IBM Launches Global Boot Camps to Help Small and Midsize Businesses Build Social Media Skills

ARMONK, N.Y., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the expansion of a global skills initiative to educate clients and business partners on social media tools and techniques to showcase expertise and create new business opportunities.  To join in the conversation around IBM's Social Media Boot Camps, visit LinkedIn .

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

With today's news, IBM is further investing in its clients and business partners across the world including emerging markets such as China, Australia and Saudi Arabia to develop the skills that will enable them to http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/36487.wss sharpen their social networking capabilities to build even stronger and more interactive ties with their clients. 

The IBM eight week social media boot camp is available to its business partners to provide the education and skills necessary to successfully engage in social media and begin driving the conversation around their brand.   This initiative provides IBM business partners and clients access to one-on-one social media coaches who set measurable goals for building and exercising social acumen.

This customized curriculum is designed for organizations to become more comfortable and effective in their marketing and sales efforts.  By using social networking tools and techniques participants learn to integrate social media into their daily business activities.

"Social media and social networking have greatly impacted the way we interact and communicate in our personal lives, how we promote our personal brands," said IBM Spokesperson. "But the real power of these concepts are still in its infancy in the business world. There are limitless opportunities for businesses to engage with their employees, business partners and customers over these social channels to help make better business decisions and reach new markets."

IBM Business Partners Gets Social

IBM Business Partner Starfire Technologies, Inc. was among the first organizations to enroll in IBM's Social Media Boot Camp. Prior to the program, Starfire's use of social media channels was limited. After enrolling in the eight week social skills program, Starfire is now leveraging social channels to re-architect the way it does business.

For example, as a result the tools and techniques offered by the Social Media Boot Camp, Starfire is reconstructing its company website, integrating social media tools and platforms to best interact with customers. The organization has transformed its business strategy by extending its reach through the social networks to create   significant interactions and two-way conversations with its customers.

"IBM's Social Media Boot Camp was instrumental in our understanding of how to effectively and strategically engage with our customers and business partners over social media platforms," said Mary Spurlock, Vice President of Marketing, Starfire Technologies, Inc..  "It also taught us enhanced ways to listen to our customers and engage in interactive conversations.  We learned to listen on the channels where our business partners and clients are participating, thus helping to identify and move opportunities faster through the pipeline. It's also helped us to create a valuable collaborative forum for marketing and client support."

Reaching Small and Midsize Businesses via Social

The amount SMBs spend on social media is set to almost double in 2012, according to recent market research. Almost two-thirds (64.4%) of SMBs currently market themselves via social media sites; however many still struggle in navigating the appropriate and relevant tools to harness business value for their organizations.

IBM Business Partner Key Information Systems serves SMBs in a variety of industries, encompassing 80 percent of the organization's client base, and agree that while social media is of profound interest to their clients, it is still posing a significant challenge. With Social Media Boot Camp, Key Information Services has not only better educated itself on how to better utilize social media resources, it is now sharing that knowledge with its clients and prospects.

"We're expanding and diversifying the way we connect with clients and prospects and honing in on what's relevant to SMBs," says Director of Marketing Pete Elliot, Key Information Systems. "We're hosting events where small and mid-sized organizations come together to learn about and collaborate on social media strategy. We're reaching new markets with creative social media marketing techniques. The IBM Social Media Bootcamp has helped take our efforts to a whole new level, further opening our eyes to the world of possibility and extending our ability to tap into new markets that we would have never reached without engaging over social media platforms."

After enrolling in IBM's Social Media Boot Camp, Key Information Systems has now integrated social into the work flow processes of every employee. Social has become a priority whether it's blogging or engaging with key constituents over Twitter, employees are dedicated to listening and interacting where their business partners, clients and prospects are talking.

IBM Business Partner Profitecture has played a leading role in working with IBM to deliver their Social Media Boot Camps for Business Partners and their unique process is helping to extend IBM's prowess in guiding organizations' transformation into social businesses.

At IBM's PartnerWorld Leadership Conference, IBM and Profitecture will also host mini Social Media Boot Camp sessions on Thursday, March 1 where more than 100 IBM business partners from across the globe will participate to discuss the opportunities of social media on a global scale. Business partners can also continue to work with their IBM/Profitecture social media coaches after the Boot Camp program for more advanced training or to fine tune their social strategies.

For more information about IBM's Social Media Boot Camps please visit click here.
For details on IBM's social business initiatives, please visit http://www.ibm.com/press/socialbusiness or follow #IBMSocialBiz on Twitter.  

Lizette Kodama

IBM Media Relations

646-675-0750

View the original article here

Region is finding the energy to solve skills shortfall

Energy Skills Foundation Programme award winners (left to right) Adam Crinnion (best project), Callum Leech (student of the year) and Leigh Yorke (highly commended

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
11:21 AM

With many business opportunities in the energy sector on the horizon more pressure is going to be piled on an industry already bemoaning a lack of skills. ANNABELLE DICKSON finds out what the challenge is and what is being done.

After more than two decades as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy, Jason Patchett left the service to carve out a career within the energy sector.

Ahead of leaving the service in 2010, Jason made contact with locally-based Forces4Energy as he searched for the right job in the oil, gas and energy sectors.

“They directed me toward prospective employers where my skills were compatible with what they wanted and where I could apply the skills I had,” he said.

Jason now works on the mechanical engineering side of oil and gas industry company Perenco, based in Great Yarmouth, where his role covers planning, procurement and adherence to regulations and while primarily office-based, his job does involve visiting the North Sea rigs to discuss issues such as equipment upgrades or planned maintenance.

