OPINION GUEST COMMENT


STEVE BUSHELL, director of marketing at leading technology services provider Probrand in the heart of Birmingham, explores the future of apprenticeships and how technology is set to play a critical role in connecting young innovators and business.


echnology entrepreneur Lord Sugar is renowned for dividing a room and his more recent profile as a stark TV personality perhaps belies his humble beginnings. However, real world apprenticeships are generally not as


sugar coated in driving young people forward and it is the disconnect between education, innovation and business that needs addressing. Indeed, apprenticeships that nurture innovation should be the focus. There’s no question that the bright green shoots of


innovation stem from education and ultimately when harnessed this goes on to drive growth in business and the broader economy. But better technology learning platforms will drive innovation critical mass through education and improve the chances of it reaching the commercial environment.


Importance of tech apprentices T


There’s no doubt that children are ahead of the learning curve when it comes to technology engaging them at home. But this means educators have to step up their level of technology well beyond what is accessible at home to maintain pupils’ attention and push innovation. Indeed, education secretary Michael Gove is looking to


review the national ICT curriculum because it is currently not inspiring innovation. The launch of simple coding computer, Raspberry Pi, is a further indication that the grass roots of innovation rely on technology accessibility in education. Why is this important? The growth of ‘digitisation’ is set to


transform business over the next 20 years and technology apprentices will be an asset to our information economy, which is critical if we are to beat the emerging markets. The UK recently slipped down the ladder to be the seventh


biggest economy behind Brazil yet on a positive note the Boston Consultancy Group has reported that 8.3 per cent UK GDP came from internet economy compared to a 4.1 per cent related average GDP across G20 countries. So, driving technology innovation will help to improve the UK’s position in the global marketplace. More innovators coming out of education can, therefore, unlock more potential. The next step is providing that vital and practical link between great ideas and business. This is a gap that Vince Cable is trying to bridge with


‘Young technology apprentices will be an asset to our information economy’


technology innovation centres to connect innovation spawned from education and nurture it on into business. However, this amicable first step needs super charging and this is where as a business we have started to commit to the apprentice movement with a unique approach from Mercato Solutions that combines data management and simple online tools. The tools help people do a better job faster by guiding them


through a business process, unlocking business intelligence and sharing knowledge quickly. Within a structured workflow environment, uninitiated


users are empowered with rich information that enables them to learn and deliver on their role fast whilst offering a degree of freedom to use their initiative. When applied to the next generation of


young innovators taking up apprenticeships this is yielding striking results, connecting education with business directly. Apprentices are being trained faster than ever before, they are sharing their creative ideas and this in time will yield business growth. Indeed, Mercato technology is being used by a university as a real-life training platform for a software architecture course. In short, the technology is here and now is the time for industry to collaborate and reduce the gap between education and business and awaken an equitable economy.


OCTOBER 2012 CHAMBERLINK 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56