"The Survey" - Learning Towns, Learning Cities
Contents Page | Introduction | Summary of Developments | Thetford | Norwich | Sheffield | Hull | Nottingham | Liverpool | Southampton | Edinburgh | Milton Keynes | Swansea | Retford | Stockton-on-Tees | Sunderland | Peterborough | Newark | Birmingham | Derby | Dudley | Oxford | Other Initiatives | Appendix

Sunderland

Telematics take off in Sunderland

In future, Sunderland could become a national and international centre for telematics. This is the aim of a strategy produced by the City of Sunderland Partnership, a consortium of local government, businesses and education providers.

Sunderland has been a member of the Learning City Network since the summer of 1996 but has not been represented at meetings. The telematics strategy appears to be the focus for learning initiatives and covers community projects, the establishment of electronic village halls and unemployment projects. It relates telematics to the agendas of education and training providers and to the enhancement of educational facilities by linking University, City and College libraries. It explores the advantages for businesses of expanding the City of Sunderland Teleport and looks at ways of encouraging and increasing SME activity in telematics.

The City of Sunderland Partnership performs other roles in respect of regeneration, economic and social development in the City Sunderland is the pilot area for the University for Industry initiative (UFI), which promotes access to learning for all, via IT/ Call Centre operations.

A partnership approach to the 'New Deal' programme has put IT and Training at the heart of the City's programme for assisting people into work.

The City of Sunderland Partnership is currently developing the next phase of it's Telematics Strategy for 1999-2004, with access to lifelong learning opportunities for all at it's heart

The Partners

The City of Sunderland Partnership includes :-

  • The Local Authority
  • City of Sunderland College
  • University of Sunderland
  • Health Services
  • Business Organisations
  • Sunderland Voluntary Sector Partnership

Activities Include:-

  • Teleport development as part of a Teleport Consortium
  • Electronic Village Halls - 4 Physical sites plus one 'Virtual site' which networks a number of Community Organisations .
  • University for Industry - Pilot has been a success. Due to be launched nationally.
  • Ladder of IT Training - Plans to develop an electronic based database of IT training within the City, to allow for on-line registration.
  • Seamless City Library - The local authority, City College and the University are in the process of integrating their libraries. Single membership is already in place - join one library, join them all. On-line access to all three library catalogues should be available by the end of 1998, with full library integration during 1999.
  • EBSCO Host - Have recently purchased an on-line database which allows access to 15000 full text journals ( over I million articles ).
  • Learning Resource Centres - Four developed and opened by the City College, providing a network of over 600 multimedia PC's across the City.
  • Smartcards - Participating in regional srnartcard development.
  • Minster Cyber-cafe - Church Minster includes a cyber -cafe
  • School Internet access - All schools will have internet access by September as part of National Grid for Learning standards funding.

Key Facts - Sunderland

Situation:

Tyne and Wear, North East England

Population:

295,000

Schools and colleges:

All state secondary schools are LEA maintained or voluntary aided. Higher and Further Education institutions include the University, and City of Sunderland College.

Adult Education:

About 15,000 students are currently enrolled on courses.

Employment trends:

  • Over the period 1986-96 the number of manufacturing jobs in Sunderland increased from 24,500 to 29,100 and increase of 19%. This contrasts with the national situation, where the number of such jobs fell by 18%.
  • Manufacturing employment gains have come from expansion among existing firms particularly the larger ones, rather than from new companies.
  • Around 72% of the City’s manufacturing employment is now accounted for by the largest five industrial sectors, namely Motor vehicles, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Paper and Printing and Clothing and Textiles.
  • Both the Number and proportion of manufacturing jobs provided by indigenous and other UK – owned establishments has fallen between 1986-96, with the share of foreign-owned plants increasing from 22% to 40% over the same period.
  • The Service sector embraces about two-thirds of total employment in the City, compared to about three-quarters nationally.
  • Locally, a much smaller percentage of service sector jobs are in business services and a much larger proportion in Other services than nationally. However, business Services-together with transport and Communication – had the highest services sector growth rate in the city over the decade to 1996.
  • Since 1996 there has been considerable local growth in employment in ‘call-centre’ operations.

Click here to go to the previous page
Back		 Click to return to our Home Page
Home		 Click here to go to the next page
Next