South Yorkshire is one of eight “Trailblazer” regions in the UK which have been granted Government funding to pilot “Skills Accelerators”. These incorporate a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) and a Strategic Development Fund (SDF), with the aim of helping to “reshape England’s technical skills system to better support the needs of the labour market and wider economy”.
In South Yorkshire, the LSIP is being led by Doncaster Chambers, in partnership with the Chambers of Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield. Evidence provided by employers about their skills needs, as well as engagement with skills providers, will enable the skills system to be more responsive to local challenges and opportunities, and better equip learners to begin or extend their careers.
The SDF pilots are being led by Barnsley College (in partnership with a range of South Yorkshire skills providers) who will fund projects to meet local skills needs including those identified in the LSIP. The pilot will explore how skills providers and employers can work together to respond to local skills needs far more effectively.
You can learn more about the programme here: sy-skillsaccelerator.co.uk/.
The Digital Tech and Media industries will play a crucial role in our region’s economic future, and therefore Sheffield Digital has been invited to join the Skills Accelerator Programme to amplify the voices of our sector, and ensure that our collective requirements and ideas are included in the LSIP.
Time is short to produce our response, with the initial submissions to Government scheduled for the end of March. In order to contribute effectively, we have laid out the following timetable
- Monday, January 10th
Engage the Sheffield Digital community and membership by:- Introducing the South Yorkshire Skills Accelerator and its purpose and highlighting the programme’s micro-site.
- Sharing the link to the SYSA employer survey.
- Publish the open “Draft LSIP Response” document and invite local digital tech & media employers to contribute.
- Advertise the Skills Accelerator Interactive Workshop on the 18th (see below).
- Advertise the Digital Tech & Media Industry Skills Summit on the 24th (see below).
- Tuesday, January 18th – 09:30-12:30
The South Yorkshire Chambers are hosting simultaneous interactive workshops in Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham, for employers to express what support they need to develop their workforces and foster future growth and development. This event is not digital tech & media specific, but it is another opportunity for you to make your voices heard and to learn more about the wider LSIP and SDF schemes. - Monday January 24th – 11:30-13:30
Sheffield Digital will be hosting an online Digital Tech & Media Industry Skills Summit in order to discuss the issues, challenges and potential remedies raised in the Draft Response document, and flesh it out further. - Monday, January 31st – 12:00
Closing date for this open response document – we’ll close for edits at noon on the 31st and this will form our main contribution to the LSIP which will be prepared by the Skills Accelerator partners for submission to Government in March.
Here, then, are the four things you should do to contribute:
- Now: Fill out the SYSA’s Employer Survey.
- Now: Read and contribute to the open “Draft Response” document.
- Jan18: Attend the nearest SYSA Workshop to you.
- Jan24: Attend our online Digital Tech & Media Industries Skills Summit to review and add to the Draft Response document.
If you have any questions about any of this, please do get in touch with me, either directly at chris@sheffield.digital or via the Sheffield Digital Slack.
Please also share this with colleagues and other employers, and amplify our social media messaging, so that we can reach as wide a group of people as possible!