Current Activities

We are specifically looking for partners for the following projects. Whether, you are an employer (or employee), college, university or training provider, get involved and reap the benefits for your organisation!

Join e-skills NTO and show your commitment to being part of the solution for successful e-skills in the UK. As a member, you will be kept informed of the NTO’s activities and will take advantage of a range of other benefits. For further information, please go to the membership section .

Please click on the project titles for further information and contact details.

Careers Website - role models, case studies and online mentors
Currently the e-skills NTO is gathering female role models, male and female case studies and on-line careers mentors for a new dedicated IT Careers website to be launched in October. The website is being developed as part of a series of careers projects including 21st Century Women, Understanding the Future and Image.

e-business National Occupational Standards
The e-skills NTO is about to commence a joint QCA-SQA funded project to establish the feasibility of developing the National Occupational Standards (NOS) covering e-business (ie e-commerce, e-government, e-tailing etc). Steering and Working groups are required for this project which could form the basis of a larger development project.

e-skills Employers’ Charter
Employers produced the Charter in response to research published by the e-skills NTO, which showed that the skills shortage could be eased by addressing the poor image of careers in IT, by broadening recruitment amongst non-traditional groups and by increasing the provision of work experience placements. Sign up to show your commitment and reap the benefits of being involved in this high profile initiative.

Computer Clubs
This is a DfES and DTI sponsored programme which aims to increase the numbers of girls choosing careers and/or academic development paths leading to professional careers in Information and Communications Technology. We are looking for companies to get involved either in the pilot or when the project is rolled out across the country.

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 and universities. If you are an IT employer in the North East and would like to find out more, please contact us.

HE/IT Highway
This new DTI-sponsored project aims to establish a focal point for co-operation between employers of IT professionals and the university network throughout the UK. The project will create a web portal to encourage academics and employers of IT professionals to communicate and collaborate. We are looking for Universities and Employers who would like to participate in the pilot group and overall project steering group.

IT is where it’s @
These Half-day workshops for students from non-IT disciplines have received excellent employer and student feedback. Accenture, IBM, Logica and Siemens IT Services are in their third year of involvement and will be joined by at least 3 new companies for the 2001-2 recruitment year. We will visit more universities and reach more students. We would welcome enquiries from universities and employers who might like to join us.

IT’s your life
In partnership with leading employers (including Accenture, IBM, ICL, J P Morgan, Morgan Stanley, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Unilever and Visa) and with the highly regarded Careers Research Advisory Centre (CRAC), e-skills NTO delivered the first ever IT Insight course in spring 2001 - a 3 day networking opportunity for IT recruiters and students across all disciplines. Two courses are planned for next year and we are currently inviting additional employers to join the programme.

ITSST (IT Systems Support Technician)
Working with large employers and a range of smaller companies, alongside colleges of Further Education, a new, up to date course has been designed. This leads to the new IT Systems Support Technician, qualification, which is now formally approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and as such, available for government funding support. We welcome enquiries from colleges and training providers who wish to offer the qualification.

IT Trainer Certification
The aim of the new DfES funded project is to establish a core of 50 IT Trainers, qualified in the newly established IT Trainer's Coaching Certificate. If you are an IT trainer attached to an IT training provider delivering government funded IT 'end-user' training, you might want to be considered to take part in this pilot scheme and achieve the newly established IT Trainer's Coaching Certificate. Places are limited to 50, so apply now for a chance to be selected.

Managed Modern Apprenticeship – Scotland
Through an initiative created last year by the e-skills NTO, companies in Scotland have access to new funds to help them with training costs of young employees aged 16 - 24. Further more, financial help is now also available for candidates aged over 25. A Modern Apprenticeship provides structured development and training, covering both technical and interpersonal skills, with progress measured in terms of competence in the workplace.

MaP>IT (Mature People into IT)
The e-skills NTO and ACER (Association of Colleges in the Eastern Region) are launching a new MaP>IT project for the East of England Region, to tackle long-term skills shortages in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by training people over 40, in a wide range of skills. Training is available to mature employees of small companies and the self-employed in the Eastern Region.

Understanding the Future
If you are an employer who recruit graduates from non-IT disciplines for IT and IT-related roles, this project can now offer brand new (and free) channels for getting your message across to students and encouraging targeted applications from well-informed individuals. Our partners include IBM, Accenture, PWC and Goldman Sachs and over 60 other companies from multi-national to SME that recruit graduates from non-IT degrees. Contributing to this project will cost you nothing and you have everything to gain.