30.12.03
Trailblazing project set to go from strength to strength

Let's Do IT!, the award-winning, innovative project which helps businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly develop computer and internet skills, has secured £208,000 of investment from Objective One and an additional £272,000 from the South West Regional Development Agency over the next two years.

Combined with an additional £100,000 of support from participating partners, the funding will ensure that Let's Do IT! can continue to go from strength to strength.

Let's Do IT! has already helped over 1300 businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to make the most of the opportunities presented by the latest technologies. It is now expanding its scope to include businesses operating in the Creative Industries, Bio-technology and Aerospace sectors as well as continuing to help businesses operating in Food and Drink, Tourism and Leisure, Environmental Technology, ICT and Marine.

Let's Do IT! aims to boost the extent to which businesses can train employees 'anytime anyplace' offering access, for example, to training delivered by CD ROM or via the internet, as well as signposting the wide range of more conventional training available in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 'eLearning' – learning via the internet – is undergoing explosive growth worldwide and is expected to have a huge impact in rural areas such as Cornwall over the next decade. Let's Do IT! is at the forefront of developments in this field and is one of the largest projects of its kind in the UK.

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "Objective One's commitment to building better businesses in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly includes helping businesses to access and make the most of new communications technology. Let's Do IT! plays an important role in raising skills levels in IT for businesses and delivers support in an innovative and business friendly way."

Andrew Gunn, Enterprise Manager for the South West Regional Development Agency said: "Let's Do IT! has already played an important role in helping Cornish businesses to utilise ICT for commercial advantage so we are delighted to be involved in enabling the project to continue for a further two years. We anticipate that during the next phase of the project many more businesses will receive assistance to boost their skills, improve their performance, productivity and competitiveness."

Nigel Ashcroft, Director of Enterprise at Cornwall Enterprise adds: "The project is breaking new ground in the way it delivers training. It is helping businesses to grow and that means more jobs and prosperity in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly."

Over the coming months, Let's Do IT! plans to launch a number of new initiatives, including online tutoring, diagnostic visits, and a 'Learning Lab' which will pilot innovative kinds of training. This will be in addition to the facilities which are already provided, including free helpdesk support, free or subsidised online training and personal IT trainers who visit businesses at their workplace. The project also assists business networks in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to use ICT, enabling collaboration between businesses and sharing of expertise and resources.

Malcolm Wright, Project Director and Director of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Learning Partnership, said: "Let's Do IT! has made a big impact in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – and we are looking forward to making an even bigger impact over the next couple of years. The skills of our people are our biggest asset – and Let's Do IT! is a project which makes it unbelievably easy for businesses to introduce training into their business operations. Once they have first hand experience of the results, they are more likely to make use of mainstream training opportunities in future."

Let's Do IT! is delivered by a partnership which includes Cornwall Enterprise, Truro College, Cornwall College, Penwith College, Cornwall Adult Education Service and The Learning Partnership for Cornwall and Scilly.

For further information about the project, call Freephone 0800 072 1755.

Editor's notes:

Jason Clark
Communications Adviser
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Tel: 01872 241379
Fax: 01872 241388
objectiveone@cornwall.gov.uk

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