Demand for digital knowledge and expertise leads to introduction of new courses

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Demand from all business sectors for improved digital knowledge has led the GTA University Centre to increase the number of related courses on offer.

"The GTA University Centre liaises closely with all business sectors to ensure that we deliver courses that islanders not only want to know more about, but also need to understand in order that they can be more efficient and successful," said programmes manager Kate Sole.

"The internet in all its forms, from websites and blogs through to social media and online marketing, has become an integral part of the way companies communicate. Trying to understand and manage all these aspects can be incredibly complex and the feedback we have had is that people want access to courses that allow them to increase their knowledge."

On 31 January and 1 February, the GTA is running a weekend course on web design and digital strategy for beginners which will give an introduction to HTML, CSS, search engine optimisation and analytics. The course aims to give delegates the knowledge to code, design and style a website and apply SEO and web analytic tools.

On 2 February, there will be a one day course for complete beginners which will teach delegates to build an "App in a Day" from start to finish. In March, a half day course on Google Analytics will give delegates a thorough understanding of the Google platform which monitors user interaction allowing website owners to have an effective online presence based on analysis and on 25th March there will be a Microsoft SQL server workshop looking at procedures, functions and security.

With cyber security and the use of social media now high on the agenda for all organisations, there is a cyber security awareness workshop on 9 March and in June, as part of the GTA’s director development series, there will be a social media strategy for directors seminar, which will look at both the threats and the opportunities of social media.

"We understand that keeping up to date with developments in digital technology can be daunting for people outside the industry but some issues are becoming increasingly critical for businesses," said Mrs Sole.

"We have developed excellent partnerships with some highly skilled IT professionals and so can tailor courses to suit the demand of islanders. We know that digital upskilling will be one of the biggest demands over the course of 2015 and so if there are areas that people want us to look at then we’d encourage them to contact us," said Mrs Sole.