The Digital Skills Academy, part of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), has been recognised with ‘Academic Partner of the Year’ and ‘Rising Star of the Year’ awards by CompTIA, the non-profit association for the global technology industry. NWSLC was one of 18 organisations to be recognised by CompTIA during its recent EMEA Partner Awards hosted at the CompTIA EMEA Member & Partner Conference this month.

CompTIA’s Partner Awards recognise the CompTIA Authorised Partners that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to developing tech talent through offering CompTIA certifications and training to prepare students for careers in a range of information technology (IT) fields such as IT Infrastructure and Cyber Security.

Graham Hunter, CompTIA Vice President for Business Development, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges to educational institutions, but our partners have continued to provide high-quality training and certification despite the challenges. We are very proud to work and partner with organisations that value and deliver high-quality training and certification. For many IT pros, the knowledge and skills they employ today were sparked and nurtured under the tutelage of teachers, instructors and trainers from a CompTIA Authorised Partner”.

The Digital Skills Academy offers a series of courses built on CompTIA’s IT Fundamentals, A+ , Network +, Security+ and Cybersecurity Analyst+ certifications. Each certification provides students with the fundamental skills needed to start a career in technology.

Based at Coventry University’s Technology Park campus, the Academy was launched in 2020 following a successful bid, led by NWSLC, to secure funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority. It is responding for growing momentum for the fast-paced digitisation of the UK and an acknowledgement across all sectors that digital skills increasingly sit at the heart of all careers.

Offering students a pathway to ‘in-demand’ digital jobs in software development and cyber security, the Academy helps businesses to access a pipeline of people with higher-level skills and address gaps within their workforce. In addition, students can access opportunities to improve the types of digital skills on which every business increasingly relies.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive of NWSLC said: “This is a great achievement for the Academy, and we are delighted to have been honoured with two awards this year. Digitisation continues to represent a significant challenge and our dependence on IT skills will only grow in the future. It is vital that our workforce is equipped to meet the challenges of the fast-paced development in digital technologies.

“The Academy plays a pivotal role in delivering skilled individuals to the digital sector in highly specialised areas such as software development and cyber security. Building on this, we acknowledge that everybody needs digital skills at some level to participate productively within the workplace, so provision will enable individuals to enhance their career progression opportunities in whatever industry they work.” For more information visit www.digital-skillsacademy.co.uk or call 0330 058 3000.

Thank you to North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College for submitting this news story. If you would like to share a news story from your organisation, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at media@skillsedugroup.co.uk.

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