Empowering a new generation

The Digital Skills Award is about sharing the power and possibilities of digital learning.

It showcases truly innovative projects that are firing the imagination of learners, teaching people strong digital skills and bringing on the next generation of tech pioneers.

It could be taking place in schools, universities, or working in other community settings.

We have two previous winners to share with you. Both focused on digitally empowering the next generation of learners.

Apps For Good

Apps for Good wanted to inspire a generation to change the world through technology. It asks pupils to think of a problem and then design an app to solve it.

It started from humble beginnings with just 2 schools and 50 pupils.

Seven years later, its working with 25,000 young people per year and has worked with over 1500 education partners.

It won our Digital Skills Award in 2015 for its creative and inspirational work. At its core was looking at innovative new ways to motivate children to learn new digital skills.

They provide support and training for teachers. This includes showing them new ways of teaching and developing their digital knowledge. Its powerful stuff and helps capture the imagination of some of the most reluctant learners. Apps For Goods huge growth shows that there is a great appetite for their work.

BBC micro:bit

One of the young people working on the BBC micro:bit project described it as ‘The Future.’

We currently have a digital skills shortage. It was predicted that Britain will need over 1.4 million digital professionals over the next five years.

The BBC set its self the challenge of getting an entire generation in the UK coding. They provided all 11-12 year-olds free tiny codeable micro:bits, which they could link up to other devices, like smart phones. Pupils where then given the task of creating fun games or finding creative solutions to problems.

It was an incredible success with the web app being opened over half and million times and their simulator programme running over 2.4 million times.

So, these free pocket-size computer could be inspiring the next generation of tech pioneers.

Digital Skills Award Entries open

If you would like more information about the Digital Skills Award or to enter please check our website for more information.