Quickline and Ahead Partnership
announce 3-year digital skills
pledge for young people

Social value specialist, Ahead Partnership, is teaming up with the Yorkshire-based rural broadband provider, Quickline, to deliver a bespoke programme of engagement opportunities around tech and innovation for 16 secondary schools across the region.

Set to reach a diverse collective of local young people, the initiative will provide new insights around the tech and digital sectors, help to build essential employability skills and connect participating students to industry leaders and professionals from across a range of disciplines within the broader sector.

The programme will run for three years, enabling the young people involved to receive extensive support and advice from those working within the industry, as well as multiple opportunities to find out about the different careers paths that it offers.

The programme launch comes after the UK government has outlined Digital and Technologies as one of its key priority sectors in its recent Invest 2035 green paper.

This latest announcement further cements Ahead Partnership’s credentials offering skills and employment programmes within the digital and tech space.

Quickline joins the likes of Accenture, Currys, AND Digital, Netcompany, PWC and Leeds City Council as one of a number of employers helping to target skills gaps, inspire young people and boost social mobility within these sectors.

Julie Holmes, Social Value Manager at Quickline said: “Our relationship with Ahead Partnership offers us a really exciting opportunity to engage with young people across Yorkshire, giving them direct access to telecommunications professionals and insights from real life experiences.

“Through this collaboration, we will participate in school activities like careers fairs and panel sessions, and we’re also enabling other partners to do the same, expanding the opportunities for young people to get exposure to the industry.

“At Quickline, our mission goes beyond delivering fast and reliable broadband to rural communities. Through Ahead Partnership, we’re thrilled to help connect young people with meaningful opportunities in technology.”

Suzie Bell, Programme Manager at Ahead Partnership, said: “We are delighted to welcome Quickline as our newest digital partner, helping to further expand the reach of our long-running Growing Talent Digital Leeds programme, connecting with young people throughout the wider Yorkshire region.

“We know first-hand how impactful long-term partnerships such as this one can be for young people, providing them with multiple opportunities to be inspired about the range of opportunities that Yorkshire’s well-established tech and digital sector offers. We look forward to working together over the next three years to help build a more diverse sector, and drive social mobility and digital inclusion.”