The Resume Foundation helps marginalised people secure employment through practical, innovative, and highly effective training programmes.
In 2021, the WCIT Charity part-funded one of its Digital Bootcamps, designed to inspire and train the next generation of digital leaders. The eight-week online training course provided by Coventry University was followed by a valuable four-week industry placement for learners.
The Resume Foundation’s partnership with Coventry University meant each online course was specially designed and provided by industry experts across 200 hours of guided learning. Course units included cyber security, data science, digital marketing and UX fundamentals.
Throughout the project, the Resume Foundation offered learners employability support, tailoring CVs towards their goals and preparing them for interviews within the digital sector. The work linked disadvantaged people with digital employers around Coventry and the West Midlands, addressing the skills gap in that sector.
Giving equal access and opportunity to all learners is one of the Resume Foundation’s core ideals, and so the WCIT Charity funding was vital in providing several laptops to those with a lack of resources, enabling them to participate in the online programme.
The Resume Foundation was blown away by the demand for its inaugural bootcamp and the quality and enthusiasm of the candidates: it filled all four courses with a total of 100 learners
At the time of writing, the eight-week courses in cyber security and data science had finished, while the remaining two were halfway through. 26 candidates graduated with a certificate of achievement in cyber security, with three securing employment and another couple entering their third round of interviews. 27 candidates received a certificate of achievement in data security and three have so far secured employment.
Due to the Resume Foundation’s linear approach, it is still working with candidates to achieve the outcomes they want, and will continue to support them until they reach their targets. Indeed, the organisation is committed to following its graduates and reviewing their employability progress through the following year, as it wants to accurately express the value and impact of its work on the local community.
Reflecting on the project, staff at the Resume Foundation (itself a relatively new charity) noted that they had learnt a lot from running the bootcamp – from creating a project team to developing relations throughout the project’s life span. But through these learnings they have solidified the structure and laid the groundwork for what they hope will continue to be their flagship initiative.
The Foundation now hopes to double the Digital Bootcamp capacity in 2022/23, introduce other learning programmes and expand its work with other universities.