Jason left the Royal Navy after serving for 21 years, including active service with HMS Battleaxe in the first Gulf War of 1991 and with HMS Grafton in the second Gulf conflict of 2003. He enlisted as a mechanic and left as a Petty Officer.

He added: “Making the move from the forces to the energy sector was not that difficult in terms of skills but I found it difficult in other areas, such as the different discipline and the change of culture. I had to adapt to that and Forces4Energy helped me do that.

“You need reassurance and to know that your skills are compatible with what is required, and in that Forces4Energy was there for me every time.”

When the latest generation of schoolchildren grow up the energy industry wants them to be engineers, project managers, geologists and technicians.

The established view that the industry is lacking the skills needed from this area has been confirmed in a new report out this week.

The Skills for Energy partnership commissioned report, Meeting the Energy Challenge, concluded that, at present, there are persistent skills shortages across the sector in ?most engineering disciplines from highly qualified engineers and experienced technicians to project managers with qualifications in engineering and more specialised areas such as geology, marine engineering and aeronautical engineering.

But it is not only the engineering skills. The report said more generic skills are needed in project management and business development skills are in demand.

Callum Leech, above centre, was one of the first students to join the Lowestoft College Energy Skills Foundation Programme.

The 19-year-old from Hopton completed the course and is now doing further training in operations and maintenance at the college on an ECITB course which will finish in June.

“Most of my family work in the energy sector,” he said. “It has given me the experience to find out what is there. I am looking to go towards offshore work as most of my family work offshore.”

Sean Largey, 18, has gone down the same route. He was given a leaflet about possible courses at the college at school.

“I did not know much about the industry and I thought it would be great to learn about it and learn about what was going on.”

He said that his first choice would be working offshore in gas and oil, but he realised that wind was an up and coming industry.

He said that he saw it as a long-term career path because of new oil and gas fields being found.

“If the opportunity arises, I would do future training and the company would like me to do it, I would definitely do extra training.”

Getting our act together, the report concludes, is critical to the region’s competitiveness, and will directly impact on it maintaining its current position as a significant energy hub.

So what is to be done?

Since 2007 this region has been piloting the Skills for Energy, which is a partnership between leading energy sector bosses, their direct supply chain together with training providers, schools, colleges, universities and the wider academic and skills sector and the public sector.

Head of UK operations at Perenco UK John Sewell, who is on the Skills for Energy board, said: “There is no doubt in my mind that for the next 15 to 20 years at least there is going to be a skills shortage.”

But he said: “We certainly think we are going in the right direction working with Skills for Energy and trying to get new talent into the region.”

Progress has been made. The Energy Skills Foundation Programme – a 12-month structured training programme which is an NVQ pre-apprenticeship course – is now in its third year at Lowestoft College giving students basic skills and a knowledge of the industry at an early age and the course is now being rolled out nationally.

Of the 21 students who have completed the course, all but one are in employment or further training. A further 16 are on the course this year.

Ferlin Quantrill, head of engineering at Lowestoft College, said: “There are plenty of opportunities and everybody is talking about the energy industry.

“This particular area seems to have a good share of it with oil, gas, wind and nuclear. We are well positioned and the college is geared up for it.”

At the other end of the spectrum the University of East Anglia, which currently has its first cohort of MSc energy engineering students, has recently approved a BEng three-year degree and MEng four-year course in energy engineering with environmental management.

And it is not just the schools and colleges that are working hard.

As well as targeting those about to set out on their career, work is being done in the region to attract former Armed Forces personnel.

Kip Morton, who has set up the company Forces4Energy to help former military personnel get into the energy sector, said: “We all know there is a skills gap and lots of companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running.

“The military guys have a high base level of skills and the discipline and experience of working in an engineering environment can easily adapt.

“It is not being used by employers as there is a problem with comprehension between what the military guys do and how they use them.

“We explain what the guys do and how they do it. When we talk plain English to the employers they realise the guys have a lot more to offer,” he said.

Plans are also being finalised for a new Energy Production Innovation and Skills Centre (EPIS) which has been supported by many industry heads.

The centre will allow regionally based small and medium sized businesses to develop their skills and capabilities.

The plan is that the new building will provide physical infrastructure, networks, facilities and equipment that is needed for training.

Mr Sewell said that as well as fully supporting the Skills for Energy programme Perenco itself had apprentices, was working with universities to provide year long undergraduate placements and is also running a post graduate training scheme.

But, Mr Sewell said: “I do not think there will ever be as much as we need to do being done.”

He said although the government was making a step in the right direction there needed to be more apprenticeship schemes.

“We are going in the right direction but there is always more to do. We have got to do more in the schools and educate both teachers and pupils about what the energy industry is about and the great opportunities there are in the industry.

“We haven’t been great at that and we are still not hitting all the right buttons.”

Celia Anderson, executive director at the East of England Energy Group who is leading the Skills for Energy programme said: “We have a single opportunity to exploit the huge opportunities ahead of us.

“The industry in the region wants to remain as a major generator and supplier of energy within UK and play a significant role on the world stage.

“This could be a period of the biggest growth that this area has ever seen. To support this we need to raise the ability of the local people to be the source of the skills, to be the first point of call when the companies are looking to develop and expand the workforce. That way we will ensure we maximise the economic benefits to the region. Otherwise, the business and the businesses will simply go elsewhere.”

She added that the most exciting conclusion of the work was that the industry believed it needed a body like Skills For Energy to be able to make this happen.

“With the third cohort of Energy Skills Foundation apprentices going through Lowestoft College, the first post graduates completing the MSc at UEA and recruitment starting for the bachelors and masters energy engineering programmes in 2013, a steady flow of people from the military, we are making progress.

