Important instructions

Task :

London Skills Concern (LSC) is a new and young organization registered as a charity but also with a trading arm which operates across the public and private sector to provide support and guidance for primarily young people seeking work, returning to education or either seeking higher education or training. It also seeks to provide programmes to give independent advice and guidance on careers to school children (which is a legal requirement) and special programmes for young people who are disadvantaged (e.g. young single parent mothers) and those not in education employment or training (NEET). The company's aim is to be able to collaborate and work with local authorities and the local authorities who are then required to report the numbers of NEET young people to Central Government. There are therefore significant information gathering and reporting requirements.

It has a budget of £8m and support from London donors and well-wisher's. It also has a number of revenue streams and operates mostly in the Inner London area where youth unemployment is a cause for concern.

Most of the activities of the company used to be undertaken in house by local council education departments. Somewhere in the mid-1990's a separate "Connexions" brand was created with a mix of some in-house provision but also a mix of private sector companies and other social enterprises. Local authorities let contracts spanning several years for the service in their area. Thus there was certainty in income and a relatively good number of clients. In addition, organizations could bid for individual special projects at a central or local government level.

Since the Coalition government came in during the acute economic downturn, local government budgets were severely cut and the requirement to arrange the service largely devolved to individual schools. Local authorities continued to have a role with NEET young people.

London Skills Concern (LSC) is a newly formed initiative by Evening Standard and collaboration of Inner London local authorities. Its business was mainly local authority responsibility, therefore there is continuing stream of contracts and projects to ensure that the company operates for long term and possible future expansion. It has new and very experienced workforce and a well thought through business model and initiatives.

London Skills Concern (LSC): Strategic Intent

As part of the new initiative to serve Londoners this projects have been lined up by the organisation to be completed in 18 months' time.

Task needed:

London Skills Concern (LSC)
Description of business

Business, most of it, was previously done by local authority. Advantage: LSC has inherited a stream of contracts and projects which will ensure that the company would operate for long term and a possible future expansion.

It has new and very experienced workforce and a well thought through business model and initiatives.

NOTE:
Project Sponsor (the person/organisation who gives permission for or approval of a project needed to be done) and Project Owner (the person/organisation who initiates the project).

Project Problems

• local government budgets were severely cut and the requirement to arrange the service largely devolved to individual schools. (However, the Local authorities continued to have a role with NEET young people).

LSC's Strategic Review is to:

(a) be able to collaborate and work with local authorities and the local authorities who would be required to report the numbers of NEET young people to Central Government.
(b) develop and upgrade of their Information System (IS) to move from a predominantly face to face method of advice provision to a hybrid system involving:
• limited face to face contact (and supporting this with the use of social media) and
• on-line use of games based learning and advice to young people.
• In particular, the EClips product which provides a lot of basic careers and study information is not currently interactive and needs to be integrated into the offering.
This system, it believes, will give it strategic advantage in terms of service offered and cost of providing the service.

LSC - AIM
(a) be able to collaborate and work with local authorities and the local authorities who would be required to report the numbers of NEET young people to Central Government.
(b) develop and upgrade of their Information System (IS) to move from a predominantly face to face method of advice provision to a hybrid system
LSC - Goals
To achieve:
• limited face to face contact supported by the use of social media.
• on-line use of games-based-learning and advice to young people.
• upgrading the existing EClips product to an interactive system and integrate into the new system (EClips product provides a lot of basic careers and study information).

LSC main Objectives:

• to provide an effective e-search interactive and integrated system that would give a strategic advantage in terms of service offered and cost of providing the service intended;

• to incorporate into the new system social media and on-line games-based-learning system to enable the young people access to helpful information and advice;

• to ensure, through the new system, that young people seeking work or returning to higher education or training are provided with the information and advice required for their informed decision.

You are appointed as project manager for this development. You have a good Project Management and some IT background and have been brought in to London Skills Concern (LSC) because the senior management team have little detailed knowledge of IT, being careers advisors by background. The other organizations involved have agreed that you should manage the project on behalf of them all.

Note: Remember to apply the 5 key stages in Project Life Cycle

The world count should be around 2000 - 2500 words.