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e-skills4industry Deloitte & Touche, September, 2001-July, 2002 http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=home
A new community initiative e-skills4industry is a new initiative launched in September 2001. Its primary objective is to increase employability levels among young people who are from disadvantaged communities with high levels of adult unemployment. The programme provides a course of structured IT training and work experience to 16-17 year-olds. It is specifically designed for young people who have chosen to follow a non-academic route, and who are at greatest risk of unemployment or under-employment. It will give them the skills, qualifications and experience that are needed to secure entry-level jobs in IT. e-skills4industry combines classroom training with project work, work experience and job placements. A partnership approach e-skills4industry is a public/private sector partnership led by Deloitte & Touche with HSBC, Morgan Stanley, News International, SHL Group and Vodafone, together with the London East Learning & Skills Council. Other partners include Business in the Community, Lewisham FE College, Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership and the e-skills UK. e-skills4industry addresses the needs of both business and the community. It will provide a stream of quality recruits for business, addressing the on-going shortage of skilled IT recruits. The initial pilot involves thirty 16-17 year-old students from 3 schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In the longer term the programme will provide a model for delivering a tailored package of training and work experience to potential recruits for entry-level jobs in other sectors with acute recruitment needs, e.g. retail, construction etc. across the UK. Implementing post-16 education policy e-skills4industry serves as an early pilot for the government's recently announced proposals to provide increased opportunities for vocational training in schools. It also addresses the need identified in the DfES white paper "Schools - Achieving Success" for closer co-operation between secondary schools and FE Colleges in the provision of education and training for post-16 students.
Launch Day
Keys to success An entirely new approach has been used for selecting the students for this programme. Each of the candidates has been pre-tested for aptitude and interest in IT using advanced diagnostic tools. This process of candidate selection is designed to ensure the best possible success rate for the programme. Each of the participants will have two opportunities to gain practical experience of the workplace. An initial 2-week introductory period of work experience will be followed by a longer 3-month job placement towards the end of the programme. Additional training in softer workplace skills will also be provided. A Learning & Development Manager, assisted by student support officers, will monitor each student's progress throughout the programme and will provide additional support where needed. Mentors will support the students during their time in the workplace. Independent evaluation reports will be used to assess the effectiveness of the programme and to identify opportunities for wider application of the model in the future.
Linda Hall from the Deloitte & Touche UK IT Services team and Learning & Development Manager for the e-skills4industry programme discusses the finer points of the Internet with work placement student Kris Gibson from Raines Foundation School in Tower Hamlets.
IT is easy when you know how as e-skills4industry work placement students from three Tower Hamlets schools demonstrate to Richard Stone, Director of Community Investment at Deloitte & Touche. From left to right: Charlotte Curtis, Kris Gibson (both from Raines Foundation C of E School), Adbin Ahmed (George Green's School) and Alan McShane (Bishop Challoner RC School), with Richard Stone (centre).
Petros Pieri, Customer Relations Manager at Deloitte & Touche and e-skills4industry work placement student Charlotte Curtis from Raines Foundation School in Tower Hamlets get to grips with programming problems.
Case Study - Charlotte Curtis http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=126
Charlotte Curtis, 17, from Raines Foundation School says she was attracted to the e-skills4industry programme because she had studied IT at school and really enjoyed it. "People always say that computers are going to be big and that you need to know about computers if you want to get a good job," she says. "I saw this course as an opportunity to help me get that job." Charlotte says she was really pleased when she won a place on the programme. She has enjoyed all aspects of the programme so far, but especially the customer service element of ITSST (the IT Systems Support Technician qualification). "I've learnt how to deal with aggressive customers," comments Charlotte, "but I hope I won't have to use it too much during my job placement!" Charlotte is looking forward to her work experience placement especially the opportunity to travel to the City or Canary Wharf. She is interested in web design and hopes one day to work in this field. "The course is great," says Charlotte, "I'd recommend it to anyone".
