InfoLab21

The InfoLb21 Graduate Academy Team and KBC Director, Steve Riches.

In January 2007 the KBC launched the InfoLab21 Graduate Academy (IGA), providing ICT assistance for ICT & Digital small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the North West.  

The IGA successfully assisted over 161 businesses across the Northwest, increased sales of £7.55m  created 120.6 new jobs and safeguarded 46 Jobs and £2.844m sales through projects part financed by the European Regional Development fund. Examples of the work completed can be viewed in the Case Studies and Testimonials section.

The IGA is now the main delivery mechanism for InfoLab21’s Transformational ICT Project, ISIS.

Rob Jones and Vanessa Gomes were the first graduates to complete their internship. Now more than 20 have completed the scheme.

Aim

The aim of the InfoLab21 Graduate Academy is to raise the capability of digital industries in the region and enhance the competitive advantage of the ICT/Digital sector by providing access to IT graduates’ skills and academic research & development.

At the same time the IGA increases the employability of graduates and supports graduate retention in the region.

Projects

The (IGA) is supported by experienced Team Leaders and a Group Project Manager. Their remit is to provide short-term ICT project solutions to eligible* SMEs. A project will represent an average of 2-4 weeks work and would normally involve a large amount of collaborative work with the SME assisted.

Expertise

Supported by InfoLab21 PhD staff and approved InfoLab21 suppliers, the IGA can provide solutions and consultancy on areas such as networking, security best practice, applications development, front and back end web development and ecommerce.