Employees across Plymouth - and those looking to enter the labour market - will be able to secure new and increasingly sought-after skills thanks to an initiative placing the city at the heart of the UK's digital revolution.
The University of Plymouth is working with Babcock International, Plymouth Manufacturers Group, and the Real Ideas Organisation to develop two new short courses for the design engineering sector.
They will teach skills in digital design, digital fabrication, 3D modelling, design simulation and optimisation, and offer access to state-of-the-art facilities within the University's Digital Fabrication and Immersive Media Laboratories.
Developed directly with industries and their employees, the project will allow city businesses to upskill their workforce with technical expertise and resources that would otherwise be out of reach.
The new 15-week courses will welcome their first students in September 2022, with additional intake dates currently scheduled during the 2022/23 academic year.
Funded through the Office for Students (OfS) Challenge Competitions, they will be designed to tackle current skills gaps and anticipate future skills needs, with their success being evaluated by SERIO, also based at the University. And the vision is that more courses will be developed in a similar way in the future.
The short courses are also being launched alongside a new BA (Hons) Digital Design and Engineering programme, which will allow students to engage with high value sectors of the creative economy, such as manufacturing, product development, digital fabrication, and design innovation.
