“We found that GMCA put digital first in the region”

Matthew Adam, CEO and Founder, We Are Group

At We Are Group, we work with local, regional and central government as well as corporate businesses. Our clients have one thing in common, they want to help people improve their lives, be that by providing entry-level digital skills, assisted digital support or, in the case of our partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), offering a fully-funded10-week course to enable people to start or develop a career in Digital Marketing.

Digital Marketing skills are in short supply across the UK, so our course really offers a springboard to gain valuable experience and secure a role in this ever-growing and exciting sector.

During the launch of our Skills Bootcamps in Greater Manchester, we invested in a new Learner Management System called Rise-Up. Not only has this increased our learners’ engagement, but it has also enhanced our courses, meaning the quality and efficiency of our Skills Bootcamps delivery is more refined; ensuring our candidates' upskilling experience is truly life-changing.

We’re finding that our candidates are recommending our courses too. One recent participant said: “My 'We Are Group course is going fantastic. It is a massive change to be mainly working from my bedroom and I am bootstrapping this next step of my career.”

As a company committed to creating a social impact, at We Are Group we’re helping to bridge the digital divide by running large-scale and effective community-led programmes including Skills Bootcamps. These courses have come a long way since they were launched as part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) pilot phase and are recognised as a great contribution to the digital sector of Greater Manchester.

Initially, we were only delivering a Skills Bootcamp in Digital Marketing but have since branched out into new areas, including Data Analytics, IT Technical Sales, and Telecoms Field Operations, which have just begun delivery. Our partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) kicked off in May 2023, and has already seen us onboard and deliver our Digital Marketing course to 48 learners with us delivering Digital Marketing and Data Analytics to almost 200 candidates in total this year.

Our course has received a satisfaction rating of 99%, with 98%of our candidates agreeing that they felt supported during their Skills Bootcamp; and the proof of the courses’ impact is in our learners’ feedback.

We found that GMCA put digital first in the region, with Mayor Andy Burnham’s backing, and were flexible and innovative enough to realise that a lot of the early work in this programme was testing and learning, and not always smooth sailing. But the Skills Bootcamps are now successfully helping thousands of people gain the digital jobs of the future.

Whether you are an employer looking to recruit, or a partner looking to increase their Corporate Social Responsibility, visit our website for more information Partner and Employer Opportunities (external website).  

It is a credit to GMCA and our partnership that we are creating these opportunities, and I am very proud to play a part.