training
• Skills Audit, Skills Insight - July 2001

10
SEEDAs Response

• E-skills into Business
• Computer Clubs 4 Girls
• Wired Region - development of learning portal -
  gateway to provision
• Mapping of IT provision - can we improve access /
  skill levels?

11
e-Skills into Business

• Working with Business Links in the South East
  Region on marketing programme to SMEs
• Working closely with SEEDA Sector Group
• LLSCs in the region supporting delivery through
  agreed action plans / cofinancing
• ESF Funding being secured

12
e-Skills into Business

• Over 54000 SMEs have been contacted through
  mailing
• UK Online for Business - 1.7m hits by SMEs on
  website seeking diagnostics, training and ESiB
  marketing package
• Plans for further roll out and dissemination of
  best practice across the regions in progress

13
Computer Clubs 4 GirlsLikes (spontaneous)

• Find out things for fun
• Find out things for homework
• Games
• Its fun/entertaining
• Its interesting
• I find out things quickly
• Help with school/homework
• Easy to use
• E-mail and Chat rooms

Base All who use the internet (1029) Q38/39 What
do you like most/least about the Internet?
14
CC4G - Internet Dislikes
7-10
11-14
Nothing 41 Too slow / takes too long 31 Hard to
find what you want 10 Im not allowed too long
as too expensive 5 Too expensive 4
Too slow / takes too long 34 Nothing 29 Hard to
find what you want 11 Too many adverts 9 Too
expensive 7 Hard to find way around 6
15-16
Too slow / takes too long 38 Nothing 22 Hard to
find what you want 14 Too many adverts 12 Too
expensive 9 Hard to find way around site 5
Base All who use the internet (1029) Q39. What
do you like least about using the internet?
(spontaneous)
15
The Internet - Role in their Lives

• The Internet plays a number of different roles in
  childrens lives

Entertainment
Information
Communication
16
Constants Over the Past 3½ Years

• Despite girls achieving equality in terms of
  using the Internet, boys still more likely to be
  the experts on the Internet
• Boys and girls use the Internet in different ways
• Girls - Communication
• Boys - Doers
• Frustrations with the Internet remain
• Too slow
• Embarrassing sites
• Difficulty finding sites

17
Wired Region
To enable all people and all businesses to live
and prosper in the developing information society
and knowledge economy
18
Wired Region - Aims

• Identify gaps in the knowledge base of
  individuals and businesses and work with partners
  to fill these gaps.
• Identify gaps in access provision, particularly
  Broadband services, which justify remedial action
  by SEEDA with appropriate partners.
• Identify gaps in web based information, education
  and business services to which SEEDA and partners
  can make a value added difference, and to work to
  close these gaps.

19
Broadband Activities
Local Loop Broadband
High Speed Broadband
BT ADSL rollout mapping
Cable TV company Mapping
Fibre infrastructure mapping
Opening up SuperJANET
Mapping rollout of other companies
Wireless provider mapping
Local purchasing consortia formation pilots
Enterprise Hub broadband network
Fixed Wireless Auctions
Alternative technologies
Coastal Superhighway
Hastings Broadband
Discussions with Telecommunications companies
20
Web Developments
Regional Portal
Business Portal
Community Portal
Learning Portal
Government Portal
Regional Observatory
Sector Group Websites
Finance South East
Tourist Boards
BURA Portal
SEEDA Corporate Website
SEEDA Intranet Extranet
Enterprise Hub Intranet Extranet
Trade Partners UK
Small Business Service
Other public sector partner sites
Private sector information providers
21
Next Steps

• Development of solutions that are effective,
  efficient and responsive
• Feeds into
• ICT Strategy for the South East - Regional
  Economic Strategy
• e-skills Action Plan