University of Birmingham sets up advisory board to help tech start-ups
The University of Birmingham has launched the Employer Advisory Board to support tech students starting a career in the digital world.
Working in conjunction with the West Midlands Combined Authority, the board ensures students get personalised mentoring and career guidance to support them with their journey to full-time employment in the region.
The board is made up of industry experts, local business owners and university representatives who will guide and advise students on how to get a job after their digital bootcamp studies. They will also provide employment opportunities within their businesses or other external organisations.
Organisations involved include design agency Squibble, translation and interpreting agency Word 360, technology company Cognizant as well as other key University of Birmingham representatives.
Kimberley Leary, managing director of design agency Squibble and chair for Birmingham in Tech, is a member of the board and an advocate of women in business. She said: “Hiring is extremely competitive at the moment and so bootcamps like this help to feed the pipeline of candidates.
“Learning to code is only one part of the programme, though. The success of the University of Birmingham bootcamps is also measured by employment rates post graduation. So I help to give a local perspective of what the labour market looks like for both web developers and employers.”