Merseyside’s first community-based Digital Skills Lab – aimed at tackling the widening skills gap for young people – has launched.
The award-winning charity, Everton in Community, is behind the initiative which will equip people in Merseyside with sought after digital skills and inspire an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) subjects.
The Digital Skills Lab is based at Everton in the Community’s The People’s Hub on Spellow Lane in Everton and students from schools across Liverpool were among the first to try out the state-of-the-art activities.
The official charity of Everton FC is ensuring no child in Merseyside is left behind as it aims to combat an ever-increasing skills gap between disadvantaged young people and jobs within digital/STEAM industries. It comes as official stats show digital careers in STEAM are set to double over the next 10 years.
The launch follows research undertaken by STEM Learning, which revealed that 89 per cent of businesses have found it difficult to recruit staff with the required skills, leading to a shortfall of over 173,000 workers – this equates to an average of 10 unfilled roles per business.
The lab focuses on a hands-on approach to involve participants in their own learning process while developing 21st Century skills to help to prepare them for the future.
Within the lab students will have access to:
iPads
LEGO Education
VR equipment and a VR pod
eSports and gaming
Sphero Robotics
A laser cutter and 3D printer
Drones
FIRST LEGO League
Makeblock Education
Ozobot coding robots
KUBO coding tools
IT skills
Digital literacy courses
There is no ceiling as to who can make use of the Education Technology resources available at the Digital Skills Lab. Adult learners will also have full access to gain new skills and confidence that can help increase their employability and explore new career opportunities.
The Digital Skills Lab is backed by industry experts CreativeHUT and funded by a group of philanthropists known as the ‘First Steam Squad’.
Sue Gregory, CEO at Everton in the Community, said: “The launch of the Digital Skills Lab is a huge step for the E-STEAM programme which will make a positive difference to the lives of children within the Liverpool City Region.
“Programmes such as E-STEAM are greatly helped through philanthropy so we’d like to say a huge thank you to our First Steam Squad who has helped us bring our vision to life. We’d also like to thank CreativeHUT for their expertise which has helped us to deliver this state-of-the-art facility.”
The new initiative is part of Everton in the Community’s E-STEAM programme which launched in April last year. The programme delivers fun and imaginative learning to children aged five to 16 in 63 schools across the Liverpool City Region, aspiring them into careers in STEAM, and engages with adults and older groups. It has already engaged more than 1,200 participants and delivered over 200 sessions.
Gareth Boldsworth, founder of CreativeHUT, said: “We are incredibly honoured to support Everton in the Community and its E-STEAM Programme. Seeing the passion from the charity, along with the support from industry and the First Steam Squad, has been a humbling experience for CreativeHUT and our partners.”
