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FIRST FOR SEEDA AS IT SIGNS UP TO E-SKILLS
CHARTER
SEEDA challenges South East companies to be the
solutions of their own problems.
17 December 2001
More than a million trained Information Technology (IT) professionals
will be needed the next five years. Without UK wide industry action
to address the need for IT professionals, the UK's position as
a world leader in IT will be threatened. This will ultimately
affect the long-term sustainable growth of the economy. Leading
the drive to address this challenge, is the South East England
Development Agency (SEEDA), the first Regional Development Agency
(RDA) to sign up to the e-skills Employers' Charter. The charter
is produced by the e-skills National Training Organisation (NTO)
which has responsibility for the IT and Telecommunications industries
and IT-related skills in other sectors.
SEEDA Chief Executive, Anthony Dunnett, was joined by SEEDA Head
of Personnel, Helen Mead and e-skills NTO South East Project Manager,
Helen Porter, at the signing of the Charter.
SEEDA Chief Executive, Anthony Dunnett said,
"This is an important step forward for our staff and I am
delighted that we will be working with the e-skills NTO to improve
the awareness and value of IT within our organisation. We do things
well but there is no room for complacency in today's IT driven
world. There are many ways in which we can improve our performance
and this charter will help us.
"I am delighted that as the first RDA to sign up, SEEDA
will be an exemplar in this area. I would like to challenge any
company who wishes to set world class standards to join SEEDA
in signing the charter. We will actively seek to encourage and
influence our partner organisations and other businesses across
the South East to work with the e-skills NTO to take immediate
action to recruit and train IT professionals and promote careers
in IT.
"The biggest problem facing the South East, and companies
generally across the UK, is the shortage of IT skills, without
these our economy cannot grow to meet its potential. By signing
the charter, companies commit to being the solution to their own
problems, investing in their staff and drawing on the best practice
advice available through the e-skills NTO."
With its 140 employees, SEEDA will work to actively promote IT
awareness and training with staff and seek to encourage others
in the region to follow its example.
SEEDA has joined a growing list of companies backing the Charter.
These include HP, BT and Dell and founding signatories IBM, Logica,
Microsoft, Ericsson and ARM. The aim is to combat skills shortages
for the information age.
SEEDA staff will benefit from this renewed commitment to good
employment practice as the organisation examines and compares
its personnel practices with other successful organisations and
reviews its recruitment and retention practices to ensure that
it attracts and retains the best staff available. The charter
places strong emphasis on attracting and retaining women within
the IT industry by challenging the negative image IT careers have
and the way in which jobs are advertised. It will identify new
and under used recruitment pools such as returners to work.
Project Manager at e-skills NTO, Helen Porter, said, "Jobs
are being exported when employers fail to find the skilled IT
professionals they need. Increasingly, through the Charter, employers
are working together with us to address these skills shortages.
We are delighted that such an influential organisation has become
one of them."
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