Creative business support organisation Generator will roll out an eight-week intensive programme to bridge the North East’s digital skills gap and galvanise the industry.
Generator’s Digital Bootcamp, which will kickstart on Wednesday 13th September in Newcastle, will offer an extensive insight into the digital sector and deliver valuable agency and project development experience.
Practical project briefs and design sprints will be delivered by some of the region’s shining digital lights. Generator partners hedgehog lab, Orange Bus and Gospelware have all been confirmed to take part.
The Generator Digital Bootcamp will be intertwined with soft skills workshops and networking events and will take place one day per week over eight weeks with the goal of getting a company’s new starters up to scratch and up to speed in a fast paced digital environment.
“Whether you are a creative digital agency or a non-digital business with a digital team, and you’ve just taken on a new starter who needs to be brought up to speed, we can help,” said Generator’s business support programme manager Emma Whitenstall.
“Generator’s Digital Bootcamp has been created to bridge the skills gap highlighted by the sector that exists between university leavers and career starters entering digital businesses.
“The programme will be delivered by the best creative digital professionals from the region to create an industry ready workforce. We are really excited to announce our partnership with hedgehog lab, Orange Bus and Gospelware, who will each be hosting a project brief in-house as part of the Bootcamp.”
Generator will get things underway with an introduction to agency life, how a project team fits together, an overview of project management tools & techniques, and a focus on commercial awareness.
Things are said to get tougher in week two, with the first of the organisation’s in-house project briefs at one of the partner agencies, putting their team working skills to the test.
In week three, participants will attend a communication masterclass at Northern Stage where they will develop the confidence to speak up and deliver their point, before moving on to client interaction skills and networking tips.
The following weeks include a full day introduction to Agile/Scrum, pitch writing, presentation skills, written communications & social media masterclasses, alongside two more in-house project briefs.
The Digital Bootcamp is designed to be accessed as a full package, embedding a complete set of skills and behaviours through an intensive programme.
hedgehog lab’s chief design officer Ray Clarke explained: “Generator’s Digital Bootcamp will provide those looking to enter the industry with essential insights into the workings of an agile digital business.
“This is crucially important since companies such as our own operate in completely different ways to larger firms in traditional industries. hedgehog lab is committed to boosting skills in the North East tech sector and is delighted to be involved in this forward-thinking initiative.”
Ryan Davies, MD of app developer Gospelware, added: “We are delighted to be working with Generator on the Digital Bootcamp.
“We hope that sharing our knowledge will help elevate the understanding of what is required to work in our industry. This will be vital for up-skilling current employees and finding the talent of the future.”
The Digital Bootcamp will be run on a day release format, starting on Wednesday 13th September at various locations around the city, including three full days on site at Generator’s agency partner’s offices.
It is priced at £1500+VAT with a ten per cent discount for Digital Union members. Email [email protected].