“The EPISCentre will provide the focal point for the future industry training and an essential part of the education and training infrastructure.”

She said the next big area of focus was to establish an apprenticeship training agency to remove many of the barriers to companies wanting to take on apprentices both commercial and technical.

“We are working with Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex County Councils to improve the engagement with and support for schools through platforms such as U-Explore,” she said.

There is plenty of work to be done and many roles to be filled, but a pioneering industry-led body to address the issue.

What is clear is there are great opportunities and a buzz around the energy industry and the opportunities are there to be seized by the next generation.

Tomorrow the EDP will be looking at the potential for businesses to become part of the energy industry supply chain and what is being done to help them.

View the original article here

East Anglia region is finding the energy to solve skills shortfall

Energy Skills Foundation Programme award winners (left to right) Adam Crinnion (best project), Callum Leech (student of the year) and Leigh Yorke (highly commended

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
11:21 AM

With many business opportunities in the energy sector on the horizon more pressure is going to be piled on an industry already bemoaning a lack of skills. ANNABELLE DICKSON finds out what the challenge is and what is being done.

After more than two decades as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy, Jason Patchett left the service to carve out a career within the energy sector.

Ahead of leaving the service in 2010, Jason made contact with locally-based Forces4Energy as he searched for the right job in the oil, gas and energy sectors.

“They directed me toward prospective employers where my skills were compatible with what they wanted and where I could apply the skills I had,” he said.

Jason now works on the mechanical engineering side of oil and gas industry company Perenco, based in Great Yarmouth, where his role covers planning, procurement and adherence to regulations and while primarily office-based, his job does involve visiting the North Sea rigs to discuss issues such as equipment upgrades or planned maintenance.

Jason left the Royal Navy after serving for 21 years, including active service with HMS Battleaxe in the first Gulf War of 1991 and with HMS Grafton in the second Gulf conflict of 2003. He enlisted as a mechanic and left as a Petty Officer.

He added: “Making the move from the forces to the energy sector was not that difficult in terms of skills but I found it difficult in other areas, such as the different discipline and the change of culture. I had to adapt to that and Forces4Energy helped me do that.

“You need reassurance and to know that your skills are compatible with what is required, and in that Forces4Energy was there for me every time.”

When the latest generation of schoolchildren grow up the energy industry wants them to be engineers, project managers, geologists and technicians.

The established view that the industry is lacking the skills needed from this area has been confirmed in a new report out this week.

The Skills for Energy partnership commissioned report, Meeting the Energy Challenge, concluded that, at present, there are persistent skills shortages across the sector in ?most engineering disciplines from highly qualified engineers and experienced technicians to project managers with qualifications in engineering and more specialised areas such as geology, marine engineering and aeronautical engineering.

But it is not only the engineering skills. The report said more generic skills are needed in project management and business development skills are in demand.

Callum Leech, above centre, was one of the first students to join the Lowestoft College Energy Skills Foundation Programme.

The 19-year-old from Hopton completed the course and is now doing further training in operations and maintenance at the college on an ECITB course which will finish in June.

“Most of my family work in the energy sector,” he said. “It has given me the experience to find out what is there. I am looking to go towards offshore work as most of my family work offshore.”

Sean Largey, 18, has gone down the same route. He was given a leaflet about possible courses at the college at school.

“I did not know much about the industry and I thought it would be great to learn about it and learn about what was going on.”

He said that his first choice would be working offshore in gas and oil, but he realised that wind was an up and coming industry.

He said that he saw it as a long-term career path because of new oil and gas fields being found.

“If the opportunity arises, I would do future training and the company would like me to do it, I would definitely do extra training.”

Getting our act together, the report concludes, is critical to the region’s competitiveness, and will directly impact on it maintaining its current position as a significant energy hub.

So what is to be done?

Since 2007 this region has been piloting the Skills for Energy, which is a partnership between leading energy sector bosses, their direct supply chain together with training providers, schools, colleges, universities and the wider academic and skills sector and the public sector.

Head of UK operations at Perenco UK John Sewell, who is on the Skills for Energy board, said: “There is no doubt in my mind that for the next 15 to 20 years at least there is going to be a skills shortage.”

But he said: “We certainly think we are going in the right direction working with Skills for Energy and trying to get new talent into the region.”

Progress has been made. The Energy Skills Foundation Programme – a 12-month structured training programme which is an NVQ pre-apprenticeship course – is now in its third year at Lowestoft College giving students basic skills and a knowledge of the industry at an early age and the course is now being rolled out nationally.

Of the 21 students who have completed the course, all but one are in employment or further training. A further 16 are on the course this year.

Ferlin Quantrill, head of engineering at Lowestoft College, said: “There are plenty of opportunities and everybody is talking about the energy industry.

“This particular area seems to have a good share of it with oil, gas, wind and nuclear. We are well positioned and the college is geared up for it.”

At the other end of the spectrum the University of East Anglia, which currently has its first cohort of MSc energy engineering students, has recently approved a BEng three-year degree and MEng four-year course in energy engineering with environmental management.

And it is not just the schools and colleges that are working hard.

As well as targeting those about to set out on their career, work is being done in the region to attract former Armed Forces personnel.

Kip Morton, who has set up the company Forces4Energy to help former military personnel get into the energy sector, said: “We all know there is a skills gap and lots of companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running.

“The military guys have a high base level of skills and the discipline and experience of working in an engineering environment can easily adapt.

“It is not being used by employers as there is a problem with comprehension between what the military guys do and how they use them.

“We explain what the guys do and how they do it. When we talk plain English to the employers they realise the guys have a lot more to offer,” he said.

Plans are also being finalised for a new Energy Production Innovation and Skills Centre (EPIS) which has been supported by many industry heads.

