Jersey Community Foundation has launched a Future Skills Fund in partnership with Digital Jersey.
The island, like much of the world, is facing a technological revolution which will see automation replace many existing jobs, and the lowest-skilled risking exclusion from the wider economy because of a skills shortage. To help close Jersey’s future skills divide, the Jersey Community Foundation, in partnership with Digital Jersey, has launched a ‘Future Skills Fund’.
The new Fund will be one of the Foundation’s ‘Themed funds’ and was announced on Tuesday evening at the launch of Digital Jersey’s new Springboard platform. Springboard is Jersey’s first crowdfunding platform designed to elevate local business and community causes.
The Foundation’s themed funds provide the perfect way for local people to collaborate with others and pool donations to support the causes that matter to them. Whether you are donating £100 or £100,000 this approach to local charitable giving allows donors to decide which areas they would like to benefit from their donations. Throughout the year, the Board of the Jersey Community Foundation will allocate grants from this fund to impactful local organisations.
The Future Skills Fund aims to invest in projects which will transform individuals and communities through developing skills. The aim is to embed and support digital inclusion within the critical work undertaken by the community sector at the front line: whether helping people find employment, improve their health, or manage money, as well as investing in training and reskilling to ensure Jersey retains a competitive advantage in its digital transformation today, tomorrow and for decades to come.
Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey commented: “The Island faces significant structural changes to its economy and skills base as companies continue to make substantial investments into labour substituting technologies. To overcome this challenge, Jersey will need significant and sustained investment into training and reskilling of its community.
“Digital Jersey are delighted to be working with the Jersey Community Foundation to create a dedicated charitable fund to support donations from private donors who are passionate about supporting the development of future skills”.
Anna Terry, CEO of the Jersey Community Foundation added: “There is limited access for Jersey residents to public and private grants that are otherwise available in the UK/EU through endowment foundations, regional growth funds and skills bodies. This has resulted in under-investment in the future skills development capacity of the island.
“As society continues to adjust to the technological revolution, the gap between those who actively seek out training, with those who don’t will continue to widen. Working in partnership with Digital Jersey, we hope that the Future Skills Fund will help support projects promoting digital inclusion and diversity in future skills development”.
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