College is braced for the North East’s digital revolution
With the number of new tech companies in the North East increasing by more than 70% in 2017, the digital industry is rapidly emerging as a key market.
Sunderland is attracting some of the best new technology businesses in the world.
The 2017 Tech Nation report highlighted that there are more than 5,700 digital jobs in Sunderland, and the sector adds £148million to the North East’s economy.
This illustrates the growing importance of the emerging and expanding digital industries in the local area.
However, half of the local tech start-up businesses surveyed in the Tech Nation report said that the lack of a supply of highly-skilled workers was a challenge for their development.
This is why the region’s education sector needs to play a key role in developing and nurturing digital talent and support the future growth of this dynamic industry in the North East.
Here at Sunderland College, we are focused on leading the way in providing digital employers with a future workforce equipped with the skills and qualifications to succeed on a regional level, nationally and even internationally.
We have well-established links with the digital industry and a reputation for delivering sector-focused programmes in software development, coding, games design, animation and digital special effects.
We also have a wealth of experience in working with industry leaders to instigate the co-creation of programmes that support the government’s important digital agenda.
We are currently sharing our digital expertise with Hartlepool Sixth Form College, with which we merged last September, by launching a new Digital Academy based at their Hartlepool campus site.
It will provide digital technology focused skills and career routes that meet the needs of businesses and directly contribute to the region’s economic growth ambitions.
Strongly aligned to the UK’s industrial and digital strategies, our Digital Academies in both Sunderland and Hartlepool will see young people specialising in digital innovation, whilst developing the technical skills necessary for progression into a wide range of careers in the digital economy.
We are now working with Aim Awards, ESL, The British Esports Association and UKIE to deliver the UK’s first college Esports qualification.
As a result, our Level 3 Games, Animation and Special Effects students at Sunderland will be the first in the country to be able to complete a Level 3 Esports qualification and to experience how Esports events are planned, managed and delivered.
They’ll also have the opportunity to compete in our recently established regional Esports team.
We are currently the only college in the North East involved in the inter-college British eSports tournament.
It is an exciting time for the College and demonstrates our commitment to leading the way in digital innovation.
It is estimated that by 2020, the IT and digital sector in the North East will have developed into a £2.5 billion industry.
That is why we need to focus on producing a regional resource of talented young people who will become the new generation of digital experts.