Britain Works
by 23 July 2010
We are experiencing unprecedented times. The economic downturn has forced UK companies to become more innovative and responsive in order to survive. This innovation has not solely focused on core business. Many companies, particularly those CommunityMark companies, of which Microsoft is one, recognize that a rapid and innovative response has been vital in providing a safety net for those communities with which we are intricately linked.
In a recent report by the CBI, 694 employers, which together employ over 2.4 million people, expressed their concern about the basic skills of their current workforce. The biggest problem cited was with IT skills, where two-thirds (66 per cent) of employers report concern.
Microsoft recognizes the important part digital skills have to play and our ‘Britain Works’ initiative will help 500,000 people into employment by 2012. The initiative will provide access to IT skills which will improve employment prospects of UK citizens. Through a series of partnerships with civil society organisations, community learning centres, and public authorities, we are aiming to help people into jobs in the areas of the economy that will lead the recovery. With over 77 per cent of all jobs requiring some form of computer skills, we know that digital jobs will be vital as we move forward.
Britain Works’ is specifically designed to give people the opportunity to get the skills and support they need to change their lives themselves. Duncan Hutchinson is just one beneficiary of IT skills access, formerly a foundry worker he is now a Microsoft Office Specialist, ‘The biggest impact on my life was when I took my Microsoft qualifications. Passing my first exam was like winning the pools, it was tremendous.’
Britain Works is being delivered through four main programmatic elements: partner led apprenticeships; support for technology startups; increased access to IT skills training; and partnerships with employment-focussed NGOs.
Our Partner Apprenticeship programme sees potential apprentices selected by JobCentre Plus and recruited by local Microsoft partners looking to take on technical support professionals. The apprentices are trained by a Microsoft IT Academy, and after six months are working full time for the partner. People not only gain the skills they need to get a job, but they will also gain the experience and confidence to kick start their career. Richard Corcoran was one of our first apprentices for whom it offered a new mode into employment, he comments, ‘Last year I went on holiday and came back and I’d lost my job, then I did a bit of agency work then this Microsoft Apprenticeship came up’.
As a company we recognise the vital role civil society organisations play in supporting hard to reach parts of the community, engaging unemployed people and supporting them back to employment. These organisations have the skills and expertise to offer these services, however in many cases they are under resourced. Our Britain Works programme seeks to bring these organisations together in a network, providing in kind support, advice and guidance so that they can increase their capacity to help people back into employment. There are currently over 100 civil society organisations benefitting from the network since the launch last December.
We are also working directly with local government. Our Britain Works Challenge offered Local Authorities the opportunity to bid for £20m worth of e-learning vouchers to be used by training centres in their area. The winning authorities of Sunderland, Barnsley and Milton Keynes are using these vouchers to inspire people to undertake IT training in innovative ways.
Every business in the UK has an impact on their local community. Many have responded to the economic downturn by continuing strategic investment in programmes that address the real and pressing needs of those people made more vulnerable. Digital skills are vital in today’s jobs market and it is vital that business, government and civil society work together to build Britain’s future as our global economy changes.
Matt Lambert, Director of Corporate Affairs and Citizenship, Microsoft UK