New ICT4SMEs to “Make Businesses More Competitive”

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Continuing the theme of Europan Social Fund (ESF) funding in co ““ operation with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the new eCademy ICT4SMEs scheme was launched by Emily Thornberry MP.

The project will target small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and will provide the delivery of a coherent, comprehensive and collaborative approach to the issues of bridging the skills gap (which has been so often referred to in recent months) and crossing any barriers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The project will also face the challenges presented to businesses in the competitive market and will address the fears born of a dearth of adequate skills and training.

New Ways of Working

The project entitled ICT Security and Wireless for SMEs will educate SMEs in the ways in which networks are able to improve efficiency levels whilst remaining cost ““ efficient in office work. It will also assist companies in using broadband services and even wireless technology as these open up new avenues for working practices.

The people being focused upon in this are those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, women, excluded employees and employees with low ICT qualifications. This will be free for small local businesses (excepting a small fees charge for qualifications) thanks to the generous funding supplied by the ESF.

The Project Manager, Peter Hutchison, highlighted the potential for improvement that the ICT4SMEs scheme was designed to encourage, saying: “Over 25 per cent of SMEs in London do not have the skills or knowledge to use IT effectively, they are becoming disenchanted and are “clicking off,” this will cost businesses money. ICT4SMEs aims to tackle IT needs to make businesses more competitive in increasingly competitive times.”

The project is available to SMEs in the following London boroughs: Camden, Islington, The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, Southwark, Wandsworth and the City of Westminster.

For further information, please contact Deepa Taneja at [email protected]. Alternatively, please call 020 7837 5555, or click here.

Jethro Marsh

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