Government commits to National Skills Academy for IT
11 Dec 2009
by: Margaret Snell
The strategic importance of the IT sector to the UK economy has been recognised with the Government’s commitment to support a National Skills Academy for IT.
Skills Minister Kevin Brennan has approved the Business Plan to create the Skills Academy, which was developed by e-skills UK in partnership with employers including Accenture, BA, BT, Cabinet Office, IBM, Logica, Microsoft, Oracle, Qedis, Sainsbury’s, and Whitbread.
The Academy, which is scheduled to open in autumn 2010, aims to address the development needs of IT professionals by making it easier for them and employers to find, evaluate and access industry-valued courses and qualifications.
Brennan said: “High level IT skills are essential to the future of Digital Britain and will help us boost our global competitiveness and productivity. This Academy will play a vital role in helping people gain those technical and professional IT skills necessary for a better future, both for themselves and the country.”
The move has been welcomed by employers across the sector. Peter Butler, Director of Learning at BT Group Plc, said: “The approval of the Business Plan for the National Skills Academy for IT is a significant step in achieving a highly skilled, mobile and confident body of talent which will help the UK win the global battle for competitiveness and productivity.”
Small businesses have also welcomed the boost to technology skills. Steve Elliott, Director of SFW, an IT consultancy business, said: “SMEs like SFW need staff who operate at the highest levels of competence, but we face regular challenges in identifying learning and development that truly meets our needs. The ‘helicopter’ view of the training market that the National Skills Academy for IT will offer will be of real value to us. We also welcome the plans to make available training that uses new technologies to increase flexibility and reduce cost.”
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