Tech education startup mTech.Academy plans to double in scale

Belfast tech education startup mTech.Academy has announced plans to more than double the number of schools it works with in the coming academic year.

The world of work is changing rapidly, and education is starting to change with it. As we educate the next generation of students to enter the increasingly complex tech field, it's more important than ever to get people hands-on with tech and develop their digital skills at a young age.

Since its launch around a year ago, mTech.Academy has supported over 300 students at 10 schools across Northern Ireland to develop their problem-solving, collaboration, and digital tech skills through a unique educational programme. Year 10 students are given access to cloud-based collaboration tools and tasked with conducting their own research and developing presentations, with a focus on broader skills such as critical thinking and communication.

The goal of the scheme is to develop the real-world skills that employers themselves want to see in prospective hires, and it's supported by major NI tech firms such as PwC, Instil, and Novosco. The scheme has been highly successful in its first year, teaching skills to the students and also mentoring their teachers and career leads on the opportunities and expectations in NI Tech.

The academy is set to expand rapidly in the coming year, reaching around 600 students across at least 20 schools across Northern Ireland. If you want to find out more about the scheme, head over to https://mtech.academy or catch the mTech.Academy session at Digital DNA 2019 tomorrow where stats on the academy's 2018/19 year impact will be detailed.

Co-founder Diane Morrow said: "We have been delighted with the response to mTech.Academy in terms of the number of students now actively considering careers in science, technology, engineering, arts/design and maths and business – and the number of parents now encouraging their young person in that pursuit. There is a real need for us to bridge the gap between the skills young people are learning in schools and the skills employers require now and into the future. We’re excited to be expanding the programme and helping even more Northern Ireland students and educators prepare for the digital future."

Source: Written based on press release