Derby Company’s Expertise Helps Students Become Work Ready

IT students at @DerbyCollege Group’s Joseph Wright Centre are working with a local marketing agency to develop the broader skills they will need in their future careers.

They are working virtually alongside the team at Koobr who are based in Friar Gate and specialise in branding, graphic design, website and digital marketing services for a wide range of local, regional and national clients.

The students have been set a project to design a new website promoting apprenticeships to employers, young people and parents using the IT knowledge they have learnt so far as well as wider skills in research, problem solving, teamwork and communication.

Koobr managing director Craig Barker has been a long-standing member of the Creative Industries Employment and Skills Board at DCG which includes employers who help to co-design and co-deliver the curriculum.

He said: “This is a fictitious project in that it will not go live as a website but perfectly illustrates to the students that web design is more than just having IT skills.

“By working virtually with our team, we want to develop a wide range of transferable skills so that they understand the importance of creating something that is relevant, easy to use and interactive for the target audiences.”

He continued: “As a company, we are keen to engage with the next generation of IT programmers and plan to offer work experience and placements in the future to help students gain valuable skills for the future career.

“We continue to expand as a company and are committed to home-grown talent so I hope that some of the students we are working with now will work for us in some capacity in the future.

“It is important that SMEs such as ourselves invest in the future workforce and we have a great relationship with DCG who are going the extra mile to support their students from education into the workplace.”

Debbie Keegan, DCG Assistant Director of Learner and Employer Partnerships, concluded: “The relationship with Koobr perfectly illustrates how a company can use their own creativity to develop projects that build young people’s employability and industry-specific skills.

“We are very grateful for the commitment of forward-thinking companies such as Koobr and I know that the students also appreciate the time and expertise devoted to them whilst they are at college.”