Free digital skills courses will be offered to people living and working in the Tay cities region thanks to a government-backed funding scheme.
The Digital Skills Project is part of the £20m Regional Skills and Employability Development Programme funded by the Scottish Government.
The project will work in collaboration with The Data Lab to help workers adapt to increasingly automated, digitalised, and data-driven workplaces.
The partnership between The Data Lab and the Tay Cities Region Digital Skills Project aims to address the digital skills gap for businesses, while supporting diversity and preparing participants for the changing demands of workplaces.
The project will also support digital and data-driven innovation across a wide range of sectors, enabling businesses to adapt and compete in a future digital economy.
Taking place between July and December 2023, the courses on offer include training in coding, data analytics, data visualisation, machine learning and using data for service design.
Training providers offering the courses include Dundee and Angus College, Fife College, CodeClan, Code Division and Technology Coaching.
The courses are available to women, people with disabilities, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and neurodivergent individuals, in Angus, Dundee, Perth & Kinross, and North East Fife.
Some courses are designed for specific groups, such as women returners, Ukrainian refugees and individuals working in social enterprises.
Cllr Grant Laing, chair of the Tay Cities Region Deal joint committee, said: “In our data driven world, the ability to analyse, interpret and tell stories using data is an essential skill relevant to every sector of our economy.
“The Digital Skills Project is therefore delighted to be working in partnership with The Data Lab to deliver fully funded data courses to residents across the Tay Cities Region, helping to upskill citizens and future-proof the local economy.
“This is one of the ways that we are working towards closing essential skills gaps to ensure quality jobs for local people, support diversity and drive a sustainable and regenerative economy.”
Anna Ashton Scott, programme manager for professional development at The Data Lab, said: “We’re proud to partner with Tay Cities to help more people in Scotland upskill with data to progress their careers. Addressing the digital skills gap and supporting diversity is key to ensure no one is left behind in today’s workforce where we all need data skills.”
Since November 2020, The Data Lab’s Data Skills for Work Programme has supported over 500 learners to learn and master the necessary skills to drive and sustain data-driven innovation.
Apply here: Data Skills for Work – courses