Raytheon Professional Services Developing Digital Skills in Greater Manchester and Lancashire
MANCHESTER (March 18, 2021) – Raytheon Professional Services in partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership, has successfully recruited and developed a diverse cohort of cyber security specialists in Greater Manchester as part of the RPS Cyber Academy.
Delivered virtually from Salford, the Cyber Academy reskilling programme was one of the first of its kind in the UK and is currently supporting more than 90 Greater Manchester and Lancashire residents with accessible routes into better quality digital employment. Graduates of the RPS Cyber Academy have been recruited from a range of sectors including hospitality and tourism and, after a blended delivery programme that equated to 40 days of learning through our digital boot camp, are being developed for entry into junior cyber security roles within employers that include Salford City Council and Morson Projects. The Cyber Academy reaches its conclusion in March 2021.
RPS will be hosting a virtual event to celebrate the achievements of the graduates and showcase their employability and talent to the Greater Manchester Tech sector on March 18. Keynote speakers include Paul Dennett, mayor of Salford; Steve Thompson, director of Business Development for Raytheon Professional Services; Jon Corner, Salford chief digital officer; Raj Badiani, head of Digital for Raytheon UK; and a special message for the graduates from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
“Raytheon Technologies has always been a benchmark for excellence, and they brought all their expertise to this academy for the benefit of Greater Manchester and Lancashire residents and employers,” Corner said. “Raytheon Technologies clearly identified the challenges posed by the significantly increasing skills gap and met this challenge by developing a programme of learning that could recruit and develop cyber skills for residents in all walks of life and backgrounds. It has provided them with university-level skills to prepare the delegates for the exciting tech challenges that Greater Manchester and UK faces, as it rises from the pandemic.”
The RPS Cyber Academy has recruited and developed a diverse cohort of ready-to-work IT employees. The programme covers basic to intermediate information technology and networking, plus entry-level cyber security. This ensures delegates have a diverse knowledge and skill set to enter multiple areas of the digital sector.
“Current restrictions have made us realise how reliant we have become on technology and how exposed we are when it comes to security,” said David Marriott, UK Business Operations manager, Raytheon Professional Services. “By 2022, there is predicted to be a talent gap of 1.8 million cyber specialists. This can only be filled if employers embrace the concept of recruiting and training new or junior level skills from academies such as ours.
“With continued funding from government to fund skills camps and make apprenticeships available to all age groups, and the doubling of the incentive payments for employers who recruit an apprentice to £3,000, we are going a long way to ensuring that digital employment opportunities are made available to all communities,” he said.
The Cyber Academy provides full time and part time training programmes, or digital boot camps, for a consortium of employers, who are trying to recruit, train and develop individuals who want to pursue a career in cyber security. Consortium members include Raytheon UK, Morson Projects, Salford City Council and HOST, based in MediaCityUK, Salford and Greater Manchester. Training delivery has been flexed according to COVID-19 restrictions in Greater Manchester, shifting from classroom to virtual delivery.
“Greater Manchester is fast becoming a hub for digital expertise and enterprise – digital skills are a crucial aspect in ensuring that this continues,” Badiani said. “It is great to see the RPS Cyber Academy successfully developing the cyber security skills that the region needs whilst also creating employment opportunities for local residents and communities.
“At Raytheon UK, we are committed to building British cyber skills and look forward to working with the Cyber Academy to help nurture the cyber talent of the future,” Badiani said.
About Raytheon Professional Services
As a part of Raytheon Technologies, Raytheon Professional Services (RPS) is a global provider of managed learning solutions for commercial, government and military customers across 15 industries. We are a recognised leader in the fields of learning, performance consulting and technology-enabled solutions by leading learning industry consultants including Nelson Hall, Emerald Works, Brandon Hall, Training Industry, Cybersecurity Breakthrough, and Forbes Magazine. At the heart of our business is our emphasis on “Understanding First” and strong culture of collaboration. By focusing on our customers’ key careabouts, we deliver the outcomes that matter and build relationships that last.
About Raytheon UK
With facilities in Broughton, Waddington, Glenrothes, Harlow, Gloucester and Manchester, Raytheon UK is invested in the British workforce and the development of UK technology. Across the country, the company employs 1,700 people. As a prime contractor and major supplier to the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Raytheon UK continues to invest in research and development, supporting innovation and technological advances across the country. Raytheon UK is a unit of Raytheon Technologies and sits within the Raytheon Intelligence & Space business.
About HOST
HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology, is an innovation hub in Salford, made by IN4.0 and located at the heart of MediaCityUK. Formerly known as The Landing, it offers five floors of innovation support for individuals, freelancers, start-ups and SMEs through to established businesses. With labs, R&D and prototyping environments, affordable workspace, specialist advice, technology training and social spaces to connect and collaborate, HOST is an inclusive community of innovators in data science, AI, gaming, and immersive technologies