New firm will boost skills of people left behind by technology
A NEW social enterprise in Manchester has been set up to help people from traditional industrial communities adapt to the dynamic world of work.
Set up by Coral Grainger, managing director of Capital Relations, and Andy Lovatt, owner of The White Room, New Digital Futures, works with local governments and private sector organisations to form enterprise partnerships.
The joint venture will help schools, businesses and councils train their staff to adapt in the new digital age.
Coral Grainger said: “If you’re in an industrial town that doesn’t have an established creative digital technology sector and then you lose a main employer, where are the new jobs for those people going to come from?
“I want to find a way to bring some digital skills into those communities so that those people can find jobs or set up their own businesses.
“After Brexit, some communities felt they weren’t getting the benefits of the new economy and the global economy and it’s about helping people tap into that.”
She has worked with schools in the past to advise them on their curriculum with digital and IT skills.
The company’s website claims: ‘More than 50,000 software jobs are waiting to be filled across the North of England but schools, colleges and universities are unable to respond to the rapidly changing requirements of business.
Grainger added: “To be able to make your own solutions, problems solving and team work are so important now to working in modern workplaces and digital workplaces.
“Maybe qualifications aren’t being taught in the way that’s best leant to business.
“I’ve advised colleges on their curriculum on what and how they should be teaching IT and digital skills.”
Grainger’s roots are in local government, working for Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council earlier in her career, so this new venture is certainly something close to her heart.
“I cared very passionately about the quality of place and people’s quality of life”, she explained.
As a TechStars community leader, she helps to support start-ups in Manchester.
Her company, Capital Relations, has worked with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Enterprise, Manchester City Council and Manchester Institute for Innovation Research.
