Salford has launched a new initiative to train the workers of the future.
The tech talent pipeline partnership has been created by the city’s public and private sectors to link education, training and local employers to tackle skills shortages and help residents make the most of digital opportunities. Salford City Council has been working on this initiative with anchor institutions in the city including the University of Salford, Future Skills, Salford City College, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, The Landing and MediaCityUK.
Salford is already part of the biggest cluster of digital businesses outside London and recent government figures* suggest growth in the digital sector is six times that of other areas of the economy.
City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “The potential for digital business growth and job creation in Salford was huge and then came the pandemic which has made technology and the skills to use it even more critical.
“We’re determined to work together as a city to make the most of that and become the UK’s leader in digital enterprise. It’s about showing young people the opportunities that exist now and helping them find the training, skills and qualifications that give them a clear route into high quality jobs.
“At the same time we are helping businesses discover the new, skilled talent they need to grow. It’s a win for everyone.”
The initiative has already helped connect people to digital opportunities with the launch of two academies to develop the next generation of cyber and data analysts. The cyber academy is led by Raytheon Professional Services and train residents for cyber-security engineer roles whilst the University of Salford leads on a digital data specialists academy, both increasingly important areas for the future.
Salford Chief Digital Officer Jon Corner said: “In the current covid climate, we need to focus on digital skills more than ever. We need to inspire learners and ensure they can progress. By bringing together businesses, education and the skills infrastructure in the city, we are pooling our efforts so that talent is nurtured and retained for our economy. It is part of our digital strategy to embrace the new economy and ensure residents are connected to opportunities.”
The tech talent pipeline partnership links together schools, colleges, the university, other training providers, partner organisations and local employers including AJ Bell, BUPA, Morson Group, Morson Projects, Raytheon Professional Services, Raytheon UK, TalkTalk and Sodexo.
Employers are already committed to help young people by providing virtual resources for #FindMyFuture, an online youth hub with support around employment, training, wellbeing, finance and travel. A group of 16-24 year olds have been helped by industry professionals to create digital CVs to help them stand out from the crowd through DEVA/hack (Digital Entrepreneurs and Video Artists Hackathon)
The cyber and digital data specialists academies came out of #Digital Salford and Salford City Council working with employer partners to successfully secure funding from the Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund. Set up to address digital skills shortages and train underrepresented groups, this is a joint venture between Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership and the government.
Digital opportunities in Salford and across Greater Manchester will continue to grow as all sectors become increasingly digitised. More details of the tech talent pipeline partnership can be found at www.digitalsalford.com/publications To find out more or get involved, please email skills@digitalsalford.com
