Meeting with representatives from the University of Hertfordshire, local businesses and Hertfordshire Learning and Skills Council, the Minister also learnt more about how the University, which is one of the UK's leading business facing Universities, is engaging with businesses to create employment opportunities for students and the wider community.
Regional Minister, Barbara Follett said:
'Now, more than ever before, it is important that businesses in the East of England invest in the training of their staff to improve their work skills. The University of Hertfordshire is doing excellent work in this area and I commend them for it. In the current uncertain economic climate, the more skilled our workforce is the better our productivity will be and the latter is essential if Britain wants to compete in today's global economy.
The Government is doing its bit too and has invested £350m in its flagship Train to Gain scheme. This helps small businesses to train their staff; support professionalism and deal with the management of business-as-usual pressures. In the last academic year, 18,390 Eastern Region learners benefited from this scheme and I hope that more and more people will take advantage of it in the future."
The Government has recently announced that the University of Hertfordshire has become part of its University Enterprise Networks (UENs) which brings together the universities that commit to provide students with business education and training.
UEN's will be managed by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE). Each network will be supported and led by private sector organisations with the emphasis on providing students with experience of entrepreneurship through real life experience.
The University of Hertfordshire is part of the STEM UEN which is one of three UENs launching this week. It will be working alongside others in the network - Microsoft, BAE systems, SEEDA and EEDA (the South and East development agencies) and the universities of Reading and Southampton.
Chancellor, Professor Tim Wilson of the University of Hertfordshire said:
"This is a very welcome development; future economic success depends upon the enterprise and entrepreneurial skills of the next generation. The commitment of leading international corporates and universities to work together on this agenda can only strengthen the intellectual infrastructure of the future. The support of the government through the Regional development agencies is a welcome addition; and the choice of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship to lead this on a national basis adds further value to the development."
