Tech Lancaster nurturing the next generation of tech savants: 'To be an astronaut, you've got to know there are rocket ships'

Embodying the ‘build it and they will come’ mantra, Tech Lancaster is a budding project focused on the long-term and widespread benefits of nurturing the workforce of tomorrow.
Kate Houlden, MD of Like TechnologiesKate Houlden, MD of Like Technologies
Kate Houlden, MD of Like Technologies

Dedicated to providing the education and employment pathways to enable the tech, engineering, and electronics industries to thrive, the project is all about building on Lancashire’s well-earned reputation for industrial revolution.

Headed up by a consortium of local businesses - Forsberg Services, Like Technologies, Milliamp Technologies, Northern Hi-Tec, OTAQ Group, and Rinicom - the programme will provide training to up-skill a prospective workforce to ensure that, not only can thriving companies benefit from highly-educated employees, but that the next generation has a clear path into such positions.

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“The idea had been around for a good while because all the businesses involved knew how amazing the R&D electronics sector is here, but felt that it was a bit of a secret,” said Mark Thwaite, Tech Lancaster’s Engagement Officer. “They knew about it, but the world didn’t and fantastic work was going under the radar which made recruitment difficult, so we’ve created an alignment between the skills and the jobs market in the area.

Milliamp TechnologiesMilliamp Technologies
Milliamp Technologies

People need to know what jobs are out there so they can start to go down the right avenue,” adds Mark, 49. “To be an astronaut, you’ve got to know there are rocket ships.”

The project is expressly looking to encourage ex-military personnel, tech graduates, those looking to re-skill, women, and members of the BAME community to enter the industry in larger numbers and ensure that Lancashire’s tech sector is as diverse as can be.

“People interested in tech and innovation know about sectors like gaming, social media, software, and coding, but electronic engineering had fallen away from people’s consciousness,” explains Mark. “Our sector joins the dots together between software and R&D and does amazing work in the guts of the tech.”

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One of 14 innovative projects to have received funding from a £3m joint venture between the UK Government (DCMS), the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and the Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership (LDSP), Tech Lancaster is enrolling for their 12-week course of distance learning modules and workshop-based tuition to instill in the workforce of tomorrow an invaluable range of industry-specific skills.

Employees at Forsberg ServicesEmployees at Forsberg Services
Employees at Forsberg Services

“We want to make Lancaster and Lancashire a centre of excellence which produces a flow of talent going into well-paid, skilled jobs,” says Mark, with Tech Lancaster looking to get the course up and running next year. “It’s about tapping into the potential of the area so we’ve got to deliver a great course which promotes transferable digital skills.

“That’s what we want people to have so they’re prepared for a 21st century jobs market,” adds Mark, who is from Liverpool and lives in Lancaster. “The timeline has been compromised a bit because of the whole Covid situation, but we’ve got great companies doing great work and we want an inclusive group of people from a wide range of backgrounds.”

While details are yet to be 100& confirmed due to the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, the programme is dedicated to plugging the current skills gap and will see participants guaranteed interviews at consortia companies, all of whom are working in conjunction with Lancaster and Morecambe College.

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Funding from the government’s Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund has also been secured to help get the ball rolling.

“We think of the internet economy as being ephemeral and intangible, but the internet is nuts and bolts and server farms and, here in the North West, we’ve got a heritage and tradition of innovation in that industry,” says Mark. “I can’t wait to get started and we’re excited about where we can go.

“We know, if we get this right, there’ll be a lot of exciting things happening as a result for the area,” he adds. “Big picture, it’s a small part of creating smart, safe, green cities.

“That’s a gift we can give to people now.”

For more information, head to https://www.tech-lancaster.org.uk/

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