BMet launches Digital Skills Academy to reward students with “digital skills awards” during Birmingham Tech Week
Learners across all curriculum areas at BMet College can gain invaluable “digital skills awards” through a new online Digital Skills Academy, it was announced this week at Birmingham Tech Week.
The rewarding initiative was highlighted as part of Suzie Branch-Haddow, Vice Principal – External Development’s panel debate at the Digital Skills Symposium at The University of Birmingham in Centenary Square.
Through the Academy, BMet students will be able to learn and enhance their digital skills via the nationally recognised Inspiring Digital Enterprise (IDEA) Awards.
By completing online modules, students can achieve various badges:
- Citizen Badges (digital awareness, safety and ethics)
- Worker Badges (tools and techniques which are useful in the workplace)
- Maker Badges (digital creativity and building and making in the digital world)
- Entrepreneur Badges (originating ideas and bringing them back to life)
- Gamer Badges (gamification techniques and helping people learn how to make games)
All badges are specially designed to help learners be one step ahead when progressing to jobs or universities. There are different levels to achieve, and students will be completing the Bronze Award. To achieve the Bronze Level, 250 points need to be earned, including a minimum of 50 points in each category.
Furthermore, as well as gaining key digital skills, learners will also be able to acquire “essential skills” like team working, critical thinking, adaptability, and communication that are equally important to future employers.
Oliver Hills, CEO of Nonsensical and member of BMet’s Digital and Tech Board is a full endorser of The Digital Skills Academy and said: “I would definitely employ someone Who had participated in the BMet Digital Skills Academy over someone who hadn’t.
“The BMet Digital Skills Academy is a very important and forward-thinking initiative that seems to be future proof in not only equipping students with skills that employers are looking for, but also helps companies to fill skills gaps with new talent that will leave a great impact in business developments.”
The Digital Skills Academy has already received great feedback from members of BMet’s Digital Board – which invites like-minded organisations to work together with the college to embed core activities eg. technology-focused work experience opportunities into the curriculum that will be beneficial to students and to future employers.
BMet’s Vice Principal for External Development, Suzie Branch-Haddow, said: “It was brilliant to be able to inform and spread the word to Birmingham Tech Week attendees about our Digital Skills Academy, at Digital Skills Day: the panel discussions during the day really endorsed our vision of the Academy – with employers really focussing on the need for us to support students develop their technological and essential skills.
“Our ever-growing curriculum is very much shaped by the employers that we work with, so to have a progressive system that fits both students and employers needs is a win win!”
BMet is once again the only FE sponsor for Birmingham Tech Week and its students and are again taking part in a range of key activities happening across the city – look out for more on BMet’s news section of the website and on their social media channels.
You can find out more details about BMet’s employer partnerships on the college’s website.