Activate Learning Education Trust – Press Release

3rd December 2024 – A group of secondary schools are working in a new, innovative way with forward-thinking digital infrastructure companies to upskilling students in digital and technical skills, after a report calls on the government to act urgently to address a growing digital skills gap that, if left unchecked, could lose the economy billions. 

The report from Tech UK has highlighted a number of constraints affecting growth in data centres, including the need for central and local governments to implement policies now to ensure the next generation is equipped to thrive in careers within the sector, sustaining the industry’s momentum.  

Bringing data centres into careers awareness in schools is vital – and an expanding group of secondary schools has already taken it a step further with a ground-breaking, UK first programme of digital and employability skills designed and ran by digital infrastructure leaders working collaboratively to bring more people up into the industry. 

The Digital Futures Programme, which is cited in the Tech UK report, began four years ago, bringing together Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET) – a multi academy trust comprising six secondary schools with just over 3,000 students in the Thames Valley – and some forward-thinking digital infrastructure companies willing to leave competition at the door. Four of the ALET schools are University Technical Colleges (UTCs) – STEM-focused secondary schools where students study a specialist technical subject like engineering or digital alongside traditional GCSEs or A Levels. 

During the programme, these UTC students learn technical and employability skills as part of their curriculum to prepares them for STEM-focused degrees or apprenticeships. The programme enables students to learn about the DI industry, and the significant opportunities, even at entry level, that are available to them. 

Employment opportunities coming from the programme, (which now has 13 partners on board, including some of the biggest data centre companies such as Digital Realty, Ark, AWS and Cyrus One and related experts including CBRE, LMG, DataX Connect, and JLL) are growing each year, with ALET supporting partners to develop and promote their apprenticeships.

So far, with the programme having run in only one UTC until this academic year, five students have started working for partners after completing level 3 qualifications – companies who are thrilled with the level of skill and knowledge their new recruits bring with them! Following the success of the programme at UTC Heathrow, the programme rolled out to all four of ALET’s UTCs (Reading, Oxfordshire and Swindon) this September, and the intention is this expansion will continue, benefiting both the students getting a foot onto a lucrative career ladder and employers taking on enthusiastic, skilled apprentices. 

The employer partners contribute financially to the Trust, enabling effective administration of the programme and presence at Data Centre World, which both recruits new partners each year and provides a fantastic careers opportunity for those students who win a place to attend. 

Partners volunteer their time to set exciting full-day challenges, run masterclasses on technical topics and train students in key employability skills such as communication, teamwork, CVs and interview skills. All students benefit from this programme, with engineering students also getting to work closely with partners within selected BTEC units, where partners set projects that enable students to cover the necessary theory but apply it in the context of real-world issues partners face every day.  

ALET offers training and significant levels of support for the partner volunteers to help them work with the students, and the volunteers get huge satisfaction from their time with students, ‘paying it forwards’ and passing on their skills and passion for their industry. 

“We have seen the results of the programme with the success achieved by our first intake of UTC Heathrow student apprentices, who have already had a hugely positive impact on our business. The Digital Futures Programme really is a win-win for employers, students, UTCs and the UK digital infrastructure industry as a whole”.  
Mike Hook, owner, LMG

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