Digital Switch: City & Guilds launches course to help people change careers to UK’s thriving digital industry

City & Guilds Group has launched a brand new course to help people that work in industries impacted by Covid-19 – especially younger generations whose job prospects have been affected the most – to understand the skills needed for a new career in digital.

Jobs advertised in digital tech have rocketed by 36% in the UK since June 2020. The new ‘Step into Digital Technologies’ course, delivered in partnership with leading social learning platform FutureLearn.com, is designed to help people understand the career pathways in digital and IT and how they could transition into the industry using their transferable skills.^[1]

The course is the latest addition to City & Guilds Group’s ‘Skills Bridges’ solution which aims to turn the tide on unemployment in the UK and support people who may have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 to switch careers into industries experiencing growth. The courses also help to address skills gaps employers are facing due to Brexit by bringing in fresh talent.

City & Guilds Group recently launched the ‘Step into Construction’ course in an effort to ease the pressure on skills for an industry which saw output increasing by 12.4% in the final three months of last year alone.^[2]

Created using employer insights, the courses also provide access to further learning and job search support.

Kirstie Donnelly, CEO of City and Guilds Group said: “At a time when the jobs market is in crisis, our mission is to help people that might have lost their jobs due to the pandemic to get back into meaningful work as soon as possible.

“We know from our research that many people are worried about starting again and lack the knowledge of other industries needed to switch careers.

“Through Skills Bridges, we want to help people unlock the potential of their transferable skills in order to gain access to a new career and a fresh start. Our courses are focused in industries where we know there is real opportunity for people to find work no matter where they live.”

Justin Cooke, Chief Content and Partnerships Officer at FutureLearn said: “FutureLearn is proud to grow its partnership with City & Guilds in order to build new Skills Bridges into high-growth sectors such as digital and construction.

“According to our recently-launched The Future of Learning report, over a fifth of working adults in the UK don’t expect to be in the same industry by 2030. This growing trend away from the ‘job for life’ is being propelled by young people, who also make up almost three fifths of unemployed people nationally.^[3] That’s why providing this generation with accessible upskilling and reskilling resources, such as the Skills Bridges which can help them boost their careers, is especially vital.

“We hope that by unlocking such tools for our global learner base, we can equip millions for success in the current and future world of work.”

The new Step into Construction and Step into Digital Technologies courses are available on the FutureLearn platform. Those who complete the course will receive a digital credential that they can put on their CV and show to employers when looking for a job.

The first Step into course, Step into Social Care was launched late last year and has already introduced over 4,000 people to opportunities in social care. Skills Bridges have also secured funding from Nesta’s Rapid Recovery Challenge and are set to continue to grow in response to the UK jobs market.

For insights on Skills Bridges and related recommendations access the full ‘Building bridges towards future jobs’ report here.

To speak to a City & Guilds Group spokesperson, contact:

Firstlightgroup

cityandguildsgroup@firstlightgroup.io

T -+44 20 3617 7240

About City & Guilds Group

Our vision is for a world in which everyone has the skills and opportunities to succeed. We support over 4 million people each year to develop skills that help them into a job, develop in that job and to prepare for their next job.

As a charity, we’re proud that everything we do is focussed on achieving this purpose.

Through our assessment and credentialing, corporate learning and technical training offers, we partner with our customers to deliver work-based learning programmes that build competency to support better prospects for people, organisations and wider society. We create flexible learning pathways that support lifelong employability, because we believe that people deserve the opportunity to train and learn again and again – gaining new skills at every stage of life, regardless of where they start.

Our foundation activities amplify our purpose by helping to remove barriers to getting into a job, celebrating best practice on the job, and advocating for jobs of the future. www.cityandguildsgroup.com

About FutureLearn

Here at FutureLearn, our purpose is to transform access to education. We do that by partnering with over a quarter of the world’s top universities to support millions of learners across the globe to develop skills and achieve their personal and professional goals. We’re a leading social learning platform founded in December 2012 by The Open University and are now jointly owned by The Open University in the UK and The SEEK Group. We use design, technology and partnerships to create enjoyable, credible and flexible short online courses and microcredentials, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In addition to top universities, we also partner with leading organisations such as Accenture, the British Council, CIPD, Raspberry Pi and Health Education England (HEE), as well as being involved in government-backed initiatives to address skills gaps such as The Institute of Coding and the National Centre for Computing Education.

You can read our full The Future of Learning report here.

[1] Study by Tech Nation and the government’s Digital Economy Council, September 2020

[2] ONS Construction output in Great Britain: November 2020

[3] Youth Unemployment Statistics – UK Parliament, February 2021