Exeter College Launches Apprenticeship to Fill Growing Need for Digital Skills

It has been highlighted in the local economy that there is a growing need for digital skills, and it is hoped that these new apprenticeship programmes will help fill the skills gap.

These apprenticeships were recently launched at Venturefest. Venturefest South West champions the most cutting edge innovation, technology and entrepreneurship coming out of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

Stephen Mariadas, Project Lead for Digital and Data at the college said:

Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programming. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device. Others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or that control networks.

The UK is widely recognised as the leading tech hub in Europe. In the G20, it is also the largest digital economy as a percentage of GDP but employers are finding that there is a significant skills gap. Demand for programming skills considerably outstrips supply. Learning as an apprentice means not only will you learn industry-relevant skills and gain formal qualifications but you will also be taking an active part in projects and rapidly improving your software development skills in the workplace.”

Speaking as a recruiting employer at our workshop at Venturefest, Piers Corfield, Chairman of Dashboard said:

We have based our Head Office in Exeter because it has a strong reputation for digital and data innovation and skills in these areas are in growing demand. We are pleased to be offering several opportunities for young people to develop skills that Dashboard need to help support future growth in data and software development.”

A Software Development Technician Apprentice will build simple applications for use in larger software developments. They will interpret design requirements for discrete components of the project under supervision, as well as testing software.

The Level 4 Software Developer Apprenticeship offers a career progression pathway where participants will build and test simple, high-quality code across front end, logic and database layers. They will work as part of a larger team on a variety of projects, learning everything they need to pursue their chosen career.

These apprenticeships could lead on to roles such as: Web Developer, Mobile App Developer, Software Developer and Games Developer.