EAST LANCASHIRE COLLEGE FIRST IN THE UK TO ADOPT UNIQUE NEW DIGITAL SKILLS APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAMME

Blackburn College has been announced as one of the first in the country to launch a new digital marketing apprenticeship programme created by multi award-winning tech business +24.

Apprentices at Blackburn College, are now able to bolster their skills with access to the +24 Academy, a new and unique digital skills programme, designed by current industry professionals at Burnley based +24 in a bid to help bridge the digital skills gap. 

The programme, which is offered nationally, provides colleges, training providers and employers with all the tech tools they need to create the next generation of digital pioneers.

Earlier this year, the government set out its UK digital strategy, a comprehensive plan to help make the UK the tech superpower of the future. At the strategy core, are skills and talent-strengthening the tech talent pipeline with the digital skills the economy needs at every stage from school to lifelong learning.

Dave Walker, Founder and MD of +24, said: 

“Digital industry heads have been crying out for better education for years, and we are proud to be able to provide a specialist, up-to-date platform for the business leaders of tomorrow to get their springboard.

“There is a huge digital skills gap in the UK. A shortage in those suitably skilled for digital jobs is a major risk to business growth, innovation and development. Ultimately, a risk to the economy too.”

Blackburn College is the first in the UK to invest in the +24 Academy programme.

Nicola  Clayton, Director of Business Development at Blackburn College, said:

“The new Digital Marketing Apprenticeship in partnership with +24 Academy, is a fantastic industry designedoffering unlike anything else currently available.

“It marks a step change in our approach to delivering the apprenticeship, with a fully blended model of delivery, providing our apprenticeswithaccess to monthly master classes delivered bya range of industry experts.”

By sharing their up to the minute knowledge and their agility in adopting new tech skills the moment such assets become ‘live‘ within the digital sector, apprentices on the +24 Academy Level 3 digital apprenticeship will be educated in the very latest tech skills.

Over 80 per cent of all jobs advertised in the UK now require digital skills. However employers say the lack of available talent is the single biggest factor holding back growth. Estimates suggest the digital skills gap costs the UK economy as much as £63 billion a year in potential GDP.

Dave added: “The +24 Academy apprenticeship training programme is a direct response to that. Apprentices are going to play a vital role in reducing the skills gap that we know exists in this current skills shortage crisis.

 “With over 12 years in business, from start up to now a team of over 20 skilled professionals, we have been developing our wealth of knowledge across the whole range of digital skills, working with household brand names, expanding our services internationally.

“But the lack of well-trained people with up-to-date digital skills remains the biggest threat to our continued growth.

“Launching The Academy is an important step in helping to reduce the digital skills gap.  I am extremely passionate about reducing this gap.

“We have developed this new model of supporting colleges and training providers across the UK to deliver up to the minute knowledge by industry experts, exactly what is needed.”

Providing colleges and higher learning facilities with a fully formed Level 3 apprenticeship course package, created by industry professionals, with already proven results, is at the core of +24        Academy.

Dave added: “If Meta change their marketing algorithm, we can have a classroom-ready video on our portal the next day, so students can learn the latest possible techniques and the businesses benefit from that knowledge immediately.

“This new initiative is the first of its kind – we have a dedicated team of professionals working round-the-clock to analyse the digital marketing sphere in order to produce the most up-to-date learning materials ever seen.”

Apprentices from the Digital Marketer Level 3 Standard course will gain top qualifications in            industry-leading standards, including learning how to master digital marketing campaigns, social media strategies and data protection across the web.