As you know, Skillset works with and on behalf of your industry to support skills and training for people and businesses to ensure we maintain our world class position. Essential to this is identifying what you and your industry needs in order to ensure resources are targeted to where there is need. Your ongoing work with us to collate this evidence is integral to this process and we are pleased to work with you.

Also essential to the evidence base is the systematic articulation of need from as large a sample of the industry as possible. As you know Skillset has worked with the industry to develop a questionnaire to this end. The opportunity to complete a questionnaire ends next Friday 28^th November 2008. Please could you encourage your colleagues to participate by completing the questionnaire online here: http://www.qualasys.com/skillset_workforce_survey_2008.htm. I am attaching some text you can use to communicate to colleagues if you wish.

The questionnaire takes less than 15 minutes to complete. Questions about how the individual works are asked to put those on training, qualifications and skills into context. All the information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. Data management will adhere to the 1998 Data Protection Act and the survey findings will be produced in such a way that no individuals will be identifiable.

Last night saw me give a speech at MITA AGM – the “Moving Image Training Alliance” – a group of 30 or so professional training companies supporting the screen-based industry. It’s a real success in it lasting for over a year – many trade associations crumble early, so much of my talk was congratulatory. But then I was asked to discuss what the key challenges facing the training professionals in keeping our industries healthy and skilled are – which leads, of course, to thoughts about the future. It was also one of the first times that I have given an actual speech – with it written down (I usually just talk!) . So, in the spirit of exploiting content I thought I would publish an extract here – it’s a bit long, but it may be of interest:

“I was asked me to do a number of things in my talk today – and one of which is to talk about the challenges facing the training professionals in equipping creative media industry with the skills they need for the future. It is this view of the future that I want to focus on tonight.  (more…)