Digital skills programme pilots in Lancashire

The government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will launch its new digital skills programme in Lancashire.

Google, TSB and Lloyds have all agreed to give more support to digital skills training in Lancashire, through a project delivered in partnership with Lancashire Enterprise Partnership's Skills and Employment Hub.

The new initiative will identify gaps in digital skills provision in the county, encourage partners to work strategically together to address them and attract investment from outside bodies.

Google has committed to working with local partners to train 1,000 people and businesses through its Google Digital Garage programme.

The scheme was announced at The Lancashire Digital Skills Summit, held at EKM's premises in Fulwood. Forty-three key local partners signed up to the partnership on the day. These included local digital businesses, the three universities, colleges, schools, Digital Lancashire and Lancashire County Council.

Richard Keelty, head of Google Digital Garage, said: “We’ve seen first-hand the value the Digital Skills Partnership can bring at a national level, so we’re excited to be a part of the UK’s first local digital skills partnership.

“Working with our local partners and the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership, the Google Digital Garage will provide free training to help people and businesses across Lancashire harness the power of the web to grow their skills, careers, and businesses. We encourage everyone, whatever your level of experience, to make the most of the free digital coaching on offer.”

Phil Smith, chair of Innovate UK and The Tech Partnership, said: "I am acutely aware of the importance of digital skills for a dynamic and productive economy. The Digital Skills Partnership will support local partnerships, like Lancashire, to coordinate and develop innovative programmes, and will help promote collaboration between local and national organisations, so that programmes are delivered in areas where they will have the greatest impact.

“Lancashire is well placed to be at the vanguard of this programme. I look forward to seeing how the partnership progresses and how it takes forward and shapes this truly important agenda."

Director of the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub, Dr Michele Lawty-Jones, said: “We have worked with local partners to identify skills and employment opportunities across Lancashire and digital has been identified as a priority sector.

“We are now working across the county to create a pipeline of new talent, support businesses, and establish an inclusive approach to workforce development. This collaboration between local and national partners means we can do so much more to inspire our next generation and address the current digital skills gap.”

The creative economy in Lancashire – which is dominated by digital, creative, software and computer science businesses - employees 36,000 people and is worth £1.3bn in GVA.

Yet 57 per cent of fast-growing businesses in a survey said they struggled to find technically capable staff with advanced IT or software skills. Provision of computer sciences at higher-education level also lags behind the national average.