Guernsey’s Digital Greenhouse and First Central Insurance & Technology Group have announced that the Digital Innovator Programme, which helps post-16 students develop their digital skills, will return for the 2020/2021 academic year, with its first event, a half-day hackathon, taking place on 3rd November 2020.
The eight-month programme, which is sponsored by First Central and run by the Digital Greenhouse, is now in its third year. With the aim of preparing students for a career in the digital sector, the programme provides students with an opportunity to develop their digital skills, gain experience with industry-level technology and receive insight from business leaders.
John Davison, Chief Information Officer at First Central Group. commented: “Today’s usage of technology means the digital industry is part of every sector which has increased the demand for competent, skilled and engaged individuals. We’re proud to be involved in the programme for another year and continue supporting our bright young talent”.
Last year, the initiative engaged with 150 local students across six events – during spring and early summer lockdown, the team successfully provided events and support through a virtual format to all those taking part.
Many popular aspects of the programme will be repeated, with students getting involved once again in the hotly contested Digital Innovator Challenge, which sees groups of students develop digital solutions to solve a problem statement. These are analysed by a panel of judges with a trophy awarded to the winning team during the Summer term.
Four Guernsey Institute students were chosen as the winners last year for their efforts designing an app, which paired organisations with jobseekers based on a points system in response to a local recruitment problem statement.
Ben Wratten, Programme Manager at the Digital Greenhouse, said: “The programme is now three years old and our tried and tested format has received really positive feedback from participating students. We’re now seeing many include the scheme and what they have learned on their CVs – helping them to stand out from the crowd in the competitive job market and begin forging a career in the digital sector.
“We are grateful to have the First Central team on board for another year – providing essential industry insight which allows the students to get a very real glimpse of what it’s like to work in the sector and the qualities and skills they need to hone”.
