01/11/2007
Feasibility of a Skills Academy in the Eastern Region
A project is underway to explore and scope the feasibility of a Skills Academy in the Eastern Region. The health sector represents a highly complex and diverse range of employers, with a very large workforce with significant and multi-level skill requirements. It is within this context that the project is set. It is imperative therefore that the functions of the Skills Academy clearly articulate and focus on activities and outcomes that add real value to skills provision.
Work in progress - engaging with stakeholders
As a starting point, work in progress is engaging with key stakeholders and employers and interested parties to explore several key themes:
Maggie Evans has been appointed to undertake this work and has begun the process of meeting with key stakeholders and partnerships across the region to consult with and engage partners in the development of potential models and scenarios to explore the potential. Partners are also providing suggestions as to how resources can be pooled to actively enable the activity to progress. To date there has been keen and positive interest in the idea.
National Skills Academy - flexible and responsive to local needs
The National Skills Academy will set expectations about the range of activity to be supported in the region, however it is recognised that such activity must be delivered and supported in a way which is both flexible and responsive to the needs of local employers and local constructs.
As well as scoping the views and aspirations of stakeholders and employers, Maggie is also exploring existing models of Health Skills Academies, to look at what works well in other areas and to see if there is any transferability of good practice models and structures.
Findings expected at events in 2008
It is envisaged that early in 2008 the project shall be in a position to feedback its initial findings at as series of events in the region to disseminate the findings to date, with the objective of having some working models in situ by the end of the life of the feasibility project (March 2008).
This is a very exciting development to harness the potential within the Sector to provide a Skills Academy in the Eastern Region as a vehicle fit for purpose to meet the challenges of the Skills agenda.
Find out more
About the East of England SSA
Contact Maggie Evans
