New digital academy to target Leeds schoolchildren

A new Leeds City Region Digital Skills Academy could be set up after the Tech Partnership announce it will be working with the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to increase the scope and level of digital skills in the area's schools.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Oct 2016, 13:35 BST
Updated 5th Oct 2016, 16:44 BST
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Leeds is currently home to more than 70,000 digital professional roles and a number of significant tech employers operate in the area.

To maintain the sector the LEP is keen to guarantee a pipeline of skilled and work-ready students coming through the school system. Just as important is ensuring that they have a good understanding of the interesting and varied roles available to them.

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The Tech Partnership’s work will include developing a new Leeds City Region Digital Skills Academy: an online hub of up-to-date, employer-designed teaching resources that cover vital topics like cyber security, data analytics, app design and software development. These will enable students to acquire important skills by solving real-world business problems.

Supporting the new website will be an employer-led programme of continuing professional development (CPD), giving 160 secondary level teachers the chance to update their skills and network with their peers; and a programme of extra-curricular activities for school students that will include digital badges, after-school clubs and a region-wide digital skills competition.

“We’re committed to building on Leeds City Region’s existing strengths, to create an even more skilled and prosperous City Region,” says Stephanie Burras, chair of the LEP’s Employment and Skills Panel.

Related topics:LeedsLEP