The Digital Skills Partnership
The Solent LEP is leading on the Digital Skills Partnership on behalf of Catalyst South and in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
The Digital Skills Partnership aims to improve digital skills for people and organisations, and is designed to be inclusive and accessible to all, regardless of age, background, or experience level. The overall goal is to empower the communities and businesses in the Catalyst South regions with digital skills.
Why?
The Catalyst South Digital Skills Partnership is one of eight trailblazing local partnerships set up by the Department for Digital Cultural Media and Sport (DCMS). It’s part of the government’s Digital Strategy which sets out the ambition to create a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone.
The Catalyst South region aims to combine knowledge, insights, projects and galvanise the localise intelligence to create a united partnership. This enables each LEP region to benefit from:
- Knowledge sharing across the UK DSP network.
- Idea generation for new innovative projects to trial and pilot regionally according to localised priorities.
- Access to UK wide networks and contacts
- Direct communication links to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
- Direct communication links to Corporate organisations who want to work in partnership across multiple regions.
How does the DSP work on the ground?
We have a strategic board with representatives from all six regions. This includes, industry, education, and third sector. The board meet six times a year and are responsible for driving and monitoring the partnership activity. The wider Partnership aims to have representation from as diverse a group as possible – all committed to creating a digital future for the South East region.
The partnership looks to find synergies and key priorities between the regions and "scales-up" existing projects or introduces new innovative projects that can be delivered across multiple regions.
Regular regional mapping and research occurs and pulls key themes from national reports such as Lloyds Digital Index. We also utilise existing data and research from resources such as Regional Skills Reports or Local Skills Improvement Plans.
What will the partnership strive to achieve in the next 12 months?
A clear vision and project plan is being currently developed (February/March 2023) that will outline key priorities and goals.
The six LEPs will find shared key priorities (gleaned from research and mapping that have cross-region synergies); they will collaborate on innovative projects that demonstrate a measurable impact; and they will scale-up projects that aim to boost existing collaborations and initiatives, avoiding duplication.
How the Solent LEP is helping drive the digital skills gap agenda?
If you would like any more information, please email our Partnerships Manager rich.burn@solentlep.org.uk
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About Catalyst South
Catalyst South is a strategic alliance of six Local Enterprise Partnerships (Coast to Capital, Enterprise M3, Hertfordshire, South East, Solent and Thames Valley Berkshire) with a focus on championing an economic and business voice, promoting collaboration across boundaries and supporting issues of common importance to business, to stimulate growth and recovery.
Together we represent a globally connected economic region which collectively generates almost one fifth of the UK’s GDP. We are the nation’s major international gateway and our eco-system of innovative entrepreneurs, high-growth SMEs and world-leading international corporates includes a high proportion of businesses in the low carbon, digital, creative and knowledge-based industries on which the future economic success of the UK depends.
Our ambition is to unlock the South’s economic power to supercharge the UK’s recovery and growth.
We will do this by:
- Enhancing our impact and influence
- Boosting enterprise and innovation across the South
- Reigniting international trade, investment, and gateways
- Flexing skills and creativity within our current and future workforce
- Exploiting digital opportunities
- Delivering good, clean growth
- Levelling up and connecting all our places
- Supporting economies to recover and renew following the pandemic
- Support businesses prepare and navigate UK transition