Case Study - Kristofer Gibson http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=129
"I was so happy when I got a place on the e-skills4industry course," says Kristofer Gibson, 17, from Raines Foundation School in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Kristofer says that the thing that really attracted him to the training was the opportunity to do a three month full time job placement at the end of the course. "Getting real work experience with a company like Deloitte & Touche, News International or one of the other supporters is worth a lot in the IT industry," he says. Kristofer has also enjoyed studying at Lewisham College. "I have really changed my opinion about learning as a result of the e-skills4industry course. I find that the lecturers at Lewisham treat you like an adult and I really enjoy their teaching style." Like many of his colleagues, Kristofer has enjoyed the practical side of the course, especially stripping and rebuilding computers. In three years time Kristofer hopes to have a secure and well paid job working in web design or designing computer games.
http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=132
Robin Light, 17, a pupil from Raines Foundation School in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets says he saw the e-skills4industry programme as a good opportunity to get into working in information technology. Says Robin: "I was relieved and excited to get onto the course. Relieved because it was what I really wanted to do and excited because it would give me the opportunity to go out and work." Robin says he is really enjoying the course so far. "Studying at Lewisham College is far more exciting than doing IT courses at school. It's a lot more practical looking at how a computer works rather than typing and word processing". Robin feels that the e-skills4industry programme gives students the opportunity to try out work in IT rather than going straight in at the deep end. "I would recommend this programme to anyone who is interested in the practical side of IT", he says.
News Item - Employability programme ends with twelve job offers 21st January 2003 http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=153 With the start of the New Year, 12 e-skills4industry students from Tower Hamlets schools one of the most deprived boroughs in the country will begin IT careers with blue chip City companies. Students were given the chance to impress employers HSBC, News International, and Deloitte and Touche during 3-month paid work placements, which formed part of the e-skills4industry programme, a new public/private employability initiative backed by the Learning & Skills Council London East. The programme addresses both the needs of communities with high adult unemployment, and of businesses who find themselves constantly recruiting for entry level IT positions as graduate hires quickly move up the career ladder. The 30 students on the programme, selected on the basis of their aptitude for IT rather than their academic qualifications, began a progamme of IT technical training, employability skills training and work experience in September 2001. This culminated in the 12 permanent job offers, plus 2 short-term contracts and 2 offers of further work experience made in December 2002 by HSBC, Deloitte and Touche, Morgan Stanley, News International, Vodafone and Lloyd's of London. The other 14 students are now in full-time education, many studying for further IT qualifications. 18 year-old Abdin Ahmed from George Green's School and now a Deloitte and Touche employee, says "The programme has given us the opportunity to show the employers what we are capable of. Without it we would never have been given that chance. I can't wait to start my new job." Claire Mitchell from HSBC, who have made 7 job offers, explains the success of the programme, "These young people are committed, enthusiastic employees who have who have received relevant, good quality IT training. e-skills4industry has also provided them with the softer skills that you need to make it in the world of work. I look forward to seeing their careers develop with us." From September 2003, 10 Further Education colleges around England will offer the e-skills4industry course, enabling more young people to benefit from this innovative programme.