The centre will allow regionally based small and medium sized businesses to develop their skills and capabilities.

The plan is that the new building will provide physical infrastructure, networks, facilities and equipment that is needed for training.

Mr Sewell said that as well as fully supporting the Skills for Energy programme Perenco itself had apprentices, was working with universities to provide year long undergraduate placements and is also running a post graduate training scheme.

But, Mr Sewell said: “I do not think there will ever be as much as we need to do being done.”

He said although the government was making a step in the right direction there needed to be more apprenticeship schemes.

“We are going in the right direction but there is always more to do. We have got to do more in the schools and educate both teachers and pupils about what the energy industry is about and the great opportunities there are in the industry.

“We haven’t been great at that and we are still not hitting all the right buttons.”

Celia Anderson, executive director at the East of England Energy Group who is leading the Skills for Energy programme said: “We have a single opportunity to exploit the huge opportunities ahead of us.

“The industry in the region wants to remain as a major generator and supplier of energy within UK and play a significant role on the world stage.

“This could be a period of the biggest growth that this area has ever seen. To support this we need to raise the ability of the local people to be the source of the skills, to be the first point of call when the companies are looking to develop and expand the workforce. That way we will ensure we maximise the economic benefits to the region. Otherwise, the business and the businesses will simply go elsewhere.”

She added that the most exciting conclusion of the work was that the industry believed it needed a body like Skills For Energy to be able to make this happen.

“With the third cohort of Energy Skills Foundation apprentices going through Lowestoft College, the first post graduates completing the MSc at UEA and recruitment starting for the bachelors and masters energy engineering programmes in 2013, a steady flow of people from the military, we are making progress.

“The EPISCentre will provide the focal point for the future industry training and an essential part of the education and training infrastructure.”

She said the next big area of focus was to establish an apprenticeship training agency to remove many of the barriers to companies wanting to take on apprentices both commercial and technical.

“We are working with Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex County Councils to improve the engagement with and support for schools through platforms such as U-Explore,” she said.

There is plenty of work to be done and many roles to be filled, but a pioneering industry-led body to address the issue.

What is clear is there are great opportunities and a buzz around the energy industry and the opportunities are there to be seized by the next generation.

Tomorrow the EDP will be looking at the potential for businesses to become part of the energy industry supply chain and what is being done to help them.

A large electrical shop in Dereham will shut this weekend nearly a year after the business was rescued by its rival Hughes Electrical.

Read full story »

View the original article here

Region is finding the energy to solve skills shortfall

Energy Skills Foundation Programme award winners (left to right) Adam Crinnion (best project), Callum Leech (student of the year) and Leigh Yorke (highly commended

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
11:21 AM

With many business opportunities in the energy sector on the horizon more pressure is going to be piled on an industry already bemoaning a lack of skills. ANNABELLE DICKSON finds out what the challenge is and what is being done.

After more than two decades as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy, Jason Patchett left the service to carve out a career within the energy sector.

Ahead of leaving the service in 2010, Jason made contact with locally-based Forces4Energy as he searched for the right job in the oil, gas and energy sectors.

“They directed me toward prospective employers where my skills were compatible with what they wanted and where I could apply the skills I had,” he said.

Jason now works on the mechanical engineering side of oil and gas industry company Perenco, based in Great Yarmouth, where his role covers planning, procurement and adherence to regulations and while primarily office-based, his job does involve visiting the North Sea rigs to discuss issues such as equipment upgrades or planned maintenance.

Jason left the Royal Navy after serving for 21 years, including active service with HMS Battleaxe in the first Gulf War of 1991 and with HMS Grafton in the second Gulf conflict of 2003. He enlisted as a mechanic and left as a Petty Officer.

He added: “Making the move from the forces to the energy sector was not that difficult in terms of skills but I found it difficult in other areas, such as the different discipline and the change of culture. I had to adapt to that and Forces4Energy helped me do that.

“You need reassurance and to know that your skills are compatible with what is required, and in that Forces4Energy was there for me every time.”

When the latest generation of schoolchildren grow up the energy industry wants them to be engineers, project managers, geologists and technicians.

The established view that the industry is lacking the skills needed from this area has been confirmed in a new report out this week.

The Skills for Energy partnership commissioned report, Meeting the Energy Challenge, concluded that, at present, there are persistent skills shortages across the sector in ?most engineering disciplines from highly qualified engineers and experienced technicians to project managers with qualifications in engineering and more specialised areas such as geology, marine engineering and aeronautical engineering.

But it is not only the engineering skills. The report said more generic skills are needed in project management and business development skills are in demand.

Callum Leech, above centre, was one of the first students to join the Lowestoft College Energy Skills Foundation Programme.

The 19-year-old from Hopton completed the course and is now doing further training in operations and maintenance at the college on an ECITB course which will finish in June.

“Most of my family work in the energy sector,” he said. “It has given me the experience to find out what is there. I am looking to go towards offshore work as most of my family work offshore.”

Sean Largey, 18, has gone down the same route. He was given a leaflet about possible courses at the college at school.

“I did not know much about the industry and I thought it would be great to learn about it and learn about what was going on.”

He said that his first choice would be working offshore in gas and oil, but he realised that wind was an up and coming industry.

He said that he saw it as a long-term career path because of new oil and gas fields being found.

“If the opportunity arises, I would do future training and the company would like me to do it, I would definitely do extra training.”

Getting our act together, the report concludes, is critical to the region’s competitiveness, and will directly impact on it maintaining its current position as a significant energy hub.

So what is to be done?

Since 2007 this region has been piloting the Skills for Energy, which is a partnership between leading energy sector bosses, their direct supply chain together with training providers, schools, colleges, universities and the wider academic and skills sector and the public sector.

