University Academy 92 launches free bootcamps to boost region’s digital skills

Old Trafford’s University Academy 92 (UA92), the groundbreaking higher education institution committed to making higher education accessible to all, has launched a range of free Skills Bootcamps, as it supports region-wide efforts to make Greater Manchester a leader in digital skills. 

Backed by The Growth Company and funded by Skills For Life, the bootcamps run for up to 14 weeks and will be delivered almost entirely online. Bootcamps will start between October and January. The Skills Bootcamps will cover a range of digital topics from Cyber, Cloud Engineering and Web Development, to VR/AI Extended Reality and Data Analytics.

The programme is open to anyone aged 19 and over, who are either in work, self-employed, recently unemployed or returning to work after a break, and will provide them with the opportunity to build sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer.

The free Skills Bootcamps form part of UA92’s digital strategy as part of the opening of its third-floor Digital Academy last month. Aided by a £2m funding grant by Office for Students, the independent regulator for higher education in England, the department includes a VR/AR lab, a fully immersive 360-degree Igloo learning space, flex-tech mobile classrooms and four digital media suites. It will increase UA92’s student capacity for digital students. 

Having opened in 2019, UA92 aims to make higher education accessible to all, through its founding principles of accessibility, social mobility and inclusivity. The institution offers a portfolio of degree, apprenticeships and higher education courses for its students across business, sport, media and digital disciplines, working in partnership with leading names including Microsoft, TalkTalk, KPMG and Manchester United. 

Sara Prowse, CEO at UA92 commented on the launch of the free community-led bootcamps: 

“It’s part of our DNA here at UA92 that we support the Greater Manchester community through wider education initiatives, in addition to our standard degree and higher education courses, and to make education truly accessible to all.

“These free Skills Bootcamps are open to everyone, and aim to equip those who aren’t looking for standard higher education courses, with much-needed digital skills which will open up their career opportunities and job prospects whatever their background.

“We’re very proud to be offering these bootcamps and I would urge anyone wanting to start a career in digital to register for a place.”

To find out more about the UA92 Digital Skills Bootcamps, and to register, please visit Skills Bootcamps | UA92