That was, of course, one of the battle cries of the 1997 Election campaign. 13 years on, education may have had a lower profile in the current campaign, but – for today’s learners, for teachers and lecturers, for parents, and for the businesses that will employ those finishing their education – it is no less critical.
Virtual Viewing is firmly committed to playing a role in the education of tomorrow’s workforce, as we recognise the importance not just of producing a future workforce that has the skills and attitudes that will serve business and the economy best, but of ensuring that students receive the best and most relevant education that they can so that they are best equipped to play a future role.
Our Board has a strategic view on helping to develop education practices to help grow the next generation of developers and designers and on offering consultation that provides industry knowledge for the partnership between academia and business. As a company that operates across Europe, we are, for example, central to the development of the Central European Academy of IT Excellence: this initiative involves British and Polish education agencies and key partners in both countries, who will be collaborating to create an academy that will explore new teaching and learning methods across the disciplines of computing, IT and graphic design.
We have also helped UK colleges and universities to develop new vocational curricula in consultation with industry – work that has been recognised by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. As a company with its roots in Milton Keynes, we have always been actively involved in many aspects of life in our local community. As one example, we have been working in collaboration with Milton Keynes College and University Centre Milton Keynes (UCMK) to make much more of a contribution to local further and higher education provision than just developing their website (although you can download a PDF Case Study to find out more about web development work for the College).
Drawing on our specialist industry input in the design of the curriculum and syllabus, UCMK is now offering a Commercial Digital Technology Foundation Degree for first enrolment in October 2010, which can be studied either full-time or part-time (details of the course are available online, or in the downloadable UCMK prospectus).
Milton Keynes College is also offering courses for which Virtual Viewing has been proud to act as an employer champion: starting in September 2010, students will be able to enrol on Foundation, Higher or Advanced Diplomas in Information Technology, where the curriculum explores three broad skill themes – business, interpersonal and technical.
At each level, The Diploma in Information Technology teaches students the importance of information technology in our economy and society, and the breadth of its applications. Reflecting the input from business in the course design in terms of the competencies required of young technology professionals, students learn not just how to create technical solutions but also how organisations work (and the roles that technology can play within them) and how to work well with others.
We also work to support the education and development of younger learners, engaging actively with educational establishments. Our MD, Stewart Bailey, was recently appointed as an IT Employer Champion, supporting the Milton Keynes Consortium – which incorporates Milton Keynes College and a growing number of local schools – in support of local provision of the new IT Diploma.
Stewart’s ongoing work with Countec, Milton Keynes Education Business Partnership, for whom we regularly speaks to groups of local students, was recognised with a Business Ambassador: Highly Commended Commitment Award at the Milton Keynes Investors in Education Awards, 2009.
Through Countec, Stewart also works with ASDAN (the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), an educational charity whose purpose is to promote the personal and social development of learners through the achievement of nationally recognised ASDAN awards to enhance their self-esteem, aspirations and contribution to their community.
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May 12, 2010 at 2:37 pm
[...] us, the Lions play an active part in the life of the city, sharing our concern for education and the development of future generations through their MK Juniors team and programme. The club has also established a network of Lions clubs [...]