Head of UK operations at Perenco UK John Sewell, who is on the Skills for Energy board, said: “There is no doubt in my mind that for the next 15 to 20 years at least there is going to be a skills shortage.”

But he said: “We certainly think we are going in the right direction working with Skills for Energy and trying to get new talent into the region.”

Progress has been made. The Energy Skills Foundation Programme – a 12-month structured training programme which is an NVQ pre-apprenticeship course – is now in its third year at Lowestoft College giving students basic skills and a knowledge of the industry at an early age and the course is now being rolled out nationally.

Of the 21 students who have completed the course, all but one are in employment or further training. A further 16 are on the course this year.

Ferlin Quantrill, head of engineering at Lowestoft College, said: “There are plenty of opportunities and everybody is talking about the energy industry.

“This particular area seems to have a good share of it with oil, gas, wind and nuclear. We are well positioned and the college is geared up for it.”

At the other end of the spectrum the University of East Anglia, which currently has its first cohort of MSc energy engineering students, has recently approved a BEng three-year degree and MEng four-year course in energy engineering with environmental management.

And it is not just the schools and colleges that are working hard.

As well as targeting those about to set out on their career, work is being done in the region to attract former Armed Forces personnel.

Kip Morton, who has set up the company Forces4Energy to help former military personnel get into the energy sector, said: “We all know there is a skills gap and lots of companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running.

“The military guys have a high base level of skills and the discipline and experience of working in an engineering environment can easily adapt.

“It is not being used by employers as there is a problem with comprehension between what the military guys do and how they use them.

“We explain what the guys do and how they do it. When we talk plain English to the employers they realise the guys have a lot more to offer,” he said.

Plans are also being finalised for a new Energy Production Innovation and Skills Centre (EPIS) which has been supported by many industry heads.

The centre will allow regionally based small and medium sized businesses to develop their skills and capabilities.

The plan is that the new building will provide physical infrastructure, networks, facilities and equipment that is needed for training.

Mr Sewell said that as well as fully supporting the Skills for Energy programme Perenco itself had apprentices, was working with universities to provide year long undergraduate placements and is also running a post graduate training scheme.

But, Mr Sewell said: “I do not think there will ever be as much as we need to do being done.”

He said although the government was making a step in the right direction there needed to be more apprenticeship schemes.

“We are going in the right direction but there is always more to do. We have got to do more in the schools and educate both teachers and pupils about what the energy industry is about and the great opportunities there are in the industry.

“We haven’t been great at that and we are still not hitting all the right buttons.”

Celia Anderson, executive director at the East of England Energy Group who is leading the Skills for Energy programme said: “We have a single opportunity to exploit the huge opportunities ahead of us.

“The industry in the region wants to remain as a major generator and supplier of energy within UK and play a significant role on the world stage.

“This could be a period of the biggest growth that this area has ever seen. To support this we need to raise the ability of the local people to be the source of the skills, to be the first point of call when the companies are looking to develop and expand the workforce. That way we will ensure we maximise the economic benefits to the region. Otherwise, the business and the businesses will simply go elsewhere.”

She added that the most exciting conclusion of the work was that the industry believed it needed a body like Skills For Energy to be able to make this happen.

“With the third cohort of Energy Skills Foundation apprentices going through Lowestoft College, the first post graduates completing the MSc at UEA and recruitment starting for the bachelors and masters energy engineering programmes in 2013, a steady flow of people from the military, we are making progress.

“The EPISCentre will provide the focal point for the future industry training and an essential part of the education and training infrastructure.”

She said the next big area of focus was to establish an apprenticeship training agency to remove many of the barriers to companies wanting to take on apprentices both commercial and technical.

“We are working with Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex County Councils to improve the engagement with and support for schools through platforms such as U-Explore,” she said.

There is plenty of work to be done and many roles to be filled, but a pioneering industry-led body to address the issue.

What is clear is there are great opportunities and a buzz around the energy industry and the opportunities are there to be seized by the next generation.

Tomorrow the EDP will be looking at the potential for businesses to become part of the energy industry supply chain and what is being done to help them.

View the original article here

East Anglia region is finding the energy to solve skills shortfall

Energy Skills Foundation Programme award winners (left to right) Adam Crinnion (best project), Callum Leech (student of the year) and Leigh Yorke (highly commended

Tuesday, February 28, 2012
11:21 AM

With many business opportunities in the energy sector on the horizon more pressure is going to be piled on an industry already bemoaning a lack of skills. ANNABELLE DICKSON finds out what the challenge is and what is being done.

After more than two decades as a marine engineer in the Royal Navy, Jason Patchett left the service to carve out a career within the energy sector.

Ahead of leaving the service in 2010, Jason made contact with locally-based Forces4Energy as he searched for the right job in the oil, gas and energy sectors.

“They directed me toward prospective employers where my skills were compatible with what they wanted and where I could apply the skills I had,” he said.

Jason now works on the mechanical engineering side of oil and gas industry company Perenco, based in Great Yarmouth, where his role covers planning, procurement and adherence to regulations and while primarily office-based, his job does involve visiting the North Sea rigs to discuss issues such as equipment upgrades or planned maintenance.

Jason left the Royal Navy after serving for 21 years, including active service with HMS Battleaxe in the first Gulf War of 1991 and with HMS Grafton in the second Gulf conflict of 2003. He enlisted as a mechanic and left as a Petty Officer.

He added: “Making the move from the forces to the energy sector was not that difficult in terms of skills but I found it difficult in other areas, such as the different discipline and the change of culture. I had to adapt to that and Forces4Energy helped me do that.

