In September, the Gibraltar Digital Skills Academy was officially launched. In the months since then, it has paired up with area businesses to prepare students of all backgrounds and age groups to embrace new technology and develop the digital skills needed by employers.

The Academy has signed Memorandums of Understanding with two major local tech businesses, Comtact and Bland Group, in a partnership with the private sector to deliver access to deep industry knowledge, career advice, work placement and internships, and training for its students. Comtact is offering Academy students training, certification, and upskilling in cybersecurity, while Bland Group is serving as the programming partner, already teaching Python courses and looking to add JavaScript soon.

Comtact CEO Dominic List, said, “It is a real area of focus and ever more so now when we are at the digital age where everything now is online and everything is connected together… there is a chronic skills gap in the UK and globally for well-trained cyber analysts and talents, so we are really proud to support Stewart and the academy in what is a vital area. Not only creating extremely worthwhile, well paying jobs for local people but…also providing a vital service.”

The up-and-coming school has also partnered with PricewaterhouseCoopers Gibraltar to deliver a training session focused on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies. Students will work in teams over the course of three progressively more complex levels to simulate a blockchain and understand the theory behind the technology and its applications in the real world.

By placing skilled tech workers into its local workforce, Gibraltar has committed to building a digital economy on the small island. The Academy has broad support from the local community, with Europort waiving rent on the premises for the next three years and founding trustee Stewart Harrison expecting more local companies to sign up as the endeavor builds momentum. All profits made by the Academy will go directly back into the Foundation, to be used to provide support and expanded learning opportunities to its students.

With the three new partnerships already bearing fruit, it’s clear that the Gibraltar Digital Skills Academy is off to a strong start, providing the community with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the workforce of today—and tomorrow.