Discovering Digital World roadshow comes to Scotland
Children are learning about future tech opportunities as Scotland enters a digital age.
Scotland is at the cutting edge of digital technology and today people of all ages can learn how they could be part of this growing sector.
Aggreko, Oracle and leading travel search site Skyscanner are among the organisations taking part in Discovering Digital World at Strathclyde Technology Innovation Centre.
Hosted by Skills Development Scotland and Young Scot, the event will offer an insight into the wide variety of careers available in Scotland’s thriving digital technologies industry and provide advice about taking the first step on the ladder.
It is part of the Discovering Digital World roadshow series, which has so far visited Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Edinburgh, and is scheduled to stop in Oban, Helensburgh, Selkirk and Duns soon.
The event will include a daytime session for secondary school pupils hosted by Young Scot and Skills Development Scotland’s dedicated Insight Evening for parents, students and adults considering a career change.
The evening event is a chance for people to hear from industry leaders, colleges and schools about careers in digital technology. As well as giving people the chance to learn about local vacancies, alternative employment routes and job security for budding techies.
Kicking off the event will be a digital quiz followed by an inspirational talk from Gary Ennis of NS Design. Gary will explain why he chose to pursue a career in tech and his vision for the future landscape of digital Scotland.
There will also be an exclusive talk from Skyscanner followed by an interactive panel Q&A with representatives from across the industry including Edge Testing, Aggreko and Screenmedia.
Claire Gillespie, key sector manager for ICT and digital technology skills at SDS, said: “The tech industry is one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving sectors in Scotland, and can play a key role in the development of a diverse, innovative and highly-skilled economy, with many long-term and stable job opportunities. We hope these events will inspire everyone who attends, from school pupils to those considering a change in employment, to follow a career in digital technology.”
More than 400 pupils from across Glasgow will take part in Young Scot’s schools event which will showcase the many interesting, unexpected and inspiring aspects of the industry and give young people the confidence that they can succeed in the profession.
With an emphasis on hands on activities and trying new things, the event will give pupils the chance to dabble in coding, design and developing. One of the top attractions will be Skyscanner, whose Raspberry Pi workshops will show that even a coding novice can learn quickly.
A Skills Investment Plan for Scotland’s ICT and Digital Technologies Sector was launched in 2014, backed by £6.6 million from the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership. The plan identified the potential for 11,000 job opportunities in Scotland each year until 2020, often paying well above average.