Professional programme launches in London

Around 100 attendees – a mixture of programme participants, employers and university representatives – took part in the launch celebration, and made the most of the networking opportunity.

They were inspired by a keynote address from John Varney, who spent five years as Chief Technology Officer at the BBC. John emphasised the importance of learning throughout a career, and backed the Professional Programme, with its mix of business, technology and personal development, as the ideal career springboard.

Participants also took part in a series of business games drawing on the skills mix explored throughout the programme, like project management, business requirements analysis and leadership. By helping accelerate the business contribution of professionals in the early years of their IT careers, the Professional Programme addresses a real challenge for the UK – that due to globalisation, new IT professionals must progress rapidly to higher level roles without access to the traditional 'entry level' jobs that would help them to build their skills and experience.

The Professional Programme is being delivered by Lancaster University Management School and the Open University, and is supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. For more information, please visit www.e-skills.com/professionalprogramme.