“You need reassurance and to know that your skills are compatible with what is required, and in that Forces4Energy was there for me every time.”

When the latest generation of schoolchildren grow up the energy industry wants them to be engineers, project managers, geologists and technicians.

The established view that the industry is lacking the skills needed from this area has been confirmed in a new report out this week.

The Skills for Energy partnership commissioned report, Meeting the Energy Challenge, concluded that, at present, there are persistent skills shortages across the sector in ?most engineering disciplines from highly qualified engineers and experienced technicians to project managers with qualifications in engineering and more specialised areas such as geology, marine engineering and aeronautical engineering.

But it is not only the engineering skills. The report said more generic skills are needed in project management and business development skills are in demand.

Callum Leech, above centre, was one of the first students to join the Lowestoft College Energy Skills Foundation Programme.

The 19-year-old from Hopton completed the course and is now doing further training in operations and maintenance at the college on an ECITB course which will finish in June.

“Most of my family work in the energy sector,” he said. “It has given me the experience to find out what is there. I am looking to go towards offshore work as most of my family work offshore.”

Sean Largey, 18, has gone down the same route. He was given a leaflet about possible courses at the college at school.

“I did not know much about the industry and I thought it would be great to learn about it and learn about what was going on.”

He said that his first choice would be working offshore in gas and oil, but he realised that wind was an up and coming industry.

He said that he saw it as a long-term career path because of new oil and gas fields being found.

“If the opportunity arises, I would do future training and the company would like me to do it, I would definitely do extra training.”

Getting our act together, the report concludes, is critical to the region’s competitiveness, and will directly impact on it maintaining its current position as a significant energy hub.

So what is to be done?

Since 2007 this region has been piloting the Skills for Energy, which is a partnership between leading energy sector bosses, their direct supply chain together with training providers, schools, colleges, universities and the wider academic and skills sector and the public sector.

Head of UK operations at Perenco UK John Sewell, who is on the Skills for Energy board, said: “There is no doubt in my mind that for the next 15 to 20 years at least there is going to be a skills shortage.”

But he said: “We certainly think we are going in the right direction working with Skills for Energy and trying to get new talent into the region.”

Progress has been made. The Energy Skills Foundation Programme – a 12-month structured training programme which is an NVQ pre-apprenticeship course – is now in its third year at Lowestoft College giving students basic skills and a knowledge of the industry at an early age and the course is now being rolled out nationally.

Of the 21 students who have completed the course, all but one are in employment or further training. A further 16 are on the course this year.

Ferlin Quantrill, head of engineering at Lowestoft College, said: “There are plenty of opportunities and everybody is talking about the energy industry.

“This particular area seems to have a good share of it with oil, gas, wind and nuclear. We are well positioned and the college is geared up for it.”

At the other end of the spectrum the University of East Anglia, which currently has its first cohort of MSc energy engineering students, has recently approved a BEng three-year degree and MEng four-year course in energy engineering with environmental management.

And it is not just the schools and colleges that are working hard.

As well as targeting those about to set out on their career, work is being done in the region to attract former Armed Forces personnel.

Kip Morton, who has set up the company Forces4Energy to help former military personnel get into the energy sector, said: “We all know there is a skills gap and lots of companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running.

“The military guys have a high base level of skills and the discipline and experience of working in an engineering environment can easily adapt.

“It is not being used by employers as there is a problem with comprehension between what the military guys do and how they use them.

“We explain what the guys do and how they do it. When we talk plain English to the employers they realise the guys have a lot more to offer,” he said.

Plans are also being finalised for a new Energy Production Innovation and Skills Centre (EPIS) which has been supported by many industry heads.

The centre will allow regionally based small and medium sized businesses to develop their skills and capabilities.

The plan is that the new building will provide physical infrastructure, networks, facilities and equipment that is needed for training.

Mr Sewell said that as well as fully supporting the Skills for Energy programme Perenco itself had apprentices, was working with universities to provide year long undergraduate placements and is also running a post graduate training scheme.

But, Mr Sewell said: “I do not think there will ever be as much as we need to do being done.”

He said although the government was making a step in the right direction there needed to be more apprenticeship schemes.

“We are going in the right direction but there is always more to do. We have got to do more in the schools and educate both teachers and pupils about what the energy industry is about and the great opportunities there are in the industry.

“We haven’t been great at that and we are still not hitting all the right buttons.”

Celia Anderson, executive director at the East of England Energy Group who is leading the Skills for Energy programme said: “We have a single opportunity to exploit the huge opportunities ahead of us.

“The industry in the region wants to remain as a major generator and supplier of energy within UK and play a significant role on the world stage.

“This could be a period of the biggest growth that this area has ever seen. To support this we need to raise the ability of the local people to be the source of the skills, to be the first point of call when the companies are looking to develop and expand the workforce. That way we will ensure we maximise the economic benefits to the region. Otherwise, the business and the businesses will simply go elsewhere.”

She added that the most exciting conclusion of the work was that the industry believed it needed a body like Skills For Energy to be able to make this happen.

“With the third cohort of Energy Skills Foundation apprentices going through Lowestoft College, the first post graduates completing the MSc at UEA and recruitment starting for the bachelors and masters energy engineering programmes in 2013, a steady flow of people from the military, we are making progress.

“The EPISCentre will provide the focal point for the future industry training and an essential part of the education and training infrastructure.”

She said the next big area of focus was to establish an apprenticeship training agency to remove many of the barriers to companies wanting to take on apprentices both commercial and technical.

“We are working with Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex County Councils to improve the engagement with and support for schools through platforms such as U-Explore,” she said.

There is plenty of work to be done and many roles to be filled, but a pioneering industry-led body to address the issue.

