College exhibits at Digital Opportunities Fair

Walsall College showcased its wide range of courses and apprenticeships at the Digital Opportunities Fair, which took place at the Library of Birmingham.

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Organised by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the event was held to highlight some of the rewarding digital careers and courses available in the area for school leavers, students and adults.

The event featured a select handful of top employers, colleges, universities and training providers, including the Creative Alliance, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Lloyds Bank, Arup, University Hospital Birmingham, University of Birmingham, Coventry University and Aston University.

All the exhibitors showed off their high-tech equipment – including robots, virtual reality, augmented reality and coding programmes. Representatives from Walsall College brought along Lego robots and Raspberry Pis for visitors to look at, as well as to experiment with.

Mayor Andy Street and Esther McVey, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, also attended the event to launch the West Midlands Apprenticeship Promise – a commitment to ensure that all young people aged 16-24 in the area have access to a good apprenticeship or training opportunity.

The promise was launched alongside a new Progression Coaches Pilot, an initiative funded by the Department of Work and Pensions to hire ten new progression coaches, who will provide extra support to get young people into work.

The coaches will work exclusively with young unemployed people in the West Midlands to help them find and secure job opportunities, training or apprenticeships, with a particular focus on young people who currently experience challenges in entering the labour market.

James Norris, Assistant Principal for Commercial Development at Walsall College, said: “Driving prosperity in the West Midlands area is one of our key priorities, so exhibiting at the Digital Opportunities Fair was an opportunity to showcase the wide range of courses we offer in digital skills, including cyber security.

Digital skills is the golden thread that runs throughout the College’s innovative curriculum offer. Our courses are designed to enhance the digital skills base of the regions workforce, providing learners with the skills they need for a digital economy.

In addition, we have recently opened our Digital Engineering Skills Centre, which includes state-of-the-art technology including robotics, industry 4.0 technologies, and high specification computers for industrial design processes.

These new facilities will ensure that our engineering students gain the experience they need to enter an industry in which machinery is becoming more digitalised.”

Walsall College offers a wide range of courses in Computing and Engineering. For more information about enrolling on a course at Walsall College, please call 01922 657000. Or come along to our next Open Day. Pre-register now!