Following on from Tuesday’s blog post on how many entrepreneurs are heading to Manchester to start-up their new businesses, we bring more good news about the North West as Oldham is named home to the UK’s first college specialising in digital industries.
From September this year, the college will train students to both academically and practically prepare to work within technically driven industries with big companies such as Sony. Local employers will also be involved, helping to establish the college’s curriculum and offer work experience placements to the students.
The college’s students will also for the first time have access to a £9 million digital skills building which will be home to skills such as coding, content creation, media and visual arts and will focus on developing the creative and technical skills needed in today’s marketplace.
The college’s principal claims that the digital and creative industries are vital growth sectors in Greater Manchester and they are expected to generate over 23,000 jobs over the next ten years. He also said that the close involvement of employers will help to ensure that the curriculum is relevant to the labour market and students will acquire the specialist skills and knowledge they need to gain employment in this sector.
It’s great to see this investment going into training our future creative and technical talent and especially in this region which is so often overlooked as a hub for digital talent.