...... October 2020 ...... #Digital Salford ...... Tech Talent Pipeline Partnership ...... Prospectus ...... Partner Organisations ......

...... U n ive rsity T e aching T rust ...... Partner Businesses ...... PROJECTS ...... Partner Digital Schools ...... Strategic Links ...... 2 ...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... 3 ...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline: ...... Sharing, learning and matching opportunities ...... Growth sectors: Career destination examples: ...... Digital Programming and software development ...... Creative Computer and networking support (eg cyber security) ...... Media Data analysis ...... Health Digital Design and Marketing ...... Construction Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ...... Finance and professional Machining and manufacturing technology ...... DevOps ...... Pathway ...... milestones ...... s ol S ...... Employment ho a c lf ...... S C o o r and enterprise l d ...... le

g C ...... e i t ...... y ...... Adults

E ...... m ...... p University lo ...... y f e o y ...... (18+) rs it rs ...... ive rd Un lfo ...... Sa ...... College ...... (16+) ...... Key stage 4 Core principles ...... (age 14-16) Ambition ...... Innovation ...... Options Long term and sustainable ...... at age 14 ...... Learner centred and inclusive ...... Learning, sharing and matching ...... Key stage 3 ...... (age 11 -14) ...... The Landing Innovation Hub: The Network: ...... test bed for new approaches Businesses • Schools • Future Skills, Salford City College • ...... The Landing Pad - young University of Salford • The Landing • Peel Media Ltd • Salford ...... people digital work ready Royal NHS Foundation Trust • • Learning ...... City • National Centre for Computing Education • DEVA/hack • ...... Digital You ...... 4...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Embracing the digital economy - ...... A foreword by City Mayor ...... Digital technology impacts on all aspects of our lives...... At the time of writing the covid-19 crisis has clearly ...... demonstrated the importance of digital skills given almost ...... all human interaction outside the home is currently enabled ...... through digital technology. Moreover, social distancing and ...... related requirements for the economy may be in place until a ...... vaccine/cure is found. Although what the new normal will be ...... is not yet clear, Salford is committed to creating a better and ...... fairer city...... The digitisation processes that have been developing in recent ...... years have accelerated and increasingly impacted on all sectors ...... of the economy. They are only likely to deepen and accelerate ...... further, going forward...... In this context, the must fully embrace the developing digital economy ...... and take advantage of the opportunities it brings. Our ambition is to be the leading ...... city for digital enterprise. Digital skills are critical to this as without them the capacity of ...... the city and its residents to partake in the new economy that is emerging will be heavily ...... constrained...... The digital sector has been traditionally defined in narrow terms comprising specialist ...... companies and skill sets that have developed out of ICT and computing. But the ...... opportunity (and challenge) is now much wider with all sectors needing to embrace ...... new technology. The scale of Salford’s and ’s growth opportunities ...... requires a focus on the future skills requirements of rapidly changing sectors that are ...... increasingly digitised...... According to economic forecasts, the digital economy will only continue to grow and ...... develop in the future. There are skills shortages and gaps in many sectors and digital ...... occupations are in increasing demand...... One of Salford’s unique attributes is its cluster of at least 250 companies providing ...... 7,000 jobs in the digital, media and creative sector based at MediaCityUK and The ...... Quays. These range from large employers such as the BBC through to micro companies ...... based in The Landing. This is the greatest concentration of digital talent in GM and ...... nationally outside London...... Salford is also home to an increasing amount of economic specialisation in digital ...... industries. This is most developed within the Salford Innovation Triangle with nationally ...... significant research capability at the University of Salford and Salford Royal Foundation ...... Trust. Particular strengths are in digitisation of health and care, a clean and low carbon ...... built environment, digital content creation and production, robotics and automation...... The future regeneration of the Crescent area, including a new innovation district, will be ...... critical...... The major challenge, which Salford’s recently published Digital Strategy communicated ...... clearly, is the need to connect the city, not only physically, but also economically - ...... helping residents to maximise the opportunities on the doorstep and beyond...... 5 ...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Salford’s Innovation Triangle ...... Salford’s Innovation Triangle brings together the city’s primary innovation assets ...... at MediaCityUK - The Quays, Salford Royal Foundation Trust and the University of ...... Salford. It is home to many leading companies and provides over 50,000 jobs. There ...... is an opportunity to develop this area and create an innovation district of national ...... significance, providing houses, jobs and culture with quality infrastructure and urban ...... green space......

BRI ...... DG EW ...... AT ER C ...... AN SALFORD AL ...... SALFORD ...... ROYAL VICTORIA GREENGAATE ...... PENDLETON PFI ECCLES ...... UNIVERSITY ...... OF SALFORD ...... INNOVATION CITY CENTRE ...... CLUSTER MANCHESTER & SALFORD ...... MIDDLEWOODD ...... PICCADILLY CITY ...... CENTRE ......

