Skills survey prize winner announced

At the start of this year Dorset LEP, working with Serco, invited employers in Dorset to complete the Dorset 2020 Employer Skills Survey. The aim of the survey was to help identify current and future skills and workforce training needed across the region.

This came just after Dorset’s draft Local Industrial Strategy was submitted to government, with the intention of providing intelligence on current skills required by employers, and those desired of the region’s future workforce, as Dorset evolves and seeks to expand growth in industrial strengths.

We’re pleased to announce that Katie Stickley, CEO & Co-founder of Did Teach - a site for teachers seeking new challenges beyond the confines of the classroom - is the successful prize winner!

Katie will benefit from a four-hour business advice consultancy session with external business growth experts, Empiric Partners. Originally a two-hour session, the offering - provided for free by Dorset Gateway, Dorset LEP’s business support growth hub – has been increased to a provide more in-depth session to take account of the challenging conditions created by the COVID-19 outbreak.

On winning, Katie shared: “Here at Did Teach, we firmly believe that education professionals are defined by reliability, professionalism, project management skill, integrity and resilience, and that such people have the talent to thrive in other business sectors. It is the aim of our business to find them exciting jobs outside of education. We are however still passionate about teaching and it is not our intention to prise outstanding teachers away from the classroom, we simply want to inspire talented people.

“I think there is a gap in skills support. I completed this survey, partly to share my journey and also as it was good to see motivation to address skills gaps in Dorset.

“I’m excited to have won this competition - setting up a business whilst teaching is fairly unique and the excitement of networking and start-up meetings can soon be overshadowed by trying to balance cash flow and the day to day running of your business, with the need to attend breakfast meetings and directors dinners to grow it.

“Working with an established business expert like Mike Duff from Empiric Partners, will help me gain key insight into how my business can develop. I’ve already arranged a video call meeting and I’m really looking forward to it!”

Finn Morgan, Dorset Gateway Manager said: “Since this survey and competition was launched, the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted businesses in a variety of ways, and we are happy to be able to extend the support originally offered.

“We’re available to support all businesses in Dorset – whether that is through accessing funding, support with writing bids, or - through our partnership with Dorset Chamber – signposting them to the most appropriate advice and guidance, whether that is in response to COVID-19 or any other impact on their business.”

The results of the survey have been collated and will be published on the Dorset LEP website in May, as well as circulated to all 242 of those who completed the survey and shared their valuable insights.

A series of dashboards are also being developed for use by careers advisors, schools and collages when discussion career options with young people in Dorset.