Digital marketing academy to nurture home-grown talent

A DIGITAL marketing academy has been launched to help provide home grown talent for Leeds’ growing digital sector.

The new academy, which has been created by Leeds City College in partnership with Yorkshire Forward, the Leeds Skills Board and local firms, was set up in direct response to employers’ concerns that they were having to recruit from London.

A range of courses will be offered from apprenticeships to foundation degrees.

Kate Dyson, higher education business development manager for Leeds City College, said: “What is unusual about the academy is that it is totally driven by the employers themselves and all our courses will be based on the skills they need.

“The foundation degree will appeal to people already working in marketing but who want to learn how to get the most from new technologies such as social media and blogs.”

Malcolm Cowing, a member of the Leeds Skills Board and director of Leeds marketing agency Brahm, said: “”Brahm, through its Swamp digital marketing business, is delighted to have played a constructive role in the establishment of the resulting Leeds Digital Academy.

“This is a long term project, which will see real benefits for Leeds as a whole as one of the leading digital marketing centres in the UK and for other companies which will increasingly require new digital skills to grow their businesses.”