Telefónica Tech has continued its partnership with Digital Xtra Fund to nurture young digital talent.
Funding applications have opened for this year’s grants programme from Digital Xtra Fund – Scotland’s charity committed to increasing the number and diversity of young people learning key digital skills. The Digital Xtra Fund aims to:
- Inspire young people to understand and create with technology, not simply use it
- Enable exciting extracurricular digital tech activities across Scotland
- Engage industry experts with young people to help contextualise digital skills.
The grants programme is open to schools and organisations who encourage young people to learn digital skills through high quality, extracurricular activities. These activities help to inspire the next generation to study computing science or other digital technology courses and ultimately pursue a career in tech. Up to £75,000 will be awarded to high quality, exciting extracurricular digital technologies activities across Scotland.
Applications are welcome from UK-registered companies, charities, chartered bodies, local authorities, schools, colleges, or universities actively involved in the provision of computing education or digital technology related activities, especially for audiences from under-represented groups or backgrounds.
Kraig Brown, Partnerships & Development Manager for the Digital Xtra Fund, said, “2020 was a year like no other. The impact of lockdown, home schooling and the mass-adoption of online services, at an unprecedented rate highlighted how integral digital technology has become in our daily lives. It is an essential tool, and we must teach all young people how to effectively and safely use this tool or they risk being left behind.
It is imperative we teach young people to also understand and create with technology, not simply use it. The ability to tailor extracurricular activities makes them an ideal medium to engage young people in tech as was highlighted in the 2020 Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review. Within the Education and Talent stream, the role of extracurricular activities was identified as a key element to widening the talent pipeline.”
Last year, Digital Xtra Fund supported 25 activities across the country including Heart of Midlothian Football Club’s new Innovation Centre. This community-based initiative offers courses to help people learn digital skills as well as supporting local businesses. Funding enabled the delivery of two activities for young people which were initially to be delivered in person, however, the Club was able to successfully pivot to deliver both programmes via remote learning.
Digital Xtra Fund brings together industry, educators and the public sector with a common goal of helping young people succeed. The fund’s grants programme would not be possible without support from its partners. Telefónica Tech joins Amazon Web Services (AWS), JP Morgan, The Scottish Government, Accenture, BT, Skills Development Scotland and Skyscanner and more as a partner.
To find out more about eligibility criteria and to apply visit: https://www.digitalxtrafund.scot/apply/