Time’s running out for residents in the Liverpool City Region to benefit from free training in the digital skills needed by local employers.

“Digital Skills for the Workplace” is a free, flexible course of up to 12 weeks in duration, which is part of the government’s Digital Bootcamps programme.

The Liverpool City Region is one of the first areas nationally to introduce the skills training aimed at helping participants to find jobs in the growing digital and tech sector.

Courses include: Digital Content Producer (Film), a 12 week course with Edge Hill which has been developed in collaboration with Screenlife, Programming – at Wirral Met College, Digital Marketing with provider Agent Academy and Code Nation’s Software Developer course.

The programme has been funded by the Department for Education and developed locally by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, working with local employers.

The training is open to adults aged 19 and over, either in work, looking for work or returning to the workforce. The course is intended to be as inclusive as possible, to increase diversity within the digital and tech sector.

Speaking about the training, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“Even before the Coronavirus struck, investing in digital skills was really important but these past few months have only made it an even bigger priority.

“The economic shock of the pandemic will continue to be felt for a long time to come and will radically change the nature of work.

“We know that local employers are already crying out for people with these skills and making sure that our people have them will help them find work and succeed both now and in the future.”

The training programme has been developed with local employers and participants who complete the programme will have the opportunity of an employer interview and support to apply for relevant jobs.

23 year old Erin has just started the course on Software Development at Code Nation. She said:

“I have been furloughed since May. I’ve struggled a lot with not having a routine and feeling unmotivated. I had looked into various coding courses as it’s a skill I’ve always wanted to learn, so when I saw the call for this fully funded course it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss!

“The course so far has been amazing and I’ve learned so much already. The instructors are always on hand and we are all treated the same. The coding itself reminds me of learning a language, requires a lot of dedication but the reward is massive! I believe it will add to my skill set and hopefully open more doors for me in the future.”

Anyone interested in undertaking the training should visit https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/digital-skills-for-the-workplace/ to register their interest. But hurry, the deadline for applying is Monday 21^st December 2020.