Bournemouth & Poole College has launched its new Digital Skills Centre to help meet the demand of employers looking to hire young people with digital-related qualifications.
The recent Tech Nation report has stated that the tech sector is expanding 2.6 times faster than the rest of the UK economy, with Bournemouth’s digital sector employing more than 7,500 people and is worth more than £340million.
Bournemouth & Poole College’s Digital Skills Centre has been created to help meet this growth and nurture students by equipping them with the skills and qualifications required to start their career in the local digital industry. Based at the College’s Lansdowne site, the centre has been developed in conjunction with some of Dorset’s leading digital employers such as Blue Thirst, Redweb and Thinking Juice.
The design of the new centre has incorporated a digital agency feel and contains state-of-the-art facilities which are similar to those found in the workplace. High spec IT equipment is now also available to students so that they can access the latest software including Adobe Creative Cloud.
All digital, IT and software-related courses and apprenticeships will be taught in the new centre at the College including the new Level 4 Software Apprenticeship. Another course on offer to students at the centre is the Digital Marketer Apprenticeship. It is open to those with a desire to learn more about the advertising and marketing industry as well as coding and social media marketing strategies. Students will be based at the College one day a week, and will be situated in the workplace for the remainder of the week at a local digital marketing agency.
Both full and part-time courses are also available for people of all ages to study covering a wide range of digital subjects such as web design, animation, digital marketing and computing.
Jacqueline Page, vice principal of Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “We are proud to be at the forefront of providing digital skills to the young people of Dorset. The investment in the new centre has been significant for the College and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to supplying our local economy with suitable agency-ready candidates.”
Carina George, account manager for the digital sector at the College, added: “We work hard to maintain our strong relationships with local businesses and see immense benefit for both parties and our students from working together closely in this way. We regularly communicate with local employers to find out the skills which they need young people to have, so that we can ensure that our students are as employable as possible.”
Martin McAndrew, founder and CEO of Blue Thirst, said: “We have been working with the College for the last four years to provide us with eligible candidates who have gained extensive knowledge, on-the-job training and vast workplace experience during their studies. This partnership has been hugely beneficial to my business as I know I can trust the College to equip students with all the required skills and knowledge for the roles we are looking to fill.”
Students who are interested in applying for these courses at Bournemouth & Poole College should visit www.thecollege.co.uk/digital for more information or call 01202 205500.
Employers who would like to discuss the options of recruiting an apprentice should email Carina George on [email protected] or call 01202 205500.