...... M ORDSALL A B N RO C ADWAY HE S ...... T E MEDIACITYUK R S H MANCHESTER I P ...... C A & THE QUAYS N ...... AL ...... THE OXFORD ROAD TRAFFORD ...... CENTRE ...... CORRIDOR ...... TRAFFORD ...... PARK ...... 6...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... The challenge and opportunity ...... There is a plethora of initiatives designed to address the challenge of digital skills...... Initiatives have come from central government departments, the GMCA, agencies ...... in the voluntary and community sector, commercially and voluntarily via industry ...... and training providers. This is much needed and the core partners in Salford are ...... already delivering a significant digital skills volume between them to thousands of ...... people...... Building on this, there is an opportunity for #Digital Salford to take a strategic lead on ...... this agenda locally by creating a Tech Talent Pipeline Partnership - a coordinated long- ...... term innovative network that is greater than the sum of its parts that can enable Salford ...... learners to develop digital skills and progress to be matched through to employers ...... facing skills shortages and gaps, or to operate successfully and sustainably in the ...... digital economy through freelance or start-up...... We are ambitious about the role of the partnership and as it develops it will provide: ...... • Leadership - ...... through #Digital Salford, a strategic voice and joined up connection with GM and ...... at national levels...... • Coordination and signposting - ...... a single front door for digital skills for local learners, employers and training ...... providers...... • What industry needs - ...... a curriculum shaped by industry in schools, college and university...... • A value-added network greater than the sum of its parts - ...... with read-across via sharing, pooling resources (such as via the Apprenticeship ...... Levy) learning and matching across the existing institutions, businesses and ...... learners...... • Innovative new products and services - ...... that are linked to industry requirements including small-scale test and ...... demonstration pilots such as The Landing Pad, that will take college age students ...... through a digital bootcamp to enable them to be more industry ready, through ...... to major new interventions in the digital skills system, for example the University ...... of Salford’s GM Skills Institute incorporating digital, robotics and smart living ...... specialisms...... 7 ...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Strategic case ...... There is a strong economic evidence base and strategic ...... case to support this approach including: ...... A close fit with national, pan Northern and GM city region ...... priorities - ...... where digital is acknowledged as one of the major drivers ...... of the economy and digital skills critical to it...... Rapid recent digital sector growth and with growth ...... forecasts for this to continue - ...... this provides a scale and density of opportunities in Salford ...... and across GM. This is both in terms of digital specialisation ...... in digital sectors, but also diversity across industry in that ...... the entire economy is becoming increasingly digitised...... Salford Digital Strategy launched December 2019 - ...... identifies the need to connect the city, not only physically ...... but also connecting residents to opportunities on the ...... doorstep and beyond...... Specific digital skills shortages and gaps reported by ...... industry - ...... as technology continues to develop through disruption ...... and innovation several companies are reporting digital ...... skill shortages and gaps today and/or envisage these ...... appearing in the near term. Wage levels in particular ...... occupations are increasing to unsustainable levels given ...... skills shortages. These are only likely to intensify further ...... given technological development. It is a complex picture ...... with shortages at the lower, middle and upper ends of the ...... digital skills spectrum reported. The recent GMCA Digital ...... Fast Track fund process identified a particular need in terms ...... of middle-level digital skills...... The covid-19 ‘social distancing’ economy - ...... in the short term the economic context has changed ...... dramatically. Potentially for the next 12-18 months, until a ...... vaccine/cure is developed and rolled out, the economy will ...... have to function differently on social distancing principles...... This will be complex and vary by sector and organisation...... Work by economists so far anticipates that this is likely to ...... further accelerate the digital aspects of the economy and ...... so make digital skills even more important...... 8...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Core principles ...... Ambition - ...... Making the most of our comparative advantages and what are we famous for in ...... Salford in the digital economy, the digital opportunities for companies in sectors such as ...... creative industries, media, health and social care, low carbon, construction and financial ...... and professional services...... Long term and sustainable - ...... Organisations rooted in Salford - the chief anchor institutions, training providers and ...... industry coming together to pool efforts...... Learner centred and inclusive - ...... Not just institutions but people are important to create the journey and pathways to ...... enable people to find their way and navigate through it...... Learning, sharing and matching - ...... Organisations and people coming together to share best practice and intelligence ...... across institutional boundaries up, down and across the learner journey...... Innovation - ...... Piloting and testing new approaches and taking risks...... 9...