What is clear is there are great opportunities and a buzz around the energy industry and the opportunities are there to be seized by the next generation.

Tomorrow the EDP will be looking at the potential for businesses to become part of the energy industry supply chain and what is being done to help them.

A large electrical shop in Dereham will shut this weekend nearly a year after the business was rescued by its rival Hughes Electrical.

Read full story »

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IBM Expands Social Business Initiative To Help Organizations Develop Skills and Seize New Market Opportunity - Yahoo Finance

ARMONK, N.Y. , Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) is introducing new programs, services and partnerships to help organizations develop and deepen skills to accelerate business opportunities being driven by the rapid adoption of social networking in the enterprise. According to Forrester Research, the market opportunity for social enterprise apps is expected to grow at a rate of 61 percent through 2016, reaching $6.4 billion , compared with $600 million last year.*

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

With today's news, IBM is investing in its clients and business partners to develop the skills, technical support and industry resources that will allow them to effectively adopt social networking capabilities to transform their business operations.

This includes introducing new technical workshops designed to improve skills and consulting offerings to help develop a business culture that fosters open collaboration and sharing among employees, clients, and business partners. Through the use of interactive online courses, live support and one-on-one guidance with IBM Social Business experts, IBM is working with organizations across the globe to educate them on the benefits of applying social networking technology to their organizations, while at the same time helping to assess the barriers of social business for faster adoption.

As the industry leader in social business, among the first to embrace social internally and to develop social computing policy and guidelines, IBM is poised to help organizations exploit the transformation into a social business, helping them to build stronger relationships among their employees, customers and business partners and make better decisions, faster. A successful social business must combine the use of social technologies with a business culture that promotes transparency, trust and information sharing among the workforce. Quite often, organizations need guidance around developing social policy, governance, the skills needed for compliance and connecting social technologies to business processes.

Through the new social business initiatives, IBM is delivering the right set of skills, technical support, development resources, and industry expertise that will allow clients and business partners to expand their social business capabilities effectively and accelerate adoption. This includes:

Strategic consulting from IBM Global Business Services to help organizations better understand their current adoption of social business tools for both internal and external purposes and helps to articulate how social business accelerates and alleviates business challenges. Global educational and mentorship programs for clients and business partners on how to become effective community managers, the fastest growing job in social, while increasing employee engagement over top, line-of-business communities on the social software platform. Technical certification programs that help customers and business partners validate and demonstrate their skills through assessment exams and training resources so that they can plan for and perform the installation, configuration and day-to-day tasks associated with ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of social software solutions. Social Business Agenda workshops on IBM PartnerWorld providing immediate access to discussions forums focused on the benefits of becoming a social business, providing clients and business partners with case study examples of successful social businesses, and helping them to develop an agenda for driving social adoption.

IBM is also announcing a partnership with The Dachis Group, the world's leader in powering the design, development, management, and measurement of Social Business performance, to help organizations quickly drive adoption success through a social business adoption quickstart workshop. The workshop combines IBM services for the implementation of Social Business solutions for enterprises with additional services from The Dachis Group and focuses on the use of social business technology while fostering cultural skills and engagement.

IBM is also collaborating with Group Business System, an IBM Business Partner, to help IBM clients convert IBM Lotus Notes applications into applications accessible on the Web or via mobile devices. The new IBM services offering using Group Business System's Transformer product will help clients retain the value of their significant investments made over the years in the Lotus Notes and Domino platform while enabling them to take full advantage of the latest web technology to support their business.

According to a 2011 AIIM survey, over 50 percent of user organisations now consider becoming a Social Business to be imperative or significant to their business goals. However, many organizations use social technologies only to find them fall flat. This is often the case because of a failure to align their Social Business strategy to their unique, organizational culture. According to the 2011 State of Community Management Report from The Community Roundtable, culture is the hardest thing to change in an organization. According to a survey from the report, 28 percent of respondents said that their organizational culture was either resistant to sharing, controlling, or paranoid.

"The opportunity to transform into a social business can be stunted without a focus on engagement, culture change, and policy," said Alistair Rennie , General Manager, Social Business, IBM. "Social technologies, when combined with the right skills and culture, can truly unlock the potential of people within the organization to collaborate, innovate, make smarter business decisions and ultimately drive their bottom line."

For more information about IBM's social business initiative, please visit http://www.ibm.com/press/socialbusiness or follow #IBMSocialBiz on Twitter.

*"Social Enterprise Apps Redefine Collaboration," Forrester Research, Inc., November 30, 2011 .

Media Contact: Dana Carr
dcarr@us.ibm.com
617-693-5881

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IBM Expands Social Business Initiative To Help Organizations Develop Skills and Seize New Market Opportunity

ARMONK, N.Y. , Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) is introducing new programs, services and partnerships to help organizations develop and deepen skills to accelerate business opportunities being driven by the rapid adoption of social networking in the enterprise. According to Forrester Research, the market opportunity for social enterprise apps is expected to grow at a rate of 61 percent through 2016, reaching $6.4 billion , compared with $600 million last year.*

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

With today's news, IBM is investing in its clients and business partners to develop the skills, technical support and industry resources that will allow them to effectively adopt social networking capabilities to transform their business operations.

This includes introducing new technical workshops designed to improve skills and consulting offerings to help develop a business culture that fosters open collaboration and sharing among employees, clients, and business partners. Through the use of interactive online courses, live support and one-on-one guidance with IBM Social Business experts, IBM is working with organizations across the globe to educate them on the benefits of applying social networking technology to their organizations, while at the same time helping to assess the barriers of social business for faster adoption.

