SKILLS Children get a lesson in broadband


Primary school children in Melton were the first in Leicestershire to try out a new learning resource developed by the county council which explains how fibre broadband works. The new learning tool, known as


the interactive cube, was developed by the Superfast Leicestershire team to teach children how the internet reaches their homes and to broaden the knowledge of youngsters around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills. With the STEM skills gap costing


the UK £1.5bn a year, inspiring British school children to pursue these subjects has never been more important. The Superfast Leicestershire


interactive cube aims to help Leicestershire children bridge this gap. Through building their own fibre broadband network and connecting all the towns and villages, children can learn about the engineering behind the delivery and installation of fibre broadband. The group of Year 6 pupils at


Brownlow Primary School, in Melton, spent the morning learning how fibre broadband travels from their local telephone exchange into their homes, enabling them to use the internet for learning, as well as enjoying popular apps such as YouTube and Netflix. The pupils enjoyed a visit from


Openreach engineer Nick Woodward to learn the technical side of broadband. Pupils also learnt about the safety aspects of using broadband from a


‘Children can learn about the engineering behind the delivery and installation of fibre broadband’


representative from Leicestershire Police force. The new interactive learning


cube features a magnetic surface which is designed to look like a map of a local village. Buildings that are familiar to children such as libraries and shops have been included alongside homes, farms and telephone exchange points so


they can see how the main fibre network or spine is so important to the project. Information on how it all works is included on the sides, along with an information key and a suggested game to play. Superfast Leicestershire is


playing a leading role in making faster broadband available in rural areas, already reaching more than


Pupils with the Superfast Leicestershire team


70,000 homes and businesses across the county since the first broadband cabinet went live in 2014. The most recent parts of


Leicestershire to benefit from superfast fibre broadband include Gumley, Sapcote, and Barton in the Beans, which are getting a fibre connection for the very first time.


For more information about the programme visit www.superfastleicestershire.org.uk


Skills in the region the focus of new report


An innovative training event for over 70 teachers took place recently to raise awareness of the latest skills needs research for Leicester and Leicestershire. Teachers from local schools, colleges and academies attended the event, held at City Hall, Leicester, to hear an update on the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) Skills for the Future 2018-2030 research findings. The report, to be published shortly, gives an insight


as to which industries are growing and will provide jobs in the future. The report also confirms that employers


perceptions of young people’s job readiness has improved significantly from 33% in the Skills for the Future report published in 2016, to 44% of the sample of employers questioned in 2018. Fiona Baker, LLEP Strategy Lead for People (skills),


said: “It is great news that more young people are now able to demonstrate they understand which skills are important to employers who are recruiting. “We are helping educators to develop interactive


resources about local labour market information so that students can identify hot and cold jobs. The hot jobs


60 business network November 2018


are those in expanding sectors like logistics, storage and transport, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and engineering, such as space data and artificial intelligence, and professional services. “With well in excess of 42,000 businesses operating


across Leicester and Leicestershire it is really important that schools and colleges are aware of trends and needs across local industries in order to best support young people when making careers decisions.” The event also presented a myth-busting update on


the logistics industry with Ian Evley, a Growth Hub business adviser at the LLEP Business Gateway. Ian said: “Leicestershire is a huge hot spot for


logistics, due to its central location, and employs 50,000 people, that’s approximately ten per cent of the jobs in the local area. It is an industry that may be unknown to a lot of young people, so I enjoyed the opportunity to offer insights on this really exciting and innovative industry sector.” The LLEP coordinated the event as part of a


wider agenda to help schools and colleges with the latest area skills needs information, and embed this knowledge into careers activities.


Fiona Baker


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