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Introducing the core ...... network ...... Building on the existing #Digital Salford ...... network, a partnership has been created which ...... includes the following core partners: ...... Partner Organisations ...... Future Skills, Salford City College ...... Peel Media Ltd ...... Salford City Council ...... Salford Royal Foundation Trust ...... The Landing ...... University of Salford ...... Partner businesses ...... AJ Bell ...... Bupa ...... Morson Group ...... Morson Project ...... Raytheon Professional Services ...... Raytheon UK ...... Sodexo ...... TalkTalk ...... Partner digital schools ...... Co-op Academy Walkden ...... New Park Academy, Eccles ...... Oasis Academy MediaCityUK ...... Salford City Academy, Eccles ...... Strategic connections are also in place with ...... the National Centre for Computing Education, ...... Salford Learning City initiative and DEVA/hack ...... as well as the wider digital inclusion agenda ...... through #Digital Salford initiatives such as Digital ...... You...... Find out more about Salford’s digital ambition at ...... www.salford.gov.uk/digitalsalford ...... 10...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Future action ...... The strength of six relationships will cement the pipeline concept bringing shared ...... challenges, assets and opportunities greater than the sum of the parts: ...... 1. Industry and schools ...... 2. Future Skills, Salford City College and schools ...... 3. University of Salford and schools ...... 4. Future Skills, Salford City College and University of Salford ...... 5. Industry and Future Skills, Salford City College ...... 6. Industry and the University of Salford ...... • Action will emerge from within and between these relationships in a networked ...... way...... • The objective will be to capture and share existing best practice, but also to ...... identify opportunities to add value and innovate around the long-term pipeline ...... model...... • Already a preliminary menu of opportunities has been identified. These will be ...... developed by the core partners initially into a 12-month action plan with a focus on ...... practical interventions that can be undertaken in the current Covid-19 context...... 11...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... How it will work: The school role example ...... Using schools as an example of one part of the network - schools are currently ...... continually approached by various pre-designed initiatives requesting their involvement ...... in them, rather than working with them. They also feel that their curriculum could ...... be enhanced through longer term partnerships with industry, through testing new ...... approaches and innovation, and working with other training parts of the pipeline. They ...... would benefit from the network to learn and help them practically to incorporate added ...... value into their core curriculum...... A common framework has been drawn up and agreed between the schools based on ...... learning from the other parts of the pipeline and welcomes a coordinated approach ...... - Long term approach to curriculum development with industry and other parts of the ...... pipeline (College, University) informing this through sharing and learning. Priorities for ...... action include: ...... 1. After school add-on/wrap around provision - ...... to add value to curriculum, particularly computer science...... 2. Teacher CPD - ...... provision of up-to-date industry intelligence from industry and linkages to the other ...... training parts of the pipeline (like the robotics offer at the University)...... - Professional network needed to support teachers...... - Up-to-date employment market intelligence would help...... - University of Salford placement of computer science students (would recruit if had ...... somebody in place)...... - Pathway knowledge for teachers...... 3. Guest speakers from industry - ...... coming into school to provide up-to-date inspirational talks on the world of digital ...... employment...... 4. Information sharing between schools and schools sharing upwards - ...... common challenges and opportunities...... The immediate focus will be on: ...... • Support to teachers to help them with digital skills so they can deliver lessons more ...... effectively through digital channels...... • Employers and training providers delivering lesson content (live or recorded) as ...... part of curriculum offer...... • Employers providing inspirational talks/virtual tours of businesses...... 12...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... Pipeline Projects ...... Preliminary work so far is bringing together and shaping a number of innovative ...... added value projects, at varying scales, including: ...... Salford Royal Foundation Trust – ...... building on its considerable existing work in this area as the leading digital health trust ...... and also incorporating work to support local communities...... University of Salford GM Digital Skills Institute – ...... a major new higher education institution that will provide specialist teaching and ...... learning in pioneering industry led fields incorporating digital and technology skills...... DEVA/hack - ...... The aim of the Digital Entrepreneurs and Video Artists hackathon (DEVA/hack) is to ...... create an employability resource for young people designed to support them develop ...... and articulate their professional career identity. By engaging in the process of creating ...... a video portfolio, learners will gain knowledge and understanding of soft skills, ...... awareness and insight into job readiness and develop their confidence and motivation ...... to pursue digital and creative careers...... Fast Track Digital Workforce Innovative Programmes - ...... The Tech Talent Pipeline Partnership has been successful in securing funding from the ...... Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund to deliver two innovative training programmes to ...... develop critical cyber and data analytical skills. The fund is a joint venture between ...... Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership and the ...... government, set up to address locally identified digital skills shortages...... The Landing Pad – ...... working with Salford City College, a cohort of young people taken through a state-of- ...... the-art digital skills bootcamp to equip them for the digital economy...... 13...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ...... 14...... #Digital Salford Tech Talent Pipeline ......