Digital Innovator Programme relaunched

Friday 30 October 2020

First Central Insurance & Technology Group and the Digital Greenhouse have announced that the Digital Innovator Programme will return for the 2020/21 academic year to support post-16 students as they develop their digital skills.

The eight-month programme will kick off with a half-day 'hackathon' on 3 November 2020.

It is the third year that the programme has taken place, giving students a chance to gain experience with industry-level technology, and insight from business leaders.

"Today's usage of technology means the digital industry is part of every sector, which has increased the demand for competent, skilled and engaged individuals," said John Davison, Chief Information Officer at First Central Group.

"We're proud to be involved in the programme for another year and continue supporting our bright young talent."

Last year, 150 local students were supported by the initiative across six events.

During lockdown in spring and early summer, the team successfully provided events through a virtual format.

Many popular aspects of the programme will return, including the Digital Innovator Challenge which sees groups of students develop digital solutions to solve a given problem. These are analysed by a panel of judges, and a trophy is awarded to the winning team during the summer.

Last year, four Guernsey Institute students won for an app that used a 'points system' to pair organisations with appropriately-qualified jobseekers.

"The programme is now three years old and our tried and tested format has received really positive feedback from participating students," said Ben Wratten, Programme Manager at the Digital Greenhouse. 

"We're now seeing many include the scheme and what they have learned on their CVs -helping them to stand out from the crowd in the competitive job market, and begin forging a career in the digital sector."