Tech City UK's Digital Business Academy growing after 18,000 enrolments

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Tech City UK is launching three brand new courses via its Digital Business Academy, the organisation's dedicated skills programme after more than 18,000 people enrolled in the program.

The courses - now eleven in total - are designed to help people in the UK who want to launch, run or join a business in the digital sector. It is the first program of its kind to be backed by the government and hopes to tap into the country's rapid uptick in digital jobs alongside a growing skills gap.

Eileen Burbidge, Tech City UK's chair, said: "The next generation of digital talent is hungry for success, and programmes such as Digital Business Academy help individuals to unlock their potential. The existing courses and new content not only provide the latest skills in technology, they also give people across the UK the confidence and inspiration to get out there and make their ideas come to life."

The courses focus on tracking performance for early-stage start-ups, managing customers and using social media, with support from existing start-up companies including Songkick, Pact Coffee, Streak, Intercom, Beer Bods and Wriggle.

Existing course content is provided by UCL and Cambridge Judge Business School, with Founder Centric and content marketing firm Valuable Content helping to shape the three new courses. Microsoft Ventures, Ogilvy and the BBC are three of the Digital Business Academy's 49 industry partners.

"With the digital technology sector set to grow by 5.5 per cent by 2020, Digital Business Academy's enrolment of 18,500 in 10 months demonstrates the continued appetite to build businesses that power the UK digital economy," said Gerard Grech, Tech City UK CEO.

Participants are given the opportunity to secure paid internships through the program's partners, as well as mentorship and support in the form of co-working space and start-up loans.

Caroline Preece

Caroline has been writing about technology for more than a decade, switching between consumer smart home news and reviews and in-depth B2B industry coverage. In addition to her work for IT Pro and Cloud Pro, she has contributed to a number of titles including Expert Reviews, TechRadar, The Week and many more. She is currently the smart home editor across Future Publishing's homes titles.

You can get in touch with Caroline via email at caroline.preece@futurenet.com.