Launched yesterday, the WebActivate project – an initiative of the Digital Skills Academy – aims to create employment for hundreds of people throughout the country by providing training and work placements in web design and publishing over the coming months.
The project is supported by The Digital Hub, as well as Chambers of Commerce and Further Education institutions throughout Ireland. It is being run as part of the Labour Market Activation Fund 2010, funded by the Department of Education and Skills and the European Social Fund.
Paul Dunne, director of the Digital Skills Academy, said 200 people who are currently unemployed will be given training and work placements in the initial phase of the project.
“We are inviting people who are currently unemployed to apply to take part in an 18-week training programme in digital skills,” he said. “They spend six weeks receiving ‘in-centre’ training and the remaining 12 weeks on structured work placements, building websites for small businesses involved in the project and helping them to establish an online presence. It’s a win-win situation for all involved: for the course participants, they get digital skills and valuable work placement opportunities; for the businesses, they get themselves online, free of charge.”
The curriculum includes modules in internet publishing, iMarketing, social media marketing and working in freelance media. Certification includes a suite of FETAC component modules with four credits at NFQ Level 6.
The WebActivate project is currently recruiting trainees and businesses. The training programme will begin in August in a number of locations throughout Ireland, with trainees commencing their work placements within small businesses from late September onwards. For more information about the project or to apply to get involved, go to: www.webactivate.ie.
