Digital Schoolhouse brings new dimension to skills challenge

Staff and students in Warwickshire will be trained up with the latest technical skills after the inclusion of four county schools in the Ukie's Digital Schoolhouse programme.

Warwickshire County Council has signed up to Digital Schoolhouse to enable Campion School (Leamington Spa), The Coleshill School, Kineton High School and King Edward VI School (Stratford) to benefit from top-level training.

But far more than those four schools will benefit as the expertise and knowledge they take on board will cascade through other schools, including primary schools, in the locality.

Digital Schoolhouse, a pioneering project powered by PlayStation with the collaboration of the likes of the BBC, Disney and INTEL, is designed to help schools fully embrace fast-evolving technology.

The objective is to ensure that, in years to come, businesses in the digital sector are fully supplied with the skilled young people they need.

The four secondary schools in Warwickshire will receive teacher-training by university and industry professionals, a unique and innovative personalised programme of support and access to a wide variety of lesson plans, resources and engagement with industry.

Each school will also form the centre hub of a local network linking up with primary schools.

Warwickshire County Council became involved after it became clear that the prestigious scheme will be beneficial on all fronts: helping business to address the skills gap, young people into work and, in the medium and long terms, the county to retain its place as a leader in the Digital Creative Sector.

"In Warwickshire our need to keep these skills in this sector coming through, in the next generation and the ones after that, is paramount as we have such high standards to maintain," said Warwickshire County Council head of transport and economy Mark Ryder.

"That key challenge is being addressed by our Skills for Employment programme which works with schools, colleges and employers in a number of ways to improve careers awareness amongst young people and give them the tools and skills needed to meet local business needs.

"The additional input from Digital Schoolhouse gives what we offer a whole new dimension- one with long-term benefits. Many schools, at present, just to do not have the capabilities and resources to fully address and maximise the benefits from this key part of the curriculum.. Digital Powerhouse will address this problem from within.

"Warwickshire County Council is delighted to have enabled four vibrant and impressive schools - Campion, Coleshill, Kineton and King Edward VI - to become involved with Digital Schoolhouse. That the schools are spread throughout Warwickshire will enable the benefits to be felt around the county."