A group of local young people are on their way to forging careers in the digital industries thanks to a partnership between The Prince’s Trust Cymru, Codez Academy, Tramshed Tech and The Big Learning Company.
12 young people were recently recognised for completing the Get into Digital Skills employability programme, which forms part of The Prince’s Trust commitment to developing STEM skills among unemployed young people.
During the three-week course, the group completed a combination of training and vocational experience to help them develop digital skills and explore opportunities in STEM-related industries. By the end of the programme, the young people had each built a fully functioning website. This included writing the code, developing content and creating a digital marketing campaign to present to their chosen business. They course also helped them develop problem solving, teamwork, communication and critical thinking skills.
Sophia-Jayne Flanigan, 30, from Barry, has been offered a job with Codez Academy after completing the programme. She says, “The course was absolutely fantastic and I learnt so much in only a few weeks. I’m over the moon to be offered a job and excited about what the future holds.”
Codez Academy Managing Director Dean Jenkins said, “At Codez, we are committed to helping people develop the right skills to ensure that Wales is able to compete in digital industries. I was so impressed by the young people on this latest course with The Prince’s Trust. What they achieved in a matter of weeks just shows what we can do if we put our mind to something.”
Phil Jones, Director for The Prince’s Trust Cymru, said, “Digital skills are becoming increasingly important for employers as well as for young people to succeed in a rapidly changing workplace. That’s why we’re working in partnership with industry experts to deliver programmes like this one. A huge thank you to the Big Learning Company, Codez Academy and Tramshed Tech for their support, and we look forward to working with them again in the future.”
Louise Harris, Director, Big Learning Company, said, “BLC is proud to be involved with The Prince’s Trust’s Get into Digital Skills programme. It’s great for us to see young people enthusiastic about developing new digital skills. At BLC, our aim is to give each learner an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. Digital products give us a platform to carry out our mission. Hosting two of the group, Yoshito and Rhys, for work experience after the programme helped us gain further insight into the ideas and capabilities of young people in the digital age. This knowledge and understanding is key for us to be able to make that big difference. A great success all round and we will definitely look forward to working with The Prince’s Trust in the future.”
Mark John, Director, Tramshed Tech, said, “We were delighted to be asked to be involved in The Prince’s Trust’s first ever Get into Digital Skills programme here in Wales. Seeing the difference in the young people from their first nerve-racking day to their last day, confidently presenting the skills they’d learnt, was fantastic. The core of our business is to grow the digital, tech and creative industries within Wales and these people are the next generation of entrepreneurs and employees – this course showed just what our young people are capable of. We were lucky enough to host Jamie and James for the week of work experience and we were impressed by their enthusiasm and attitude – we are looking forward to working with them – and working closer with The Princes Trust – in the future.”
Youth charity The Prince’s Trust Cymru helps unemployed young people get into work. Three in four young people supported by The Trust move into work, education or training within three months. For more information, please call 0800 842 842 or visit princes-trust.org.uk
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