Support Our IT, Digital and Creative Activity

This year, we are doing even more to support the IT, Digital and Creative sector with our new sector lead, Paul Coffey - a Production Director for Colchester based digital agency, Coast Digital.

We're encouraging local business representatives to take part in any or all of our activities below to support our aim to tackle local skills challenges and support the industry in Essex. For more information on any of these activities, please e-mail: essexemployment.skillsboard@essex.gov.uk

 

• Presenters for our Royal Institution Computer Science Masterclasses, in Basildon (beginning 6th May), in Chelmsford (beginning April 2017) and those same areas for the 2017/18 Academic year

These Saturday morning sessions, for talented and keen year 9 students, are extracurricular and interactive. In past series we have had presenters run sessions focusing on computer modelling, cloud robotics, data analytics, cyber security and Astro/Sonic Pi amongst other things. We would welcome industry volunteers interested in leading one of these sessions – we can provide support from Royal Institution colleagues to help with planning the Masterclass to those that need assistance.

• Presenters for our Royal Institution Engineering Masterclasses for the 2017/18 academic year

These sessions are the equivalent of the above Computer Science-specific Masterclasses. We are looking to build a database of presenters for series due to run across Essex in 2017-18. Digital/Creative representatives would be welcomed for these Engineering sessions, where the proposed subject relates well to the engineering and advanced manufacturing process. We have had sessions in the past relating to Building Information Managements (or BIM), transport control systems, leadership and management in engineering and transport planning.

• Female industry representatives to support a ‘STEMettes Hackathon’ in Colchester (University of Essex, 21st February) and Chelmsford (Boswells School, 29th March)

This is a day-long event, aiming to encourage more young female students to consider careers in tech sectors. 80 year 8 students from local schools will attend to work with the STEMettes organisation to devise a basic app, game, website etc. We’re looking for female industry representatives that can participate for all or part of the day to speak to the students there, informally, about what they do and how they got there.

• Digital/Creative industry representatives to support an Assisted Living Technologies project (Chelmsford, Braintree and Colchester Schools in Summer term, 2017)

We are looking to industry representatives to support a school team to design and build a prototype of an ALT for potential use in the Health & Social Care sector, in order to improve residents’ health and well-being. Support will manifest itself in attendance at the school’s after-school STEM club, or through email/telephone/skype support. Designs may be of an app-based enhancement, or a physical product that improves care residents’ environment, the point is that industry volunteers will work with students to decide what their entry will consist of.

• Volunteers to present or exhibit in school about their organisation and future recruitment plans and the wider Digital/Creative sector/Providing Teacher CPD (throughout the academic year)

We are looking to volunteers to present to students from various year groups, to exhibit at careers and options events at a number of Essex schools, or to provide teachers with an opportunity to put the computer science curriculum in an industry context and understand latest industry methods and technologies. Our programme works with secondary schools across the county, and we’re looking to build a database of potential Digital/Creative representatives to offer to school curriculum and career leads planning their academic calendar.

If you would like to get involved with any of the activities listed above, please e-mail the ESB at: essexemployment.skillsboard.gov.uk