Digital Engineering Assured Skills Academy opens for applications

Date published: 28 January 2020

Working with the global innovation and transformation consultancy PA Consulting (PA), the Department for the Economy is offering 22 high quality training places in its Digital Engineering Assured Skills Academy.

Digital Engineering Assured Skills Academy opens for applications
Digital Engineering Assured Skills Academy opens for applications

Funded by the Department for the Economy, the Assured Skills Academy will see successful applicants gain the skills they need to become a digital engineer during a nine-week training course at Belfast Met. Participants who complete the course are guaranteed a job interview with PA.

Speaking about the Academy, Director of Skills at the Department for the Economy, Graeme Wilkinson said: “This is an excellent opportunity to start a career in digital engineering. The industry here is in need of skilled people and this Assured Skills Academy will give participants the knowledge and skills they need to compete for a job in this exciting sector.

“As well as the learning opportunity, participants in the Academy will receive a £150 weekly training allowance, travel expenses and could be eligible for childcare allowance.

“I urge anyone interested in this opportunity to apply now!”

Nuala Harden, digital expert at PA, added: “We are hoping to create 400 jobs over the next five years in Belfast. At PA, we are committed to investing in the growth and development of our team and helping our clients to use digital technologies to adapt and transform their operations in an era of disruptive change. This Digital Engineering Assured Skills Academy offers talented individuals the opportunity to develop a lasting career and the chance to work on a variety of exciting and innovative projects.”

The Assured Skills Academy will be delivered at Belfast Met. During the Academy participants can expect to become proficient in Java, SQL and HTML/CSS/Java Script, Building Rest APIs and building Java Web applications using Spring Boot.

Siobhan Lyons, Head of Economic Development at Belfast Met, said: “Assured Skills Academies are an excellent chance for those looking to learn the skills they need to kick-start their career in technology. We have been delivering Assured Skills Academies, in different disciplines, in partnership with the Department for a number of years and have seen first-hand their success, with a high number of participants going on to secure employment in their chosen field.”

Applicants for the Academy require a 2:2 degree in any discipline or a Level 5 qualification in an IT related subject.

The Academy is open now for applications, closing Friday 7 February.

For more information and to apply, visit the nidirect Assured Skills training programme page.

Notes to editors: 

  1. Photo caption: Pictured are (l-r) Graeme Wilkinson, Director of Skills at the Department for the Economy; Siobhan Lyons, Head of Economic Development at Belfast Met; and Nuala Harden, digital expert at PA.
  2. For more information on PA Consulting visit the PA Consulting website.  
  3. Assured Skills is a pre-employment training programme run by the Department for the Economy. More information is available at the Department for the Economy's Assured Skills Programme page.
  4. The Department may take photographs and videos at announcements and events to publicise its work. Photographs, interviews, videos or other recordings may be issued to media organisations for publicity purposes or used in promotional material, including in publications, newspapers, magazines, other print media, on television, radio and electronic media (including social media and the internet). Photographs and videos will also be stored on the Department’s internal records management system. The Department will keep the photographs and recordings for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they have been obtained. The Department’s Privacy Policy is available on our website.
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  6. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office on 028 9052 9604 or email pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk . Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110.

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