As Scottish Apprenticeship Week highlights best practice across Scotland – Forth Valley College has revealed how Digital Technology Modern Apprentices (MAs) are benefiting from hands on workplace experience with help from their College work based assessors.
Due to the growth of the IT sector and demand for digital skills, the one-year work-based MA programme is proving to be the perfect course to equip trainees with a recognisable qualification and desirable skills based either in the IT Support or Cyber Security fields.
These highly trained MA employees are becoming essential for any company which has a designated IT department as the course covers everything from cyber security to programming and telecoms. Industry recognised Diplomas (to SVQ Level 6) in either Information Security or Information Technology and Telecommunications are the goal for MAs who successfully complete the programme.
In Scotland alone around thousands of jobs in this area need to be filled each year, making the new Digital Technology MA programme an attractive prospect for firms. Edinburgh alone has 23% of its workforce in digital tech roles, while Glasgow has 22% and more than 69,000 job openings in the tech sector were advertised in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2019.
FVC have been helping companies with the recruitment process, tailoring the training to meet their needs and providing work based assessors and dedicated business development partners to answer any questions and deal with any issues raised during the term of an MA’s training.
The MA Digital Technology programme at FVC also offers the added benefit of
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals training. This training is designed for individuals looking to learn and demonstrate foundation-level knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure. As part of this course it is expected that individuals will take the AZ900 Certification Exam. With this learning path, students will:
- Understand cloud concepts
- Learn core Azure services
- Understand security, privacy, compliance, and trust
- Explore Azure pricing and support
Ian McAnish, a Digital Technology MA Key Facilities Management International, said: “Throughout the course my work-based assessors have been great support. Even during the current COVID outbreak they were there on online calls and chat throughout. Supplying great supporting material to follow regarding my course, and any online links to material that may help, or be of extra interest. I have attended Forth Valley College before on a different course, but find that the lecturers and assessors are all friendly and eager to help regardless of the course.
Sarah Mitchell, Business Support Director at Key Facilities Management International, said: “Working with Forth Valley has been a learning experience for us as a company. We were pleased that the college and more importantly the tutors have been available, helpful, and supportive of the journey so that the learning and the business needs are met.”
Jason Marr, a Digital Technology MA (pictured) working at Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “My journey through my modern apprenticeship within Sight Scotland has been very exciting. Working remotely was hard to adapt to during the first steps but it feels natural now, working within this apprenticeship practically, feels like that I’ve learned more than what I would’ve in a classroom setting. With OneFile evidence you provide, it keeps you on your feet and keeps information fresh in your head to use later in your apprenticeship.”
Kevin Burns, Head of IT at Sight Scotland Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “I have been thoroughly impressed with the Digital Technology Modern Apprenticeship scheme so far and the way Jason has been supported all the way through. He has been a breath of fresh air and continues to bring youthful enthusiasm which is infectious and I can see this through the rest of the team. I can also see his confidence growing and his communication and technical skills developing each day. I would certainly recommend the scheme to any employer not just for the added technical skills but also the boost it has given the whole team.”
Isabel Meikleham, Lead Assessor (Multi-Discipline) for FVC’s Department of Business Development, said: “We are confident that this MA programme is just what businesses are looking for to meet the digital skills gap we currently have in Scotland. Our programme develops a broad and innovative skillset, has a strong focus on hands-on practical training and meets the requirements of a highly regulated industry.
“The college’s excellent reputation in Computing is also a major plus point for anyone thinking of linking up with us in this programme. We are excited at the prospect of being at the forefront of training the next generation of IT and cyber security professionals.”
Tech professionals are in demand across the whole economy and over 90,000 people are employed in tech roles in all sectors in Scotland. At least two fifths are employed in tech businesses with the remainder employed in other sectors such as finance, creative industries, engineering and healthcare. That’s why the MA Digital Technology is more important than ever.
Anyone looking for more information on the new Digital Technology MA programme, should call 01324 403000 or visit https://bit.ly/3LGmFNV
More information:
https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/ways-to-study/modern-apprenticeships/
https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/industry-training/modern-apprenticeships/
https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/ways-to-study/modern-apprenticeships-student/