A Message From Our Head of Digital Union

Our Head of Digital Union, Jim Mawdsley, shares what we've been up to behind the scenes and the exciting upcoming projects that you can get involved in.

Regarding strategy, over the last 2 years, we have been frequently asked to be involved in advisory boards and groups, national forums and regular round table and focus events. It’s probably because I’ve got a big gob and not shy to say what needs to be said, but in all seriousness, it certainly means that I can put the views and issues you all face firmly to the powers that be and influence policy in the region and beyond.

I thought it would be useful to you all if I kept you informed on some of the things we’ve been doing at Digital Union that are somewhat behind the scenes at the moment:

Later this week, the NELEP will release the latest Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), which outlines the priorities in the region for the coming years. I represented the sector through a Digital Working group and gave views on what should be prioritised to ensure that while Digital remains one of the 4 main areas in the SEP, the SME’s that we serve are included with opportunities and support remaining as important as it is for the bigger players in the region.
We recently began our latest European funded Programme alongside new partners RTC North, the North East Process Industries Cluster (NEPIC) and the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA). This provides opportunities for us to provide more support for businesses wanting to grow through our programmes, business coaching, workshops and masterclasses, but this time we have clear pathways into other sectors that should result in building a wider client base for you as businesses.
Finally, it looks like we are in the home straight in the development of the Creative Digital Design Professional Degree Apprenticeship. We have already had companies such as Lloyds, ITV, Amazon and many more take an interest. We hope it will be of use to you all and once we have got it across the line, we will share how you can put people through it for the benefit of your business.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and as we go forward, I’ll update you on a regular basis from now on.

Cheers,

Jim

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