Member Article

Agency launches programme to boost youngsters coding skills

Award-winning Warrington digital agency Results Through Digital (RTD) has launched a groundbreaking community programme designed to teach young people the benefits of learning how to code – and help them design a new youth club website.

The Coding Club, run in partnership with OnSide Warrington Youth Club, will see up to 15 youngsters aged between 13 and 17 work alongside digital experts from RTD over the course of the next 12 weeks.

They’ll carry out research on target audiences, design a new youth club logo and branding and work on the technical details of the site before putting it together and then watching it go live.

The first session of the club saw the youngsters get a behind the scenes tour of RTD’s office in Centre Park, Warrington. And then it was down to business as they mapped out what they wanted to achieve over the next 12 weeks and the key skills they wanted to learn.

“It was fantastic to welcome the young people to RTD House,” said Jamie Wilson, RTD’s CEO. “There’s plenty of work ahead but their attitude was brilliant. With our help, I’m confident we’ll produce something really special for OnSide Warrington Youth Club.”

Dave McNicholl runs OnSide Warrington Youth Club, which has over 4,500 members aged 7 – 19 or up to 25 with a disability, and operates out of the town’s Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Centre.

“Over the last 15 years we have organised a number of courses and programmes to help our young people develop their confidence, social skills and independence,” he said. “We all know how important digital skills are, but without the help of RTD we just wouldn’t have been able to deliver such a high quality programme to teach them.

“This new coding club is going to give our young people a valuable set of skills that can only help them progress in their chosen careers and improve their confidence. We are aware that there is a significant skills gap around IT and this is only due to increase. The team at RTD is providing the opportunity for many of these young people to consider a career in the IT industry.”

As part of their contribution to OnSide Warrington Youth Club, RTD is also donating ten computers, to enable youngsters participating in the project – and future youngsters supported at the centre – learn and improve their digital skills.

“The generosity of Jamie and the team is amazing and we’re really keen to make sure we use the ten free computers for the good of many of the town’s young people,” added Dave.

In March, the Government launched its digital strategy, which is designed to improve the public’s digital skills and teach around 45,000 school children how to code.

Culture secretary Karen Bradley said the strategy would make Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business and make sure nobody was left behind when it came to skills.

“Improving the digital literacy of our young people is integral to the growth of Warrington and the North West as a hub for innovation and new business,” added Jamie. “The digital sector is worth seven per cent of the country’s economy1 so it’s vitally important to educate young people on the benefits of learning key skills in this area.”

Results Through Digital, which opened in Warrington in 1999, has developed more than 17,000 websites. Only recently, RTD was named as one of the UK’s top three SEO companies and hailed as one of best digital agencies in the north of England.

In March, Jamie was recognised as one of the region’s outstanding business leaders after being shortlisted at this year’s High Sheriff of Cheshire’s Awards for Enterprise.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Results Through Digital .