ncn and Fujitsu Working Together to Create Digital Champions

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 20 December 2016

People in north Nottingham are being invited to become digital champions thanks to a new partnership between New College Nottingham (ncn) and Fujitsu.

Alex Fitzpatrick (ncn student), Ash Merchant, John van de Laarschot and Jermaine Williams (ncn student)

The college’s Basford Hall campus is now home to the city’s first Fujitsu Innovation Hub which will act as a catalyst to increase digital engagement in the community.

Thanks to a £25,000 investment from Fujitsu and its partners Intel, Brocade and Kyocera, the Hub features a touchscreen PC, mini PC, tablets and notebooks which will all be free for students and the public to use.

The project is part of the Fujitsu Education Ambassador programme which is supporting people to take their first steps into digital literacy so they can develop skills, grow in confidence and boost their self-esteem.

The Ambassador Programme is a national engagement initiative that aims to highlight the use of computing power to underpin knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and drive forward innovation and digital skills development.

                                                       Ash Merchant and John van de Laarschot in the new Hub

Ash Merchant, Director of Education at Fujitsu, said:

“New College Nottingham is passionate towards digital transformation and the role of digital in supporting its students – and we’re excited to be a part of that with the launch of the Innovation Hub. A recent survey by Fujitsu revealed that around a fifth of consumers believe that digital education should be part of the modern education curriculum, which points towards a real need to see education establishments focusing on the digital journey. Educational institutions like New College Nottingham will play a crucial role in making this happen – and Fujitsu, supported by our partners, is committed to supporting them in bringing their vision to life.”

John van de Laarschot, CEO of New College Nottingham, said:

“We’re delighted Fujitsu has chosen to partner with us in Nottingham and that we have been able to secure this brilliant new resource for our students and the community surrounding our Basford campus.

In today’s workplace it is crucial for employees to have digital skills and so having a place where people can develop those skills in a supportive environment is vital.

Our role as a further education college is to prepare our students for the workplace and transform the employment opportunities of people in our communities – this Hub will support us in our mission.”

The Hub officially opened on 7th December at a special launch event which saw ncn CEO John van de Laarschot cutting the ribbon, alongside Ash Merchant, Fujitsu Director of Education.

< Back