News Item- There's more to getting a good job than having great grades 27 May 2002 http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=147 City and Docklands companies have heaped glowing praise on the information technology (IT) talents of 26 students from East London schools taking part in the e-skills4industry pilot training programme. This is despite the fact that the Year 12 pupils from Bishop Challoner, Raines Foundation and George Green's Schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets struggled to achieve their grades at GCSE. The positive reports come following the students' recent work placement fortnights with e-skills4industry sponsors Deloitte & Touche, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, News International and Vodafone partner Vizzavi. The e-skills4industry programme is designed to give those with a flair for IT although not necessarily the formal academic qualifications a head start in getting that all-important first job with a major employer through a mixture of IT training and practical work experience. Feedback from each of the companies also suggests that the youngsters have a far brighter future ahead of them than might normally have been predicted given their lack of academic qualifications, thanks to their participation on the course. Without exception, the companies taking part reported very positively on the young people's skills, confidence and attitude even though most of the students had never been into a large company environment before the placements. Comments reflected in particular the enthusiasm shown by the students for the world of work and their positive attitude to learning new skills through hands-on experience. Their technical competence also proved sound thanks to the incorporation of the City & Guilds IT Systems Support Technician NVQ Level 2 training at Lewisham College which began last September. For the students, all of whom are taking part in the pilot e-skills4industry training course in parallel with their school studies, mainly for GNVQ qualifications, the employers' reports are extremely encouraging. In Tower Hamlets, where at 12 per cent adult unemployment levels are almost four times the national average (3.5 per cent), and youth unemployment is a particular cause for concern, their job prospects would normally have been extremely poor. The e-skills4industry programme which combines education, community regeneration and employability as its triple focus, could therefore hold the key to stimulating better prospects for young people, the communities in which they live and local employers if the pilot proves successful. If successful, the model will be used to develop a national programme for roll-out from autumn 2003. The students are currently furthering their skills through the Certified Internet Webmaster Foundations programme at the New Horizons training centre in Shoreditch. A further placement, lasting three months and paid at the rate of £150 per week, is scheduled for each student from September and is expected to lead to full time job opportunities when the 16 month course comes to an end in late 2002. Said Richard Stone, Chair of the e-skills4industry Steering Group and Director of Community Investment at lead sponsor Deloitte & Touche: "Without the e-skills4industry programme these youngsters would normally be expected to struggle to find meaningful or sustainable employment when they leave school. However, as we have seen with the first series of placements, each student has more than proved his or her worth in contributing to the day-to-day workload of the IT support teams to which they were assigned." Developed as a public/private partnership, e-skills4industry is backed not only by business but is co-funded by the London East Learning & Skills Council, in partnership with Business in the Community, e-skills UK and the Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership. Aptitude testing to identify students' suitability for the e-skills4industry course is being sponsored by SHL Group.
News Item - Work placements provide a foot in the door for 30 e-skills4industry students 25 March 2002 http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=141 When 17 year-old e-skills4industry students Kris Gibson and Charlotte Curtis from Raines Foundation School in Bethnal Green walk through the doors of Deloitte & Touche's City offices on 8 April they'll be taking their first real steps towards a permanent job in Information Technology (IT). Kris and Charlotte are just two of 30 Year 12 students from three schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets one of the country's most deprived boroughs who will be joining firms in the City of London and Docklands for a fortnight in April to get a taste of the corporate IT world. The placements have been organised as part of the e-skills4industry pilot training initiative, a public/private partnership backed by the London East Learning & Skills Council which has been designed to address the on-going shortage of skilled IT recruits. The programme provides the students with a combination of IT training and practical work experience. The sponsors, led by Deloitte & Touche, include HSBC, Morgan Stanley, News International, SHL Group and Vodafone. The initiative is also supported by Business in the Community, Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership, Lewisham FE College and the e-skills NTO. The students, who have all been selected on the basis of IT aptitude rather than academic qualifications, joined the e-skills4industry pilot last September in order to develop skills and qualifications which will help them off to a good start in the world of work. The course is designed to increase their employment chances with the sponsoring companies at the end of 14-months (November 2002) and will give them a head start in the IT job market. If successful, the pilot will be rolled out nationally from 2003. The aim of these initial placements is to give students the chance to put into practice some of the skills they have acquired during their IT Systems Support Technician course being studied at Lewisham FE College as a central part of the e-skills4industry training. The work experience fortnight will be followed by a three month placement, also paid, in the summer. The students will be involved in the day-to-day activities of the corporate IT departments, typically working on IT Help Desks or with IT support teams. Meanwhile, every student will have a mentor from within the placement company to help them through the experience of joining a large organisation. The students will also keep in regular contact with their mentors in the period leading up to the longer work placement in the summer which, it is hoped, will lead to permanent jobs for all 30 students. Richard Stone, Director of Community Investment at Deloitte & Touche who chairs the e-skills4industry Steering Group has no doubt about the value of bringing the students into a company environment. "It's an excellent opportunity for the students to learn how IT departments really operate, not least to understand what will be expected of them. Getting their telephone manner right, for example, and being courteous and patient with internal 'customers' can be very different in a high pressure company setting from a classroom environment," he emphasises. "In the beginning, it can also be quite daunting just finding your way around a large company, especially where you need to provide a service to several locations," he adds. Richard Stone expects the students to benefit considerably from exposure to the real needs and demands of those who call on IT support services. "Understanding the priorities and learning to define what needs to be done when the chips are, quite literally, down is vital to anyone who wants to make his or her mark in IT support. Thinking on your feet and finding practical solutions are essential components of providing a good service," he stresses. Meanwhile, the students are enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead of them. As Kris Gibson explains, what particularly attracted him to the e-skills4industry training was the opportunity to do a three month full time job placement at the end of the course: "Getting real work experience with a company like Deloitte & Touche, News International or one of the other supporters is worth a lot in the IT industry," he says. Charlotte Curtis, too, is eager to put into practice the customer service elements of the course. "I've learnt how to deal with aggressive customers but hope I won't have to use these skills too much at my placement with Deloitte & Touche," she adds.
