The TRANSFORM Service and Online Reading Volunteers Programme
Our friends over at Silicon Brighton have a great offer for our Chalk Eastbourne community.
Their one-day flagship "EVOLVE [25]: Shaping Tomorrow" event takes place at Brighton Dome on Friday 4th July and they are offering you all a fantastic 50% off the ticket price.
The event set to bring together the brightest minds in technology, business, and education, shaping a sustainable digital future. You’ll enjoy a day of ideas, impact, and inspiration, meeting top employers, experiencing game-changing tech, and seeing how digital solutions are solving real-world problems and enriching lives.
Use the code CHALKEASTBOURNE at checkout to secure your EVOLVE ticket for just £20.
What's more, they'll split this income with us, so your ticket purchase will be helping to support Eastbourne DigiFest and our other events ♥
A Chat With: Grace Prior, EVOLVE [25] curator
Keen to learn more about what's in store for EVOLVE [25], the Silicon Brighton-led tech conference taking place on Friday 4th July, we sat down with the event curator Grace Prior to discover what we can look forward to at this year's exciting, inaugural event at the Brighton Dome.
From her vision to what we can expect on the day, Grace talked us through their plans and the intended impact from the conference.
Where innovation meets education: our tech tour at the University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is renowned for its cutting-edge facilities, industry partnerships, and innovative approach to education. Recently, we had the privilege of being given a tour by Lorraine Davies, the Business Engagement Manager, whose role involves bridging the gap between academia and industry.
Throughout our tour, we were amazed at the resources and technologies available to today's students. Lorraine's deep knowledge of the university’s facilities and partnerships made our visit an enlightening experience, particularly when exploring the Engineering and Technology departments, including the Robotics Lab, the Advanced Immersive Learning Environment (AILE), and the Tooling Department, as well as the exciting world of 3D simulation racing and gaming.
The tour showcased how the University of Brighton excels in applied learning, industry collaboration, and technological innovation with facilities designed to equip students with real-world skills - all while supporting local businesses through research and development.
The TRANSFORM Service - Helping East Sussex businesses fill skills gaps
Since November 2020, the East Sussex County Council TRANSFORM Service has been supporting local micro, small and medium enterprises to address current and future skills gaps for their organisation.
Funded by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) since January 2024, after an initial 3 years of ESF funding, the service is particularly keen to support East Sussex priority sectors like Digital, Technology & Creative to help economic growth and local jobs.
What you can expect
Their dedicated Transform Adviser provides a bespoke service based on the needs of
your organisation, but this could include:
Undertaking skills needs analysis, linked to your current business plans
Identifying appropriate training and/or apprenticeships for both new hires and upskilling your existing workforce; support with choosing a best-fit training provider
Accessing ESCC apprenticeship levy transfer if required to ensure there is no cost to you for apprenticeship training; identifying free and funded non-apprenticeship training which meets your needs
Technical help with setting up and managing your digital Apprenticeship Service account (required if you employ apprentices)
Help in promoting apprenticeship vacancies through our partner organisations
Signposting to wider local business support, including business growth advice, mentoring and grants, where available
The tailored service means that you only spend time talking about what matters to your business and information, advice and support provided is matched to what you need.
This FREE service is primarily an online service, delivered via Teams, to enable them to reach and support more businesses. If you're keen to find out more and benefit from this service, you can get in touch by email at TRANSFORM@eastsussex.gov.uk.
Apprenticeship Roadshow 2025 - coming soon!
The Sussex Council of Training Providers (SCTP) is working in partnership with the East Sussex Careers Hub to run two roadshow events this year which will be taking place on:
Tuesday 24th June, 4:30pm-6:30pm, White Rock Theatre – Hastings
Thursday 10th July, 4:30pm-6:30pm, Welcome Building – Eastbourne
These events bring together employers, training providers, adult job seekers, young people, and their parents/carers to provide up-to-date information on apprenticeships from pre-employment to higher and degree apprenticeships. The apprenticeship roadshows will:
Give employers and providers a platform to showcase their live and future apprenticeship opportunities.
