PRESS RELEASE

Date:27^th January 2015

Local business seeks education

links to plug skills gap 

A local business solutions specialist is looking to form partnerships with universities and colleges in the region in an attempt to plug the city’s skills gap with its very own training academy.

K3 Syspro (K3), which provides Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications to businesses throughout the UK and Europe, launched its brand new learner’s academy last year, which aims to give people all the technical and business skills required to enjoy a long career in manufacturing technology. The company is already in talks with Lancaster University where it will be holding a guest lecture at the end of the month, and now K3 is calling for other local education institutions to get in touch to help roll out new opportunities to jobseekers. 

Managing Director Cathie Hall explained: “Our Academy is a year-long programme that is completely self-funded by the business, to teach people a wide array of critical business and technology skills to help them embark upon a career in manufacturing technology. By partnering with some of the local universities and colleges, we are offering them the chance to present some of their leavers with this fantastic career opportunity, which will result in a full time job with K3 Syspro for everyone who completes the course.”

K3 Syspro’s call for partnerships comes at a time when figures have shown students in Salford have among the worst GCSE results in the country, and national research has revealed that 78% of British people prioritise IT over mathematics and English when considering the skills most likely to help young people secure a job. [1]

Cathie Hall believes that more graduate programmes in the local area that are delivered in partnership with local education institutions, will have a positive effect on the city’s employment rates, and help to kick-start lengthy careers for graduates.

Cathie commented: “With the K3 Syspro Academy, we are bringing real training and career opportunities to the local area and by teaming up with local universities and colleges, they can take advantage of these opportunities for all their students. The more opportunities that are introduced to graduates and promoted in the area, the higher chance we have of delivering vital career skills and reducing local unemployment levels.”

The K3 Syspro Academy is open to graduates from all disciplines, as well as people who have left education or are looking for a change of career path. It comprises modules on data management and support, IT project management, customer service, marketing and more, with extensive SYSPRO ERP and Microsoft training also included.

Interested participants are being advised to send their CV to ProjectGrad@k3syspro.com, or call 0161 876 4498 for further details of the course.

-ENDS-

About K3 Syspro

K3 Syspro employs over 80 people at its Manchester head office and its branches throughout the UK and Ireland. The company offers solutions in enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management, advanced planning and scheduling, warehouse management, human resources and e-business. SYSPRO is used by some 16,500 sites in over 60 countries. K3 Syspro is a division of K3 Business Technology Group, a global leader in providing next-generation enterprise software for businesses in the retail, manufacturing and distribution sectors. With more than 3,000 customer installations in over 30 countries, K3 is recognised as a safe, innovative and reliable provider of world-class solutions, backed by world-class service.

For further information, please contact:-

Editorial – Sarah Winterbottom, Marketing Manager, K3 Syspro on 0161 876 4498, or

John Edden, Bridge PR & Media Services on 024 76 520025, or e-mail john@bridgepr.co.uk.