New Media Skills in Sussex Set to Expand

Sussex Learning and Skills Council appoints Wired Sussex as delivery partner for Workforce Development Action Plan

New media business development agency, Wired Sussex, today announces its partnership with the Sussex Learning and Skills Council (SLSC) to deliver elements of the Council's New Media Workforce Development Action Plan as part of Learning Pays! The aim of the project is to improve levels of new media work skills in Sussex for this rapidly growing sector.

The Learning and Skills Council is a national organisation with local offices across the UK and Learning Pays! covers twelve employment areas, including new media. Learning Pays! is the name given to the SLSC Workforce Development Strategy and the vehicle by which a culture shift in education, training and workforce development is planned.

Wired Sussex has been appointed by the SLSC for six months, to work on three strands of this project. The three strands include the bid for the City College of Brighton and Hove (CCBH) to become a Centre of Vocational Excellence (COVE) in new media, brokerage of the Game Girl initiative, and the development of two industry relevant events.

There are an estimated 6,450 people working in the new media industry in Sussex at present, and projections suggest that an extra 3,000 graduates will be needed to meet the growth expectations of local firms over the next three years. Learning Pays! has been designed to address this issue by facilitating the development of skilled workers through changes in the funding and training available in this sector.

In order to develop these skills, Wired Sussex is working in consultation with City College Brighton and Hove (CCBH) to support its bid to become a COVE in new media. The DfES COVE initiative works to develop new, and enhance existing, vocational provision focused on meeting the skills needs of employers - CCBH is submitting its bid in April this year.

The Game Girl initiative, on the other hand, aims to increase the number of 14 to 25 year old females in Sussex entering the gaming industry, or related further and higher education training courses. Wired Sussex will work to create a steering group for the project and will deliver a 'Game Girl Plan', and agreement from the stakeholders.

Wired Sussex has also been contracted to develop two seminar events to support Learning Pays! on industry topics relevant to the region's SME community. The objective of these will be to engage with the local new media sector and its stakeholders at a strategic level, and look at ways to ensure the future stability of the sector.

Commenting on the project, David Smith, SLSC Director of Operations, explained: "New media is one of the fastest growing sectors in Sussex and it's vital the industry receives the necessary levels of support and skills to maintain this trend. Wired Sussex was the natural choice for this initiative and we look forward to working with them over the coming months."

Emily Aitken, Executive Director of Wired Sussex, added: "Investment in skills is of great importance to Wired Sussex and the local new media community and this strategic partnership is an excellent opportunity for us to further our work in this area. The SLSC has a strong history of working hand in hand with industry and we're very pleased to have been selected as a partner in its latest venture."