If you can read this message, then it is likely that your browser does not support the latest web standards, and this site will appear in a less than optimal way. We recommend you upgrade to a standards-compliant browser to improve your Internet experience.

Skip to content | Accessibility Info

Completed Projects

EVALUATION OF ICT TRAINING NEEDS FOR SMALL TO MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN THE WEST MIDLANDS REGION

The evaluation reports on the findings of a survey undertaken to discover the future ICT training needs of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands area. The research, conducted by the Centre for Information Research (CIRT), was commissioned on behalf of the Faculty of Computing, Information and English at the University of Central England in Birmingham and funded over a six-month period from the Continuing Vocational Education Fund. It was anticipated that the data collected from the survey might be used to feed into the Faculty's teaching strategy, by identifying potential areas in which the Faculty might provide training to SMEs in the West Midlands.

Although the definition of SMEs varies, as it is based on different turnovers, numbers of employees and differences between countries, for the purpose of this research SMEs were considered to be organisations with fewer than 500 employees. Five thousand SMEs in the West Midland region were identified through the use of a database selected from Hamilton House Mailings. The SMEs targeted were in the manufacturing sector. The survey took the form of a postal questionnaire which was distributed on 4th June 1999 for return by 5th July 1999.

The project team recommended that ICT training would be useful to West Midlands SMEs in e-commerce, web design and the use of the internet. Further, the Faculty of Computing, Information and English at UCE should consider creating courses especially in these areas for the SME market.

Report to the Funder

Dalton, P., Kirkham, S., Nankivell, C. An Evaluation of ICT training needs for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands Region. Birmingham: University of Central England, 2000.

Project Team
Peter Dalton
Sandi Kirkham
Clare Nankivell