Northern Digital Skills Index
The Northern Digital Skills Index is a benchmark of alternative digital skills training across the region.
As part of Tech North’s Upskill accelerator for digital skills providers in the North, we worked with the cohort to benchmark their provision. We don’t believe this kind of measurement has ever been done before, but we think it will make decisions around training easier for both learners and hiring companies, as well as helping policymakers direct funding.
The ‘SFIA level‘ has been determined by The Tech Partnership using the globally recognised measure for digital skills, created by the SFIA Foundation.
The ‘Ofqual Equivalent level‘ has been determined by The Tech Partnership by assessing the level of training delivered by each provider. Level 3, for example, can be seen as equivalent to an A Level.
A high number on either measure does not indicate better provision, just that the training is being aimed at a different skill level.
| Provider | Course | SFIA Level | Ofqual Equivalent Level | Student destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT MASTERCLASSES | Cloud Platform Specialist | 3 | 3 | N/A (new course) |
| IT MASTERCLASSES | Communications Specialist | 3 | 3 | N/A (new course) |
| AGENT ACADEMY | Digital and Creative Career Programme | 3 | 3 | 90% progression into digital and creative jobs |
| AGENT ACADEMY | Digital Marketer Apprenticeship | 3 | 3 | N/A (new course) |
| THE JUICE ACADEMY | Digital Marketer Apprenticeship | 3 | 3 | 96% moved into digital roles |
| THE WHITE ROOM | Digital Marketer Apprenticeship | 3 | 3 | 100% of last year’s graduates are were either retained by their employers or found work immediately in the sector. 50% went into Level 4 Apprenticeships |
| NORTHCODERS | Northcoders Accelerate Coding Bootcamp | 3 | 4 | 93% moved into full-time software development jobs |
| DMF DIGITAL | Upskill for digital musicians | 6 | 4 | Self-employed |
| THE WHITE ROOM | Web Design and Development Apprenticeship (the Software Developer Apprenticeship Standard) | 4 | 4 | 100% of students remain in the industry either working with their current employer or a similar company |
| CODER SPACE | Web Developer / Coding Bootcamp | 2 | 4 | 75% in work; 25% further study |
| USER CRUNCH | Web Development Apprenticeship (the Software Developer Apprenticeship Standard) | 4 | 4 | 100% in work |
| HIVE LEARNING NETWORK MANCHESTER | Youth Hacks | 1 | 2 | N/A (mainly for school age people) |