As the industry leader in social business, among the first to embrace social internally and to develop social computing policy and guidelines, IBM is poised to help organizations exploit the transformation into a social business, helping them to build stronger relationships among their employees, customers and business partners and make better decisions, faster. A successful social business must combine the use of social technologies with a business culture that promotes transparency, trust and information sharing among the workforce. Quite often, organizations need guidance around developing social policy, governance, the skills needed for compliance and connecting social technologies to business processes.

Through the new social business initiatives, IBM is delivering the right set of skills, technical support, development resources, and industry expertise that will allow clients and business partners to expand their social business capabilities effectively and accelerate adoption. This includes:

Strategic consulting from IBM Global Business Services to help organizations better understand their current adoption of social business tools for both internal and external purposes and helps to articulate how social business accelerates and alleviates business challenges. Global educational and mentorship programs for clients and business partners on how to become effective community managers, the fastest growing job in social, while increasing employee engagement over top, line-of-business communities on the social software platform. Technical certification programs that help customers and business partners validate and demonstrate their skills through assessment exams and training resources so that they can plan for and perform the installation, configuration and day-to-day tasks associated with ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of social software solutions. Social Business Agenda workshops on IBM PartnerWorld providing immediate access to discussions forums focused on the benefits of becoming a social business, providing clients and business partners with case study examples of successful social businesses, and helping them to develop an agenda for driving social adoption.

IBM is also announcing a partnership with The Dachis Group, the world's leader in powering the design, development, management, and measurement of Social Business performance, to help organizations quickly drive adoption success through a social business adoption quickstart workshop. The workshop combines IBM services for the implementation of Social Business solutions for enterprises with additional services from The Dachis Group and focuses on the use of social business technology while fostering cultural skills and engagement.

IBM is also collaborating with Group Business System, an IBM Business Partner, to help IBM clients convert IBM Lotus Notes applications into applications accessible on the Web or via mobile devices. The new IBM services offering using Group Business System's Transformer product will help clients retain the value of their significant investments made over the years in the Lotus Notes and Domino platform while enabling them to take full advantage of the latest web technology to support their business.

According to a 2011 AIIM survey, over 50 percent of user organisations now consider becoming a Social Business to be imperative or significant to their business goals. However, many organizations use social technologies only to find them fall flat. This is often the case because of a failure to align their Social Business strategy to their unique, organizational culture. According to the 2011 State of Community Management Report from The Community Roundtable, culture is the hardest thing to change in an organization. According to a survey from the report, 28 percent of respondents said that their organizational culture was either resistant to sharing, controlling, or paranoid.

"The opportunity to transform into a social business can be stunted without a focus on engagement, culture change, and policy," said Alistair Rennie , General Manager, Social Business, IBM. "Social technologies, when combined with the right skills and culture, can truly unlock the potential of people within the organization to collaborate, innovate, make smarter business decisions and ultimately drive their bottom line."

For more information about IBM's social business initiative, please visit http://www.ibm.com/press/socialbusiness or follow #IBMSocialBiz on Twitter.

*"Social Enterprise Apps Redefine Collaboration," Forrester Research, Inc., November 30, 2011 .

Media Contact: Dana Carr
dcarr@us.ibm.com
617-693-5881

View the original article here

Find solutions to problems, package your skills this year - Jamaica Observer

WITH the excitement of the holidays and the elections behind us, one thing everyone can agree on is 2012 will be a tough year and all Jamaicans could do with extra money. So what are the areas in which one can earn extra income?

According to money coach and founder of Financially SMART Services, Cherryl Hanson Simpson, one should think about finding solutions to people's problems, package the skills you have, and tap into the global market through the Internet.

"Regardless on the size of your business, you have to understand, entrepreneurs make money by solving people's problems. There are opportunities wherever you can provide a service or product to someone. It could be at your school, your workplace or church, wherever people are gathered. Try to think about what is it that people want that they are willing to pay money for," she said.

"For example, one of the problems at many workplaces is that many people don't have breakfast; this could be a business opportunity. It doesn't have to be something as big as ackee and saltfish; it could be something simple like waffles or fritters -- whatever I can serve to my co-workers to make a few extra dollars," Hanson Simpson said.

Setting a target that you are working towards helps one to be more focused on what is needed to make the business successful. If you need money to pay for a particular item or pay for a credit card debt, knowing how much you need helps you set weekly and help in the pricing of goods or services, she suggested.

Hanson Simpson also said that Jamaicans need to tap into the global market via the Internet if they want to grow their small business outside the island. Affiliate marketing and auction websites like eBay are great ways to take your business to the international market.

"It's not enough to say nut'n nah gwaan in Jamaica; people all over the world are establishing businesses on the Internet. There are ways for people to link up and do business without it costing them a cent. It doesn't have to be an extensive business, it can be a niche market," she the money coach whose website address is www.financiallysmart.org.

"Not because things are tough in Jamaica, not everyone is poor. Remember the money that is leaving your pocket is going into someone else's pocket. There are countries in the world, such as China where hundreds of millionaires are being made," Hanson Simpson said.

She also suggested that Jamaicans take advantage of the unique products available in the island and sell them to the world; spices, herbs, handmade jewellery are some that come to mind.

Hanson Simpson further encouraged Jamaicans to read and learn about business through books and online.

"If you don't have a computer at home, there are many Internet cafés around which offer Internet service for as little as $500 for half an hour. One of the books I recommend is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. Almost everybody I speak to who has read that book has developed some business idea from it," she said.

One way to make extra money is to attractively package the skills you have and teach them to others.

"The new economy is not about what you have; it's about what you know. It's about understanding how to make money from what you know," she said.

HANSON SIMPSON... there are opportunities wherever you can provide a service or product to someone

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