The Gibraltar Digital Skills Academy was given its official launch in early October, just days after it sought to strengthen its business links by signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with two local technology firms, Bland Group and Comtact.

The objective of the Academy is to provide training to students from all age groups and backgrounds, enabling them to acquire the digital skills needed in order to find employment opportunities and keep pace with the increasingly common use of technology in society.

What is the purpose of the new business agreements?

As reported by the Gibraltar Chronicle, the Academy’s MoUs with business will be crucial to its efforts to equip its students with the skills that will help them thrive in the current job market. They will also be important for cultivating strong partnerships with the digital sector, to aid the growth of Gibraltar’s wider economy.

The collaborations will see the companies provide the Academy and its attendees with training plans, exams and certifications, alongside the likes of career advice, insight into the latest trends in the technology sector, access to the most recent cyber software solutions, and live environment training. Graduates of the Academy could also benefit from internships.

Bland Group CEO Nicholas Gaggero, Dominic List of Comtact, and the Academy’s founding trustee, Stewart Harrison, were the signatories of the memorandums. Also present for the signing at the Academy’s Europort premises was Albert Isola, the Gibraltarian government’s digital and financial services minister.

“This Academy is a wonderful example of what Gibraltar can do”

Mr Isola commented: “This Academy is a wonderful example of what Gibraltar can do when we work together in a private-public sector partnership. We will upskill our youngsters into an area where there is much demand, and where more and more of our young people will be finding their careers in the future.”

Mr Harrison, meanwhile, drew attention to the importance of connecting learners and employers as a way of closing skills gaps and making sure everyone can access technology regardless of their background, which is one of the Academy’s principal goals.

A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between the Academy and Cyber Security Challenge UK, which helps ensure a thriving and inclusive pipeline of cybersecurity talent through competitions, games and events.

Cyber Security Challenge UK’s chairman, Dr Robert Nowill, joined the official launch of the Academy via Zoom. He stated: “We are delighted to be in a position to support Stewart’s hard work and dedication to launch the Digital Skills Academy in Gibraltar.”

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