Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) across the West of England are to be offered free training to help their staff adapt to new technology, develop digital skills, and harness the power of tech to increase productivity and grow their business.
As part of the West of England Combined Authority’s Workforce for the Future programme, the National Composites Centre (NCC) has developed a Digital Learning Factory. Training modules have been created by NCC, GKN Aerospace and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) to give SMEs and their employees the understanding and confidence to apply digital technologies in the workplace.
Chief Executive of the West of England Combined Authority Patricia Greer said: “The pandemic has brought about huge changes in the way we work and has accelerated the need for new technology and digital skills to help businesses to adapt and grow. Workforce for the Future is helping businesses across the region upskill their staff giving them confidence to apply their new skills to the workplace, helping businesses to thrive.”
Helen Woods, Head of Skills and Workforce Development at the NCC, added: “Digital technologies can provide long-term benefits to productivity across multiple industries, but we know they can be a little daunting to understand. Through our involvement in Workforce for the Future, we want to help SMEs not only increase their knowledge of these technologies and how they can help their business, but also have the confidence to do so.”
The first five modules, which include Digital Manufacturing and Design, Robotics and Data Science for Engineering, will be delivered between April and December next year.
To ensure they deliver maximum benefit the NCC is hosting a workshop on Wednesday 1 December, 9:00-11:00am, for SMEs to offer their thoughts and feedback. Register here to attend.
For more information on Workforce for the Future, please contact the West of England Growth Hub.
