The Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership has been named as winner of the DL100 Digital Skills or Inclusion Initiative of the Year Award beating off fierce competition from organisations around the country.
The 8th Annual Digital Leaders 100 winners are the top 10 champions of digital transformation across the UK. The Digital Skills or Inclusion Initiative of the Year Award is awarded for a product of service, which in the last year, has delivered a real impact in terms of digital skills or inclusion to its intended community; covering from Basic Digital Skills or Inclusion to executive education.
The 8th Annual Digital Leaders 100 list highlights the latest champions of digital transformation across the UK. All 12 UK regions are represented in this year’s list, reflecting the national reach of the Digital Leaders Community. Outside of London and the South East, the strongest regions were the North West, the South West, Yorkshire and Scotland. The independent list recognises 100 people, organisations and programmes across the UK who are leading the way in digital transformation in all sectors.
Steve Fogg, Chair of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership said, ”This is a wonderful achievement for the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership, and the fact that they have managed to win the Digital Skills and Inclusion Category is phenomenal. The recent Covid-19 crisis has highlighted more than ever the need to ensure residents and businesses are equipped with the skills and the means to access services and information online. The work of partners in the LDSP during both the pandemic and over the past year has been crucial in attempting to redress some of the digital skills imbalances and gaps in the county. Winning this award is a fitting recognition for the work that they do.”
Ann Jordan, Chair of the Steering Group for the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership and Lancashire Enterprise Partnership Board Director, commented: “This award recognises all the hard work and effort put in by the partners and stakeholders of the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership, the Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub and the LDSP Lead, Kerry Harrison, to address the digital skills needs of Lancashire. It is fabulous news and underlines the importance of a clear focus on developing and strengthening the digital skills of Lancashire’s businesses, young people and residents.”
The Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership works with stakeholders from the public, private and charity sectors, to identify and develop a wide range of projects which are delivered locally to help develop the digital skills of Lancashire residents, local businesses and to support careers education in schools and colleges. Last year, the LDSP secured significant funding to run projects specifically aimed at helping people underrepresented within the Lancashire digital workforce to gain more sector specific skills and boost their employability. Alongside this, they have been working on a £3 million joint venture with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport aimed at helping employers in the Lancashire and Greater Manchester areas to address their specialist digital skills needs & diversify their workforce through short, innovative, bespoke training courses.
Building on this joint project, Lancashire were recently named by the Prime Minister as one of only a few areas in the Country to work with the Department for Education on the new Digital Bootcamps programme. Digital Bootcamps are flexible courses, giving people 19+ the opportunity to build up their digital skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.
These programmes are bringing exciting opportunities for Lancashire residents to upskill or reskill in to new careers within the Digital Sector and help our businesses to fill specialist skills gaps in their workforce.
In addition, during the 2020 Covid crisis, partners of the LDSP have been working together to support vulnerable adults, young people and families who are digitally excluded.
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