Give potential candidates the opportunity to meet employers and training providers and to find out about live and future vacancies.
Give potential candidates the opportunity to access apprenticeship information, careers support and 'next steps' support services.
Give parents and carers clear and accurate information about apprenticeships to ensure that they can better support their young people.
Share real life apprenticeship success stories.
Employers and providers are invited to book a FREE EXHIBITION STAND - a great opportunity to promote your live and upcoming apprenticeship vacancies to residents. There will also be a panel discussion at both events, giving the experiences of apprentices, apprenticeship employers and training providers.
To register your organisation to be part of the roadshows, please email the Sussex Council of Training Providers at ESRoadshow@sctp.org.uk.
Keen to attend the roadshow to learn about apprenticeships available? Book your place today.
Your thoughts needed: Delivering creative learning opportunities to children and young people
HRAEN (Hastings and Rother Arts Education Network) are running a series of consultation events in July, and they want to hear from you!
They are exploring how a new county-wide Arts Education Network can help those working directly with children and young people deliver meaningful, creative learning opportunities.
Their vision is to join the dots to make a stronger voice for children, young people, and the arts. They are interested in shaping creativity for the 0-25s in East Sussex, by:
Increasing access to arts and culture for all
Supporting schools and other providers to develop an exciting, creative curriculum
Joining up schools, providers, and arts partners to create fundable projects
Lobbying and advocating for creative learning in East Sussex
If you work directly with young people, work in strategic roles in Local Authority or the Voluntary sector, and those in the Arts and Heritage sector, they are particularly keen to hear from you.
Get involved by joining one of their upcoming events to share your thoughts:
Tuesday 1st July, 2-5pm - Towner Eastbourne
Wednesday 2nd July, 2-5pm - Charleston Lewes
Thursday 3rd July, 2-5pm - Flatlands Projects, Bexhill
Online access is also available by emailing hello@hraen.org.
Online Reading Volunteers Programme launched at Eastbourne schools
Chapter One's Online Reading Volunteers Programme has launched at Roselands Infant School and Oakwood Primary Academy in Eastbourne. The programme, winner of the Enabling Technology Award in the Social Value Awards 2024, has been established to offer vital support to schools and families needing help with struggling young readers.
Sixty-six children across the schools have been matched with corporate volunteers for weekly online reading sessions throughout the 2024-2025 school year. The secure online audio platform addresses multiple challenges simultaneously - delivering essential reading support for schools without disrupting classroom teaching, while offering businesses a scalable way to create social impact.
Josh Babarinde OBE, MP for Eastbourne, said: "It's inspiring to see the powerful partnership between businesses, schools, and organisations like Chapter One. The corporate volunteers I've met today are making a tangible difference to children's literacy in Eastbourne, where 32.8% of children are living in poverty – higher than the national average and increasing. This innovative approach to volunteering not only helps children develop crucial reading skills but also strengthens the connection between businesses and our local community."
"Not Just Code: How tech can solve real problems for real people" - up next at Chalk Connect
Join us at FOUNDRY Eastbourne from 5pm on Tuesday 1st July for our next free, monthly Chalk Connect meet up.
This month, we'll be treated to a spotlight presentation by Catrina Baker-Bassett, MD at Dabapps, focused on how tech can solve real problems for real people.
No need to reserve your place - just pop along and join the session!
Missed a previous session, like Louise Bloom's talk earlier this month on Vintage UX and Information Architecture? Nothing will fill you in on the irreplaceable in-person chatter, but you can always catch up on the talks on our Chalk Connect page.
One last thing...
Your views on Local Government Reorganisation in East Sussex are needed. The government intends to introduce a single local authority in areas which currently have the two-tier system of a County Council and Borough or District Councils - and East Sussex is one of those areas.
The six councils affected are working together on a plan for reoganisation - the model currently being proposed is for a single unitary authority on the existing boundaries of East Sussex County Council and the districts of Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewis, Rother, and Wealden, to serve a population of about 550,000.
For reference, there is a short explainer video here, the interim plan for developing a single unitary authority in East Sussex here, full background here, and the government white paper on devolution here.