News Item - Business support for vocational training on track to bridge the IT skills gap 27 February 2002 http://www.e-skills4industry.org/eskills/main/reqpage.asp?pagekey=139
An innovative business-backed training scheme designed to boost access for youngsters to entry level jobs in information technology (IT) - e-skills4industry - looks likely to be a winner according to preliminary evaluation. The e-skills4industry initiative addresses both community employability issues and the IT skills gap faced by many employers. Its aim is to persuade students who show an aptitude for IT but who face a risk of dropping out of post-16 education that there is an alternative route after GCSE. The programme aims to develop skills and proficiencies which will help students off to a good start and increase their employment chances. The programme is a public/private partnership led by professional services firm Deloitte & Touche with the backing of HSBC, Morgan Stanley, News International, SHL Group, Vodafone and the London East Learning Skills Council, in partnership with Business in the Community, Lewisham FE College, Tower Hamlets Education Business Partnership and the e-skills NTO. The preliminary evaluation undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) focuses on the first term of the 15-month pilot e-skills4industry programme which is being run for 30 students aged 16-17 from schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, one of the country's most deprived boroughs. It highlights widespread support from those taking part as well as the staff leading the project. The schools involved are Bishop Challoner RC School, George Green's School and Raines Foundation C of E school. The NFER report shows that students believe e-skills4industry will give them a head start in the job market thanks to its emphasis on practical work and the development of skills relevant to the workplace. Most feel they have already improved their skills and knowledge as a result of their involvement and welcome the value of gaining insights into the reality of working in IT. This is validated through the excellent progress students are making and the high retention rates of over 80 per cent. Feedback from the schools, meanwhile, is equally encouraging, typified by the comment from one head of sixth form that the course is 'a wonderful bridge linking school and further education to the world of work'. Other key staff involved in the pilot also recognise the broad implications for the business community and for public-private partnerships if e-skills4industry is rolled out nationally in 2003. The pilot scheme gives students a combination of structured training and practical work experience. It is backed by up-to-date City & Guilds qualifications in IT that are recognised by both government and industry. It will, in time, generate a stream of qualified and experienced recruits for the IT departments of major employers in the City of London and Docklands who currently face difficulties in hiring and retaining entry-level staff. If extended, the programme could also help address the on-going shortage of skilled IT recruits for business within other disadvantaged locations which traditionally have high levels of adult unemployment and where young people often lack formal academic qualifications. According to Richard Stone, Director of Community Investment at Deloitte & Touche, e-skills4industry complements the government's drive to boost vocational training opportunities for young people outlined in the recent Green Paper 14-19. "e-skills4industry reinforces the need to give equal status to vocational training as a route to increasing employability and bridging the skills gap," he commented. "It also encourages young people to fulfill their potential through continuing their education beyond GCSE," added Richard Stone. "The results so far are excellent with a high degree of motivation amongst the young people taking part and a great sense of excitement about the two paid work placements which are a key feature of the course, as well as the possibility of being offered a job with one of the sponsoring companies at the end of the programme in November 2002." Copyright © 2001-2003 Deloitte & Touche |
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Further information about Raine's Foundation School today can be found at: www.rainesfoundation.org.uk
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