Apprentices from Stockport Council have been awarded their Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award – iDEA award – from The Duke of York.
Five apprentices from Stockport Council attended a VIP event at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) which staff, students and guests of MMU, Councillor June Hitchen and The Duke of York attended.
The event was held to celebrate the success of the new ‘The Duke of York Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award’ (iDEA), described as the digital and enterprise equivalent of The Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Beth, Erika, Laura, Lucy and Penny, who joined Stockport Council last year on Project Management Apprenticeships, are among the first members of staff at the Council to complete the Bronze iDEA. They were honored to be presented with their certificates by The Duke of York himself and had the chance to speak to His Royal Highness about the different badges and skills involved.
Alison Cresswell, Head of Participation and Education Services at Stockport Council, said:
“iDEA has helped our apprentices develop new digital skills. It has captured their imagination by making learning fun and the badge concept works really well to motivate them in their learning. Digital skills are such an important part of everyday work – it’s great that this scheme is freely accessible for all and we would encourage everyone to learn and progress their digital skills to equip them for the jobs of the future.”
iDEA is an innovative Badge Store concept that enables people to develop digital and enterprise skills for free. There are currently 48 digital badges on the iDEA Badge Store in topics including coding, graphic design, advertising, growth hacking, money management, web design, cyber security, digital ethics. iDEA is split into three levels, Bronze (currently available) with Silver and Gold being available later in 2018 and early 2019.
Stockport Council is collaborating with Stockport businesses, schools and colleges, employment and training providers and community and voluntary groups to launch iDEA across Stockport. This new programme is a perfect fit with Stockport Council’s commitment to reducing digital exclusion and helping to plug the digital skills gap. Having basic digital skills is now a pre-requisite for virtually every job, and the awards should appeal to people of all ages, whether they are a school leaver looking for a first break, or someone looking to widen their skills to find a way back into the jobs market or change the direction of their career.
Everyone in Stockport who takes part in iDEA can earn an exclusive Digital Stockport badge, which gives participants points towards their Bronze award. Sign up for the awards and get your Digital Stockport badge HERE
If you do not have access to the internet or you need more help, our staff at Stockport Apprenticeships Store or libraries can show you how to get started using the free public access computers.
ENDS
Image 1: iDEA award winners with The Duke of York and Councillor June Hitchen, Deputy Lord Mayor, Manchester City Council.
Image 2: Stockport Council apprentices, Laura Warburton (top left), Penny Welton (middle left), Erika Siemaszko (middle right), Beth Hennessey (bottom left) and Lucy Scragg (bottom right) were presented with their certificates from The Duke of York.
Image 3: Digital Stockport iDEA badge
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