SkillBase Programme

Tech Lab and Enterprise Academy projects in our Skillbase programme aim to give young people creative licence to discover, develop, and celebrate new technical and interpersonal skills gained from working on real-world business tasks.

As the final phase of our Skillbase programme, our Apprentice Fast Track helps students to build on their connections with educational, business, and careers mentors to open up exciting new employment opportunities.

Tech Lab

Conducted as a 1 - 2 week online and in-person work experience project in school/ college, our Tech Labs are sponsored by a local organisation tasking the students to find a digital solution to a business problem they have.

Supported by educational and industry experts, students are briefed by the sponsor on the project and introduced to the business, media, and tech skills they need to develop a proof-of-concept application as a team.

Competing against their peers to present their project and win over the project stakeholders, the winning team is publicly awarded the project commission for real-world development and use.

Participants are invited to graduate into the Enterprise Academy and to join the Apprentice Fast Track.

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In school/college work experience project
(1 - 2 weeks)
Team challenge/ competition
Students must find a digital solution to a business problem
Supported by educational and business mentors
Winning concept is developed for real-world business use
Follow-on work experience & apprenticeship opportunities

Enterprise Academy

The Enterprise Academy is an online community hub for young people to learn new tech skills outside of school/college on the Microsoft Teams platform.

Their self-guided learning is a form of online work experience that is supported by educational advisors, employer mentors, and alumni peers, as students work on a business project proposed by a sponsor organisation.

Participants take part in 2 x 45-minute sessions of online learning each week for 12-14 weeks to complete a project over a school term.

Participants are invited to return to continue learning and work on new projects. As they develop, students are encouraged to join Cloudy Foundation as volunteers and Youth Ambassadors to help more young people achieve their digital potential, and are given opportunities to join the Apprentice Fast Track.

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Online after-school club
(45mins twice a week over 1 school term)
Supported by educational and business mentors
Self-guided learning in tech skills
Involving App projects sponsored by a local business
Apps developed for real-world business use
Follow-on work experience & apprenticeship opportunities

Apprentice Fast Track

Our Apprentice Fast Track is the final step in our Skillbase programme, where our young people are supported to take the knowledge, skills, and connections they have developed on a Tech Lab and/or an Enterprise Academy project to apply to the workplace.

Further to the exposure our students get to Higher Education opportunities during a project, we are working with QA and CloudyIT to deliver our Apprentice Fast Track.

Through these partnerships with award-winning organisations, we aim to give students apprenticeship opportunities that will fast track them to future employment in whatever areas they wish to pursue.

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Work experience and careers support from educational and industry mentors
Working with QA, an award-winning digital apprenticeship provider
Flexibility to meet learners' needs
Creating pathways to help learners progress and grow within organisations
Bespoke and customisable training solutions that cover emerging and in-demand tech skills

Charity No: 1193029

HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE ACHIEVE THEIR DIGITAL POTENTIAL