ELATT
The Learning Community
The Digital Skills Crisis
We know the UK is facing a digital skills crisis. 93% of tech companies find that the digital skills gap affects their commercial operations, and it is estimated that the UK will need 745,000 additional workers with digital skills to meet the rising demands from employers between 2013 and 2017 (House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, 2016). The solution requires collaboration between the industry, educational sector and the government, to open access to training, apprenticeships and employment opportunities to a wider range of groups.
The solution...
ELATT 100 is a work experience programme between award-winning education charity ELATT and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists to break through that catch and help local people to enter the IT sector.
What we want to achieve
- 30 employers join the programme and offer placements to a total of 100 students over the next two years.
- Placements will last 1 – 3 days per week for at least 12 weeks in any of our curriculum areas of Web Design, Computer Engineering, Digital Business Skills and Business IT.
Work experience makes a difference
Following the successful completion of a work experience programme with ELATT, City of London-based technology consulting firm Opus 2 International now hires new staff directly from ELATT, bringing both opportunity to ELATT’s disadvantaged clients, and diversity and talent into the London tech sector. Anna, a single mum who took a 3-month placement at Opus 2 International, said of her experience:
"It's a wonderful feeling when you practice what you learn and see how things join up in the workplace".
Anna, a single mum who worked with Opus 2 International for 3 months.
And ELATT 100 makes a direct difference to business as well
Iman Fadaei, the Director of CrowdSkills, which provides work experience opportunities to ELATT's young people, said:
“What impresses me most about the people we place in work from ELATT is their commitment, willingness to learn, and technical knowledge. Their clients have many additional needs and would get lost in the system elsewhere. But at ELATT, which is such a supportive environment, they thrive.”
Our 2017 student survey found that
82%
learners said that work experience was helpful/very helpful
85%
learners agreed or strongly agreed with the statement 'I have higher aspirations'
84%
learners agreed or strongly agreed with the statement 'I have improved my workplace skills'
90%
learners agreed or strongly agreed with the statement 'I can now work as part of a team'
How to join
Step 1
Take the Self-Screener
Step 2
Call us on 0800-0420-184
Step 3
Attend a Planning Meeting
Step 4
Select your Learning Area
Step 5
Choose your Trainee
Step 6
Start your Placement Programme
Employer Self-Screener
Firstly we want to know that the ELATT 100 programme is right for your company. We're looking for businesses who will provide:
A dedicated ELATT 100 Advocate
Senior commitment to making the programme a success
A Duty Supervisor willing to help our student
Placements for 2 - 4 students throughout the programme
Is that you? You're ready to partner on the ELATT 100 programme!
Learning Areas
Choose your curriculum area and tell us about what type of students you are able to support:
Web Design & Development
Web editing, graphics and design, CMS, coding: javascript, PhP, MySQL, HTML, CSS
Computer Engineering
Networking, IT security, front-line support, level 1-3 support, systems installation
Digital Business Skills
Social media, marketing, PR, online advertising, newsletters
Business IT
Office packages, business admin, reception, back off support, clerical
Media
Photography, graphic design, video production, animations
Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds, and this information will help us understand how widely we can recruit amongst our student group.
What age groups are you interested in working with?
16-18?
19 or over?
Over 50?
Disabilities
Are you able to support people with learning difficulties?
Are you able to support people with physical disabilities?
If no, can we support you to have capacity to work with this group?
Is there a particular social group you would like to support?
We're really flexible – knowing this information simply means we can best support your recruitment needs. Tell us what you need and we'll aim to arrange that for you.
Employer FAQ
-
How do we recruit the trainees?
We'll discuss your offer with our students.
We'll prepare our students for your offer: CVs, and where possible technical knowledge.
Our students will put themselves forward, and we'll select the appropriate ones and give you a shortlist.
You’ll then interview the shortlisted candidates by phone or face-to-face and choose your candidate.
You can then agree the start date and placement days per week with the individual directly. -
Do I need to do any paperwork?
The student will complete a log every day that you'll need to sign. The log ensures that the young person consolidates and reflects on their placement each day, and it gives our tutor useful insight into their progress.
You would also need to complete an end of placement review and provide a Reference for the student.
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Support for the student during the placement
- Welfare issues and pastoral care – please tell us as we will deal with this
- Academic – we will continue to train the student whilst on the placement. Please let us know what you need them to learn.
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Support for the employer during the placement
Need support?
We can help our students with a range of personal, welfare and finance-related issues. Shout out if you need help in getting the best out of your candidate. -
Need training in supporting diversity or safeguarding?
We're Investors in People Gold – ask us!
-
Earmarking staff for leadership and management?
We're Investors in People Gold – ask us!
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At the end of the programme
Please give a reference
If you have internal positions available, please let the student know.
There's no agents fee if you hire them!
You're under no obligation to hire, but if an opening arises, please consider them! -
What does the programme cost?
We don't charge agency fees, but if you would like to support the scheme financially, feel free to make a donation as part of our ELATT 100 Appeal. You could also make us your charity partner – tell us if you’d like to know more.
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Health and Safety
We just need to see your standard health and safety records.
We need to know you have risk assessment procedures in place before the first placement which we will double check annually.
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Safeguarding & DBS checks
If your trainee is 16-18, or classed as a vulnerable adult (meaning they have additional support needs) a member of staff who will work one-to-one with the student will need to have a DBS check. We can help you organise this.
Get in touch
Find out more about ELATT 100!