Dorset Digital Skills Partnership

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Organisations across Dorset are working together to ensure the workforce has the skills needed for a digital future.

The Dorset Digital Skills Partnership is inspiring schools, companies and organisations to build the digital skills needed to help the economy thrive and establish the county as a leading digital skills community.

It is an active partnership of 20 members that represent a broad sector of Dorset organisations. including:

both Dorset councils
the further and higher education sectors
private businesses

The partners meet regularly and bring with them energy and creative ideas on how to boost digital skills provision for the county’s current and future workforce.

Leading the way…

In 2024, Dorset Council, leading member of the Dorset DSP, joined FutureDotNow and a team of over 40 organisations to develop a plan to close the UK workforce digital skills gap. Dorset Council is involved in the workstream looking to understand how cultural and motivational drivers support building digital skills and confidence.

The Dorset DSP is also now represented on the DSP Regional Coordinators Group. Other members include Lancashire, the Heart of the Southwest, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, the West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Hull & East Yorkshire.

Involvement in national programmes supports the aim of the DSP to establish Dorset as a leading digital skills community.

A group of people standing in front of Bournemouth University building.

A person standing by the Dorset Skill pop up stall.

Dorset local skills improvement plan

The Dorset Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) was launched in November 2022. Dorset Chamber who have led this critical piece of work to understand the current and future skills landscape has worked with a wide range of stakeholders including employers, education and training providers and organisations supporting learners and people not-in-employment.

An Employer Priorities report published in March 2024 spotlighted the skills businesses need now and, in the future, based on the latest data from employers and the local labour market. This was followed in June 2024 by a Progress Report outlining action taken to date and plans going forward. Digital skills have been clearly identified as a training need for all levels.

DSP members have used these data and insights to underpin their work and the new partnership between the DSP, FutureDotNow and Dorset Chamber will look to promote solutions for employers. Enabling this is a new Dorset Skills group which connects people and promotes training opportunities across Dorset.

Skills & Learning

Skills & Learning Adult Community Education is the joint adult education service for BCP and Dorset Councils.

They offer a range of computing and digital skills courses which have been offered for free throughout 2024/25 funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and through the local Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) skills grants.

According to the 2024 Lloyds Digital Consumer Index, 32% of the population have low or very low digital capability so providing easy access to courses at a range of levels is important.

The courses on offer aim to help people be safer online, improve job prospects and help to make the most of IT.

Skills & Learning have supported 250 Dorset residents to improve their digital skills since September 2024 and have a commitment to removing barriers to access to good quality digital skills training by continuing to offer free digital skills courses below level 2.

Two people sitting on a desk, in front of their laptop

People sitting in groups, using their laptops.

Boscombe digital skills hub

The Digital Skills Hub in Boscombe, delivered by Business Growth Dorset and funded by BCP Council, delivers free courses, events, workshops and masterclasses to both residents and businesses.

More than 8000 people have used the Hub since it opened in Summer 2023 and the project is funded until April 2026.

The Hub won two awards in 2024, ‘Seetec Partner of the Year’ and ‘Visa – Let’s Celebrate Towns’ and was visited by Gail Porter for Get Online Week in October to highlight the issue of digital inclusion.

Cosmic digital leadership course

With 10 years' experience delivering courses in digital leadership, Cosmic were commissioned to train leaders of Dorset’s businesses in digital transformation empowering them with the skills and insights needed to thrive in this digital age.

So far, 23 people have completed either a 5 day or 3 day course with the offer of 1-1 business mentoring.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive:

“This course was a reminder that self-doubt can creep in, even for those who feel 'digitally savvy.' It's crucial to stay confident and curious to continue adapting and growing.”

“It has improved my confidence surrounding digital and has made a lot of parts seem accessible that I previously thought were out of my league.”

“My knowledge and confidence has increased dramatically within the digital space. Each week I came away with good tangible takeaways and knowledge to share with my team.”

" Thanks to Cosmic's Digital Leadership programme, we increase our Facebook clicks by 2300% - all through automation. This programme has saved us weeks of work, allowing us to focus on what really matters." Laren Sewell - Digital Content Lead, Jurassic Coast Trust

4 people standing together. 2 people in the middle showing their phone screen.

Digitising Social Care in Dorset

The Digitising Social Care (DiSC) project supports the transformation of care homes and domiciliary agencies by promoting the benefits of upskilling in digital, providing funding opportunities and supporting them to overcome barriers.

In 2024, 15 people undertook a course in Social Care Digital Leadership, which will be further promoted with case studies and, 56 people have used the new digital skills self-assessment tool to understand their current skill level and how they can develop their skills. In-person visits to care homes across Dorset since November are helping staff realise the benefits of digital upskilling.

Dorset Council is also working with Skills for Care and Partners for Care to support staff through digital champion training and establishing a Digital Champion Network.

Embedded Digital Champion Programme

The Embedded Digital Champion (EDC) programme was relaunched in April 2024 funded by the SPF. The scheme aims to digitally upskill Dorset’s workforce and help them to support their customers to access digital services and tools.

Three training paths are offered – an EDC welcome session with Barclays Digital Champion training, an EDC training module for NHS staff and an online programme for internal staff at Dorset Council, with nearly 500 people taking part in 2024!

In total, 1665 people across Dorset have received EDC training. A monthly EDC e-newsletter keeps the community up to date with the latest digital skills information both to develop their own digital skills and to provide information and signposting to Dorset’s residents.

3 people standing around a 'Become an Embedded Digital Champion' carboard cutout

Cyber security focus group

The government reported in 2024 that 50% of businesses and 32% of charities reported having experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months and, concerningly, there had been a fall in the proportion of businesses seeing information or guidance.

To help tackle this. the Cyber Security Focus Group identified key organisations offering free support including the Southwest Cyber Resilience Centre (SWCRC). Cyber security tips are now included in the Dorset Council and BCP Council business e-newsletters every month and the SWCRC Dorset membership numbers have improved as a result.

A Cyber Escape Room exercise was run by the Southwest Regional Cyber Crime Unit for local businesses and organisations with practical tips to take away and resulted in some great feedback.

The group also heard from key industry speakers including the CyberSHIP project at the University of Plymouth.

Women in tech Dorset

Launched in 2022 by co-founders Seemin Suleri and Sharon Jones, the Women in Tech Dorset (WiTD) community provides a positive and engaging space where women can learn from each other and be inspired.

WiTD hold regular in person and online events with speakers from local to international businesses and organisations with opportunities to network and build local business contacts.

5 children, 4 girls and a boy holding laptops with coding activities on the front of them

Dorset Coding Day

Record numbers of students took part in Coding Day 2024 delivered in partnership with Dorset Council, Barclays Digital Eagles and BCP Council.

Now in its third year, a whopping 68 schools, 73 teachers and well over 7000 students got involved, with support from 42 local volunteers from 27 local businesses and organisations and 8 students from Weymouth College.

But what next?

Dorset’s first STEM Education Workshop was held in December bringing together, businesses, educators and local authorities, the first step to determining a successful strategy to support STEM teaching and career opportunities for Dorset’s young people.

Contact us

You can email digitaldorset@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk for further information if you are a Dorset organisation or business wanting to join the partnership.