We’re #DigitalFutures Ambassadors!
Did you know that by 2035, Greater Manchester’s #digital and #creative sector will require an additional 22,000 roles in order to sustain itself? That’s why we’re working with Manchester Digital to help educators deliver a more engaging curriculum that is also relevant to industry needs, whilst creating more obvious and accessible pathways into digital and tech careers.
We're passionate about encouraging young people to enter the sector and in helping academia work more closely with industry to develop graduates with the right skills for industry. We take every opportunity we can to help, for example we are currently involved in a pilot scheme for the the new T levels and have 2 students on in-depth internships that span 52 days, with one from Runshaw College and another from Wigan and Leigh College. We regularly present to students at schools and colleges on the opportunities within the digital sector and to educators. We've set project briefs, evaluated the work and sat on advisory boards.
Many of the under-graduates who have undertaken internships and placements with bd2 have gone on to gain employment with us, with our clients and with other agencies.
Josh Hurst and Joe Simpkin who came to bd2 as graduates looking for experience. They started on placements and quickly earned themselves full time roles. Joe worked at bd2 for 3 years before going on to design roles in Boohoo and Forever Unique and Josh was at bd2 for 4 and a half years before taking a break to go traveling and has now started his own agency.
We introduced Rebecca Bennett, who was on a placement at bd2, to our client Datel who were looking to bring design in-house, nearly 10 years later she's still there as the Marketing and Design coordinator.
Around 10 years ago we had a very talented young man named Simon Fairhurst on placement while studying graphics at Wigan and Leigh College and Salford Uni. Simon is now head of design at Dept, an international digital agency with over 1,300 people in 13 countries across Europe and the Americas.
More recently we enjoyed the company of Beth Potter for a year long internship as part of her degree at Huddersfield University. Beth went on to graduate with a first class degree, we were delighted to attend her final degree show, and we were even more delighted to provide a reference which helped her get her first role as a designer and marketing officer at ESSA.
These are just a few examples of how internships have helped develop the careers and abilities of young people who are passionate about creative and digital sector.
We’ve signed up as #DigitalFutures Ambassadors to help @McrDig bridge the digital skills gap and create a brighter digital future for Greater Manchester’s young people and the tech sector alike. You can play your part in bridging Greater Manchester’s digital skills gap and future proofing the region’s #tech sector by supporting the initiative. Manchester Digital are looking for 250 forward-thinking Greater Manchester businesses, please register your interest here: https://bit.ly/2kowQPq