Digital-skills job training available for over 19s in Shropshire
Over 19s in the county with a strong interest in moving into a digital career have an opportunity to sign up for free skills bootcamps.
Two bootcamps are being delivered by The Open University (OU) that will fast track those taking part into their first digital job or into a new digital role with their existing employer.
The OU is keen to hear from over 19s who are available to start the 16-week part-time programme in the autumn of this year.
Jane Dickinson, digital skills lead at the OU, said: “Technology is transforming almost every aspect of our daily lives and the number of job vacancies requiring digital skills continues to grow at a breath-taking pace.
"A digital career promises to be varied, fast moving and rewarding and these programmes could be the catalyst for change in people’s lives.
“We have designed them to flex around work and home commitments to maximise the ability for people to take part and pursue their ambitions, irrespective of their personal circumstances.
“The programmes also represent a great opportunity for employers to address digital skills gaps by accessing a new talent pool or to train existing employees for a different digital job within their organisation.”
Employers will only pay 30 per cent of the programme fee to upskill existing staff, the remainder is financed by the Department for Education.
The DevNetSkills by The Open University programme trains people in DevOps – a set of practices that combines software development and IT operations. Experts say it is currently one of the fastest-growing technology areas.
Deputy vice chancellor of the OU, Josie Fraser, said: “These programmes support the objectives of the OU – to reach even more students giving them life-changing learning that meets the needs of employers.
“Our priorities continue to be to deliver high-quality flexible student learning to achieve maximum student satisfaction and reach those who might not have found a pathway to this type of career.
“We have had 50 years’ experience supporting people developing their careers and we’re excited to be on this new journey with them.”
Those on the programmes can access live webinars, online support, careers insights and coaching, leading to the opportunity to earn internationally recognised IT industry certifications from Microsoft or Cisco.
Visit www.open.ac.uk/data-skills
