1. NEW RECRUITS

1.4 Experience

Fastpath

A regional project based in the North East, Fastpath is half-way through a two-year initiative to improve graduate access to IT-related jobs in the region. Supporting the growth of smaller companies in the knowledge-based economy is a high priority for the North East, and through this project, global companies such as Compaq and IBM have joined forces with local organisations including TNL of Hexham, E Tech Solutions, the E-business Foundation and the Universities of Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham.

The early phases of the project included research into the inhibitors to graduates entering IT careers in the North East, and interviews with 30 newly employed graduates to understand what skills they felt they were most missing when they started their first IT job.

Top inhibitors included

  • a lack of awareness of the presence of high tech companies in the region
  • a feeling that career progression would be slower in small regional companies than in multi-nationals.

Employers were attracted to experienced hires rather than new graduates, in the expectation of better interpersonal and technical skills.

The newly employed graduates focused on interpersonal and business skills in considering their biggest difficulties on starting work.
These included:

  • managing rapidly changing priorities,
  • interpreting and anticipating customer needs,
  • working in teams in a fast evolving environment,
  • communications skills such as presentation of concepts and handling telephone conferences.

These findings will guide the action to be taken in 2001, which is planned to:

  • Develop education/employment networks to increase the communication between both parties for mutual benefit.
  • Through workshops and student orientated literature, the benefits in terms of work/life balance found in the North East will be promoted.
  • Finally, local employers are to work with the regions universities to assist with final year projects, placements and degree content to increase the work readiness of new graduates.

e-skills NTO have been asked by representatives of many employers and universities in the region to facilitate the transfer of information between the two groups and propose initiatives for on going sustainability.

This project has increased the e-skills NTO profile in the region and the NTO is now engaging with many of the ‘movers and shakers’ in the area to develop a strategy for skills development around basics skills, user connectivity and e-business application on a regional basis over the next three years. The project manager has been invited to become member of a number of regional education, government and private IT strategy groups.

The project will continue until March 2002 through sponsorship from the North East Regional Development Agency: ONE North East and engaging with the newly appointed college and university liaison officer.


Contact: Andrew Palmer on or

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