Activate Learning Education Trust is delighted to welcome DataX Connect to its award-winning education/industry partnership, designed to give students a head-start into digital careers.
The global data centre recruitment specialist will join nine leading employers from the digital infrastructure sector as a Trust Partner on the Digital Futures Programme (DFP) – which gives students meaningful engagements with a wide range of employers from the digital infrastructure sector.
Aimed at 14-19-year-olds, the programme equips students with the essential knowledge and skills needed to thrive in technical careers within the digital infrastructure industry, comprising engineering, the network cabling and data centre sectors and other digital environments. It also gives students a real taste of the world of work, and helps them develop the employability skills in readiness for interviews and entry level roles – and not just in the data centre sector as the skills they learn are hugely transferable.
Andy Davis, Director at DataX Connect, has long been a supporter of the programme and brings with him a team of recruitment professionals that will deliver employability workshops to our students across our UTCs.
“Since its inception, I have been a supporter of the UTC Programme and have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact it has on students,” he said.
“I am proud and excited to formalise our collaboration. We witness first-hand the shortages of talent in the data centre sector and are committed to helping develop the next generation. I’ve witnessed the positive impact of this programme on students and we’re excited to support their journey toward a full-time career in data centres. This partnership aligns with our mission to bridge the gap between education and industry needs, ensuring a robust pipeline of talent for the future.”
DataX Connect joins the Digital Futures Programme at an exciting time, as it expands to three other Thames Valley schools. Launched at UTC Heathrow in 2021, the programme, which is not offered in any other UK school at present, will be available from September 2024 at UTC Reading, UTC Swindon and UTC Oxfordshire.
The DFP has received industry acclaim, recognised with four global awards including the Education and Employment Project Award of the Year at the Datacloud Global Awards and Best Talent Developer at the Data Centre World Awards.
As part of the programme, DataX Connect staff will work with students to deliver a mix of employer-led projects, challenge days, masterclasses and skills workshops. Previous employers working on the programme have found it to be hugely rewarding, both in terms of wellbeing, professional development and even recruiting apprentices – our first graduates from UTC Heathrow took up freshly created apprenticeship positions last year, which is a major boost to the industry, which is working to attract new talent.
Jo Harper, CEO of ALET, said: ‘We are delighted that DataX are joining the Digital Futures Programme and excited to see the first activities rolled out across our four UTCS to support our vision to transform lives through learning.’
