Exeter College welcomed back recent graduates this week to celebrate them completing a 12-week bootcamp course. Students from Digital Marketing, Data Analysis, Apple App Development and Software Development courses were invited in and given the opportunity to network with relevant regional and national businesses including EDF, Booking.com and Optix Solutions. 

Bootcamp courses are practical-focused courses which run over 12 weeks and are fully funded by the Government. The courses are part time, consisting of a day a week learning with the College’s specialist lecturers. 

Kate Beale, Head of Digital and Data at Exeter College, said;  

“The Digital Summit is a chance to celebrate the fact that we’ve taken a group of learners from all walks of life and put them into a 12-week intensive course, and for them to have that achievement at the end is fantastic. The event is also a way of raising awareness and showing the impact that bootcamps are now having on the learners and the industry. 

“The biggest thing for us is to show that there is a massive amount of untapped talent that is here today that don’t necessarily have a university degree. It’s trying to break down that barrier to show businesses that they can take a chance on someone who is practicing the skills they need but doesn’t have the traditional piece of paper. It’s starting to happen and it’s starting to make an impact in the community.” 

Exeter College is delighted to be offering further bootcamp courses in the autumn, following recent success in the digital sector. Students will be able to choose from: 

• Digital Marketing 
• Business Data Analyst 
  Digital Communication and Content Creation 
• Software Development – Apple SWIFT Programming 
• Software Development – Agile Computing 
• Electric Vehicle Manufacture and Maintenance 
• Green Construction 

Clair Bruce recently completed the Digital Marketing bootcamp. After leaving her management role at Marks and Spencer to start her own Dog Grooming company she decided she wanted to learn more about marketing to help her new business. She said: 

“I wanted the skills to understand how you reach your target market. The course has been of great benefit to me, I’ve met people from all different areas of business, and it’s been really good for me. I would highly recommend it.” 

Chris Pegg, Digital and Data lecturer at Exeter College, spoke about teaching on the bootcamp programmes. He said: 

“When adult learners come back into education, there is often some sort of barrier. The bootcamps are targeted at helping people reintegrate back into employment or potentially getting over that hurdle of going back into education. A bootcamp is short enough that they can just try it. Then they come in and they meet fellow students like themselves, people with diverse life experiences and it is that sharing of experiences which is just lovely. They have had their own progression; they’re now doing a similar course and building a relationship in terms of learning but bringing different things to the table. That dynamic is just a concoction for really good learning. My favourite thing is just the people and what they bring and how we then use that to shape lessons.” 

Rob Stevens, Managing Director at Optix Solutions worked with the College to provide industry feedback on the bootcamp course content, structure and delivery to ensure it was fit for purpose. He said:  

“We hope that by helping others we encourage more business to get involved and help shape the future talent market. From the people I have met who have undertaken the bootcamps they have told me that it has been a key step in helping them acquire the confidence and skills to apply for higher paid roles. In terms of addressing social mobility the courses are attracting underrepresented groups and helping them improve lives.” 

Need help with deciding on your pathway or have any more questions? Contact the Adult Learning Advisers on AdultAdvice@exe-coll.ac.uk.