An exciting new Education and Skills Action Working Group has been set up with membership from AGI Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Leading the Action Working Group are Council members Ian Maxfield and Anne Robertson. Associate Director of Geospatial Services within the NHS, Ian has in a previous career been a secondary school Geography teacher as well as undertaking university lecturing in GIS. Anne, as Head of Services for EDINA, has responsibility for delivering geospatial data and services to the higher and further education sectors via EDINA’s Digimap service and to over 4,000 primary and secondary schools across GB via EDINA’s Digimap for Schools service.
Ian and Anne have been joined by David Roberts, Head of Geography for the Welsh Government and Laurence Donaghy, Asset Data and Systems Analyst with Translink, Northern Ireland, both bringing their great skills and experience to the group. Anne Robertson will be representing AGI Scotland.
Two key areas the Education and Skills Action Working Group wish to initially consider are the creation of a registry of GI skills/training providers across the UK, and an annual skills survey (either part of the annual AGI members survey or separately), containing questions on skills particularly to ascertain whether AGI members are able to recruit people into role with the GI skills they require to keep their organisations thriving. A third focus in the Autumn will be a skills webinar to debate this topic of Geospatial skills in industry. Details on all these to follow.
The E&S AWG will soon have a new presence on the AGI website. In the interim, if any AGI member wishes to join the E&S AWG, please contact info@agi.org.uk