More than 70% of those completing Belfast City Council’s first ever Tech Employment Academy immediately secured employment in the sector.
Demand for skills in Belfast’s booming tech sector is significantly outstripping supply, so Belfast City Council has joined forces with the city’s private sector to help meet that need. The first ever Tech Employment Academy was co-designed and delivered with Allstate and Citi, with support from the Belfast Labour Market Partnership and the Learning & Work Institute.
As well as investing in and tailoring the programme design, these major employers have offered valuable work experience and guaranteed job interviews for those who successfully completed the 16-week course.
Academy participants were immersed in the essentials of software development, product management, and gained vital employability skills, including employer coaching and mentoring. In addition to this most participants have secured, or are in the process of securing, high quality jobs, with the help of Belfast City Council’s Employability and Skills team.
Councillor Gareth Spratt, Deputy Chair of Belfast City Council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee said: “We made a commitment in the Belfast Agenda to help residents reach their full potential and to empower those furthest removed from the labour market to progress in employment. We also want to support business growth and help Belfast employers with current recruitment challenges.”
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The Councillor added: “So we were delighted to receive 100 applications for 15 places on our first Belfast Tech Employment Academy – there’s a real appetite for work in this fast-growing sector. We reached out to people who weren’t currently working, or who were underemployed, people who wanted to restart their career after a break or setback, those who were keen to reboot or change direction in their professional lives and of course those impacted by Covid-19.”
Applicants took an aptitude assessment as part of the application process, instead of having a requirement for high-level formal qualifications to remove as many barriers to employment as possible. For the same reason,the council offered significant wrap-around care to support travel and childcare costs, as well as making sure that participants weren’t missing out on any benefits that they were eligible for.
Paul Cassidy, Global Senior Learning & Development, Allstate said: “As one of the largest employers in technology in Northern Ireland, Allstate continues to strive to ensure an open and diverse recruitment strategy encouraging motivated and talented individuals to explore a career within the technology sector. The demand for skills and talent is a challenge, and this employability programme is a great example of how we can build that bridge to employment and get people working in technology.”
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Leigh Meyer, Citi Belfast Site Lead added: “At Citi we are challenging the stereotypical idea of finance professionals by continuing to develop a number of career pathways. Citi’s team members are supported, mentored, provided with excellent training, and given opportunities to connect with global teams to develop expertise. We want people to build their careers here, not just apply for a job. We were delighted to work closely with the Belfast City Council to develop their first ever Tech Employment Academy to collaboratively develop and identify future skills required for successful careers within the finance sector. It has provided the opportunity to remove entry barriers and dispel the perception that working in financial services means you need a certain type of qualification or accent.”
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Source: Written from press release.
