Digital skills training bid to launch in Burnley

Businesses, training providers, colleges and universities are being encouraged to work together to apply for grants of up to £180,000 from the Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund to run innovative digital training schemes linked to hard to fill jobs that need digital skills

Interested parties are invited to find out more by attending a launch event happening at The Landmark in School Lane, Burnley, on June 25th, from 2 to 4pm.

The fund is a joint venture between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership.

The aim is to empower employers and training providers to co-design and co-deliver short, innovative, bespoke training programmes to meet their specialist digital skills needs.

Andrew Western, GMCA Digital City Region lead, said: “We’re particularly keen to see creative projects that address industry digital skills shortages aligned to our Local Industrial Strategy. That’s cyber security, broadcasting, content creation and media, software development, digital telecoms, fintech and e-commerce.

“We also want to test flexible delivery models to make sure a range of people are able to access training that supports career progression and diversifies the digital talent pipeline.”

Mike Blackburn, OBE, chairman of the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership Steering Group, added: “This is an exciting opportunity to drive up digital skills in Lancashire, ensuring local firms have access to the skilled workers they need to fuel innovation and stay at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution.

“In order to access funding, we are looking for innovative collaborations between employers and providers.

“We’d encourage potential applicants to start considering what they would like to gain from the fund, to talk to potential partners and to make sure they attend one of the two upcoming launch events.

“We have made investing in Lancashire’s digital sector a priority, as part of our strategic plan to promote inclusive growth across Lancashire and maximise social value for the benefit of the local community.”

The fund will open for applications on June 25th.

As a first step, interested businesses and training providers, colleges and universities should register to attend one of the launch events.

Attendees will be able to find out how to apply and also network with other interested parties with whom they could potentially form a consortium.

To book onto the Burnley event visit https://fasttrackfundlancashire.eventbrite.co.uk.