Young people from Greater Shankill, West and North Belfast have been learning new software skills at a coding academy led by Queen’s and partner Impact Training. 

Supported by Telefónica Tech UK&I, the coding academy training programme is now in its second year and has been helping 16-19-year-olds gain essential workplace skills and learn about the latest technologies and opportunities within the IT industry.  

The academy takes the form of a series of regular coding sessions over six months and each person that completes the course is provided with a Raspberry Pi, a small and affordable computer used to learn programming, which can be used to continue to develop coding skills. 

The graduation ceremony for those who completed the course took place at the Telefónica Tech office in Titanic Quarter. As part of the event, awards were presented to the young people including an outstanding achievement award given to Justin Clarke, who was recognised for demonstrating dedication to learning new skills.  

  

Dr David Cutting, Director of Education in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s University Belfast, said: 

“We are delighted to join forces with Impact Training and Telefónica Tech UK&I to deliver something so worthwhile, helping young people discover their love for IT and embark on careers in the sector. We are proud to see our peer mentors support the next generation of experts in coding and share their love and enthusiasm.  

“This has been an outstanding programme to help the young people of Belfast kickstart their IT careers.  It is incredible to see how quickly the participants took up coding and the amount of talent and passion that each of them had. It is fantastic to see our students helping to train the next generation of experts in coding.” 

  

Ellen Dickson, Strategic VP of Enterprise Health at Telefónica Tech UK&I, commented: “Congratulations to all of the young people who completed this year’s course. Telefónica Tech UK&I is incredibly proud to once again support and be part of such a fantastic programme that will hopefully mark the beginning of an exciting career in IT for those who participated. As well as providing young people with essential skills to widen their career options, the programme will also help boost the pipeline of skills that is needed to enable our IT sector to continue to thrive.” 

 

Gerard Fox, Vocational Employment Manager at Impact Training, added:

“It is fantastic to witness how much students can grow and reach their full potential when completing the course and it is fantastic to offer it once again to young people in Belfast. It not only gives them an insight into the IT sector but it is also a fantastic way for them to gain confidence and grow as they begin the journey towards their future careers. Congratulations to everyone who completed the course.” 

 

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