We Are Group celebrate Digitober

Digitober is a month which celebrates and showcases the amazing work of Greater Manchester’s digital sector.

As a company committed to creating a social impact, we at We Are Group are helping to bridge the digital divide by partnering with Government, Local Authorities, Corporate Businesses, Housing Associations and more to run large-scale and effective community-led programmes.

One successful programme we run is our Skills Bootcamps.

These courses have come a long way since they were launched as part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) pilot phase, and are recognised as a great contribution to the digital sector of Greater Manchester.

Initially, we were only delivering a Skills Bootcamp in Digital Marketing, but have since branched out into new areas, including Data Analytics, IT Technical Sales, and Telecoms Field Operations, which have just begun delivery. Our partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) kicked off in May 2023, and has already seen us onboard and deliver our Digital Marketing course to 48 learners, with us delivering Digital Marketing and Data Analytics to almost 200 candidates in total this year. Our course has received a satisfaction rating of 99%, with 98% of our candidates agreeing that they felt supported during their Skills Bootcamp; and the proof of the courses’ impact is in our learners’ feedback.

“I have hugely enjoyed the 10-week Digital Marketing Bootcamp with We Are Group and am thrilled to see they have secured funding for a fourth rollout - I can't recommend highly enough!

Thanks to my awesome trainers for making the content super engaging and bringing a wealth of experience to the sessions!!”

In total, we have received thousands of applications for our fully-funded courses, seeing 1 in 3 of our learners secure new roles in the process, so we are excited to increase these figures through working with Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

“It’s been a very successful partnership with GMCA. Since the earliest days of the Skills Bootcamps concept, where we were one of just three businesses nationally chosen to test the bootcamps in the pilot stage, we have now created an important and impactful stream of our company.

We found that GMCA put digital first in the region, with Mayor Andy Burnham’s backing, and were flexible and innovative enough to realise that a lot of the early work in this programme was testing and learning, and not always smooth sailing. But the Skills Bootcamps are now successfully helping thousands of people gain the digital jobs of the future.”

Our Managing Director also had a few words – “At We Are Group, we work across Local, Regional and Central Government but also corporates. Our clients have one thing in common, they want to help people improve their life chances, be that by providing entry-level digital skills, assisted digital support or, in the case of our Partnership with the GMCA offering a fully-funded 10-week course, to enable people to start or develop a career in Digital Marketing.

Digital Marketing skills are in short supply across the UK, so our course really offers a springboard to gain valuable experience and secure a role in this ever-growing and exciting sector.

It is a credit to GMCA and our partnership that we are creating these chances, and I am very proud to play a part”.

During the launch of our Skills Bootcamps in Digital Marketing, in partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, we also invested in a new Learner Management System called Rise-Up. Not only has this increased our learners’ engagement, but it has also enhanced our courses, meaning the quality and efficiency of our Skills Bootcamps delivery is more refined; ensuring our candidates' upskilling experience is truly life-changing.

“My We Are Group course is going fantastic.

It is a massive change to be mainly working from my bedroom, and I am bootstrapping this next step of my career.”

                                                     GMCA Skills Bootcamps in Digital Marketing candidate

This Digitober, why not partner with us to help increase the impact made in the digital sector?

Whether you are an Employer looking to recruit, or a Partner looking to increase their Corporate Social Responsibility, visit our website for more information Partner and Employer Opportunities (we-are-digital.co.uk).