100 new tech jobs available at Digital Careers Fair in Durham

Around 100 jobs are going to be available for young people seeking a career in IT during a Digital Careers Fair in Durham this week.

RAW Digital Training, the Stockton-on-Tees-based tech firm, has teamed up with DurhamWorks, to host the event in the Rivergreen Centre at Aykley Heads – home to the UK’s only digital bank, Atom – on Friday.

Twenty exhibitors at the Careers Fair will include Tombola, Sunderland and Teesside universities and Media Works as well as all of the region’s main tech apprenticeship providers.

Organisers have confirmed that at least 100 new roles will be available on the day.

Joanna Wake, managing director of Stockton-based RAW Digital, said: “All young people looking for digital tech or IT career opportunities – whether that’s through apprenticeships, education or entry-level jobs – are welcome to come along and find out more.

“We’ll have direct employers like Tombola and Media Works there as well as all the major tech apprenticeship providers exhibiting, with at least 100 jobs available straight away.

Ms Wake added: “There’ll be a lot of information available as well as a wide variety of speakers over the course of the day, but visitors can just call in to pick up our information packs at any point of the day.

“It’s important that young people learn that these types of businesses exist on our doorstep and these opportunities are available.”

DurhamWorks, a partnership project led by Durham County Council and part funded by the European Social Fund and Youth Employment Initiative, has now supported more than 4,000 people between the ages of 16 to 24 to become ‘work ready’.

The programme works with a range of partners to help unemployed young people develop their existing skills, acquire new ones and help them into a range of training, job and education opportunities.

David Hudson, from DurhamWorks, commented: “We’ve helped more than 4,000 young people to become job ready and the digital/IT sector is vitally important, especially for the North-East.

“There’s a growing number of businesses from such a wide variety of sectors who are looking for IT and tech-savvy young people now, to help them grow their online presence.

“It’s a massive growth industry in our region so it’s vital we have the skills sets, and that companies know we have so many work-ready young people, as well as raising awareness of the jobs and opportunities that are out there.”

RAW Digital Training has been working closely with DurhamWorks to create a new Digital Talent Service, taking unemployed 16-24-year-olds from County Durham and giving them IT skills.

More than 100 learners have already accessed training in the fields of games development, cyber security, website creation, digital marketing and search engine optimisation as part of the programme.

Ms Wake concluded: “There’s a massive increase in jobs being created in these sectors in the North-East – they’re growing at twice the rate as any other sector.

“At the moment we’re seeing a huge scramble for high-level website developers. This programme enables us to help businesses fill their talent pipeline, by bringing in people who will stay with the company and be nurtured, and ultimately bridge that gap.”

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