Institute of Coding launches £5m digital skills drive

The Institute of Coding (IoC) has received £2.4million of grant funding to tackle the digital skills shortfall across a wide range of areas.

The IOC is a consortium of universities, employers and outreach organisations, with a mission to develop the next generation of digital talent at degree level and above.
 
The £4.8million includes £2.4m of grant funding provided by the Office for Students (OFS) and a further £2.4m of match funding from the consortium of partners that have formed the winning bids.  

The funds have been allocated across six winning groups and in each case led by an academic institution, each tasked with launching bespoke courses.
 
The consortium led by The University of Leeds has secured £500,000 to launch a new programme called The IoC guide to kick starting your career with 21C skills. The courses are designed to engage, motivate and focus on digital employability skills for people in the 18 to 25 age group.
 
Durham University and its group of over 16 industry partners has been awarded £517,846 to launch a new programme called TechUp: Tech retraining for underrepresented women in the Midlands and North of England. The course takes women from the Midlands and North of England, particularly from underrepresented communities, with degrees in any subject area, retrains them in technology and then gives them the opportunity to interview with a company for an internship/apprenticeship/job.
 
A group led by  the University of Chester has been allocated £155,166 for a new course named Coding for Non-Computer Science Graduates. The course will offer an innovative conversion in Data Science/machine learning/AI and entrepreneurial skills that can be undertaken by any graduate with some experience with data.
 
Creative Computing Institute, University of the Arts London (UAL) is leading a collaboration to launch a new programme entitled Creative solutions to digital transformation using £581,000 of funding. The course will promote the role of creative digital technologies transforming opportunities for media, manufacturing and engineering businesses.
 
Birkbeck University and partners have been given £222,420 in funding for a course in Computing for the Cultural Heritage sector. The new programme will enable professionals across the cultural heritage sector of Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) to improve their digital skills.
 
£420,000 of funding will be allocated to Coventry University and its collaboration of industry partners for the development of an online pilot site, designed to provide signposting for learners for Institute of Coding initiatives, courses and opportunities in England.

Combined these new courses estimate to train tens of thousands of learners who will be able to start on the courses during the next 12 – 18 months.