A partnership between online fashion retailer ASOS, South Eastern Regional College (SERC) and the Department for the Economy continues to deliver tech training and jobs in the Belfast area through the Assured Skills Academy (ASA) programme.
A graduation ceremony was recently held to celebrate the completion of the latest Software Engineering ASA run by ASOS and delivered at SERC’s Bangor campus.
This is one of seven academies planned by ASOS and SERC, of which four have so far been completed. Each ASA provides skills training in line with specific employment opportunities and industry needs through ten-week courses. No specific level of qualification is required to access ASOS ASAs, meaning they are open to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and experience, with a guaranteed job interview at the end of the course.
At the ceremony, Ross Hompstead, Site Lead for ASOS Northern Ireland, said to the graduates: “Over the last ten weeks it’s been great to see you living the ASOS values: Authentic, Brave, Creative & Disciplined. You have brought your authentic selves to the academy, you have been brave by embracing the challenge of starting your journey into the tech industry, you have shown creativity through the group presentations and you have been disciplined in completing the course. A huge well done to you all and I look forward to seeing how your careers progress from this point.”
Jeff Smyth, SERC’s Assured Skills Academy manager, commented that the training could be intense, but has proved a very successful model in matching people to job vacancies: “The ten weeks involve a challenging but rewarding process, which delivers a qualification and great career opportunities. It’s an excellent way to bring skills providers together with employers to address the skills gap and prepare candidates for the jobs available. The fact that we have been able to place so many students from the Academy into paid roles with ASOS is a great endorsement for the Assured Skills Academy business model. ASOS has played a major role in supporting, getting to know, and investing in the students across the courses, and I am delighted that this particular programme where SERC partners with ASOS is set to continue with the next ASA in the months ahead.”
In total, SERC has delivered 210 graduates into employment with ASOS, Deloitte and EOS through the Assured Skills Academy scheme. The relationship with ASOS is just one of SERC’s successful business partnerships, which include business leaders as well as industry bodies such as the Institute of Export. These partnerships are key to the role of the College in supporting the Department for the Economy’s skills strategy.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), launch Domestic Abuse Awareness Campaign
24th Feb 2023
Read Article