Institute of Coding announces co-chair
The Institute of Coding was established in January to ensure that employers and learners across the UK can access the skills training they need to compete in the global digital economy. Birkbeck is an important partner of the Institute of Coding and will contribute its deep expertise in flexible learning opportunities and widening participation through involvement of the School of Business, Economics and Informatics. Jacqueline de Rojas CBE, President of techUK, has been appointed as the industry co-chair of the Governance Board for the Institute of Coding, which brings together industry and academia in a co-ordinated effort to address the UK’s digital skills gap. Jacqueline is also the chair of the Digital Leaders board and sits as a Non-Executive Director on the board of UK technology business Rightmove plc; on the board of Costain plc; and she was recently appointed to the board of the online retailer AO World plc. Jacqueline serves on the government’s Digital Economy Council and is a member of the recently announced post-18 education review panel. A UK technology pioneer and business advisor, Jacqueline will use her considerable skills, expertise and profile to help the Institute of Coding reduce the UK’s digital skills shortage and attract more people from underrepresented groups into the digital and technology sectors. Jacqueline de Rojas said: “I’m delighted to be appointed as co-chair of the Institute of Coding (IoC) and look forward to working with industry and academia. “I’m passionate about the digital and tech sectors and diversity and inclusion, and I see a great opportunity through the IoC to make a genuine difference in the UK. “Operating at the interface between industry and educators sets the Institute apart and offers the chance to address the digital skills shortage in a ground-breaking, collaborative, way. Meeting that skills challenge is crucial to the UK’s future success.”
For those interested in developing their digital skills through evening study, applications are currently open for courses in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, such as the MSc Data Science which can be studied full-time or part-time from October 2018.
Further Links
Support for Students wishing to build a career in technology: UpSkill Tech