Learning People: Our 2020 highlights
Join us in reflecting on what has been an unpredictable and changeful year. We have high hopes for 2021 and thank everyone who joined us on this journey.
We began the year by welcoming business experts and education advocates, Sam Pemberton and Darren Forster as CEO and COO. Bringing with them knowledge and passion, they have led Learning People through the massive highs and helped to minimise the lows of the year.
Our CEO has wrapped up 2020 with these closing words:
“2020 has been a tumultuous year for millions of people across the globe. I am so proud of Learning People’s successes this year, not only have our staff stepped-up and shown huge resolve to help and support a huge cohort of students, but our students have worked exceptionally hard in challenging circumstances to great success. Celebrating our students’ successes drives all of us on here.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted more than ever the demand for professionals with skills in tech and project management. Our training supported by our brilliant StudentCareTM and Career Services teams has proven to be extremely valuable in helping individuals find job security. We were so pleased to be able to create initiatives such as our Online Learning Grant to ensure that high-quality, life-changing learning is more accessible to people who had been furloughed or made redundant.
“As a company, we managed to avoid furloughing or laying off a single employee and have provided a secure career to many new staff. We have expanded into France, which I believe is a real testament to the quality of the services that my team provides.
“We also launched a beta version of our new Alumni community, which will help our students to network with one another, as well as with our graduates. I have been delighted to hear how so many within our student community have already helped others.
“It has been extremely rewarding to hear from students who were able to turn their lives around thanks to their commitment to their training. We look forward to continuing this success into 2021 and beyond.
“I would like to finish by congratulating every one of our graduates, and those working through their courses now. I would especially like to thank our global staff for their untold reserves of upbeat determination, their drive and commitment to helping our students.”
Our top student success stories for 2020
It has been the best year so far for our students getting hired in tech. Although we were spoilt for choice, here are our top 3 triumphs.
John Smith
John turned his passion for tech into a career after enrolling onto our cyber security training. He was ready to approach the job market just before the pandemic hit and reached out for some support from Career Services. He quickly secured a role as an IT Field Engineer and is on the right track to a role in cyber security.
John says:
“I would recommend Learning People for the catered packages and additional extras, mainly the career advice and guidance.”
Irene Iozzo
When Irene began her project management training she had no previous experience in this area. She worked closely with our Career Services team to refine her CV and LinkedIn profile as well as interview prep. In July, Irene secured a role as a Junior Project Manager for a digital transformation agency.
Irene says:
“Both the Career Services and the career consultants assisted me in my journey and made me always feel important and never overlooked. The courses are great, but what makes the whole experience extraordinary are the people.”
Jake Matthews
Jake was planning on a full career change from hospitality to software development. Career Services helped him to network in the tech industry and find useful contacts. After a job offer was pulled due to the pandemic, Jake pushed onwards and soon secured the role of Monitoring and Services Consultant at Aurora.
Jake says:
“Honestly, being given the opportunity to start something I’m passionate about. It’s easy to think that if you don’t go to university, you become restricted in what you can do as a career. “Learning People gave me the opportunity to become who I want to be and honestly, I have met some fantastic people along the way.”
We’ve also received an incredible amount of testimonial videos from happy students which are available to watch now…
Supporting more people into tech and project management
Online Learning Grant
We invested £1 million into helping people of all skills levels into tech careers. Our priority was those who had been affected by COVID-19 but the grant was available to all seeking job security.
Within 2 months, we had contributed over £258,000 towards our new students’ tuition fees, giving them the support they needed to get on track to career success.
Other accessible learning and employability initiatives included:
- Accelerated Career Services package
- An updated Refer a friend scheme
- Training the nation: Career support programme
Looking for some help to start a career in tech? Get in touch and we can discuss how we can support you.
Industry events
As part of our mission to demystify the tech industry, we regularly host events with a wide range of industry experts. This allows us to share valuable and up to date insights with our students.
The importance of networking for women in tech
We kicked off 2020 with a perceptive webinar with Gill Cooke, Head of Digital Planning & Delivery at Three. This covered the importance of networking, gender imbalance in tech and neurodiversity. Cooke was also joined by Joanna Taylor, Software Developer at Sky who shared her journey of becoming a Python Developer in a male dominated environment.
How to start a career in the tech industry
The COVID-19 lockdown heightened the need for career support. Our Career Services team met with Chris Pearcy from AO.com and Emma Gallagher from BeyondTrust to explore digital transformation, what employers are looking for and more. It was an incredible event for those looking for credible advice on how to move into tech.
Learning People’s virtual tech careers fair
We hosted a tech careers fair in July to offer an update on the state of the job market and to show how we were helping people into careers. Our CEO shared the Learning People mission and explored the current industry demands for certified professionals. Our award-winning StudentCareTM and Career Services also explained how you are supported alongside your online training.
Live webinar with James Stanger, Chief Technology Evangelist at CompTIA
We hosted a webinar with our trusted partners CompTIA that explored some important trends happening in cyber security and why it is such a brilliant career choice. One of our students, Craig Evans, joined to talk about his journey in getting certified and landing his first role in cyber security.
Get hired in project management: A Q&A with Learning People students
2 of our project management students led our November webinar. Holding online webinars is a great opportunity for our students to find a platform and share their own journeys with people following in their footsteps. That’s why we invited these students to discuss the benefits of getting certified and how they landed a role with the help of Learning People.
To get notified of our next event or to gain access to the recordings, get in touch with one of our career consultants today.
Interactive workshops for Learning People students
In April, our Career Services team found a way to support our students as they looked to navigate the job market during the pandemic.
The team began hosting virtual workshops every 2 weeks. All current students were invited to attend and it was their chance to have their voice heard and to receive personalised advice.
There was a different focus for each workshop and industry experts joined to give their advice.
Some of the topics covered include:
- How to find a job during the pandemic
- Tips for building your network
- A Q&A with Career Services
- Building confidence in your search for the perfect career
An online Alumni community platform
October saw the beta launch of our Alumni community platform. This is set to offer our students and graduates a space to connect, filled with exclusive benefits and opportunities.
Thank you to everyone who has returned feedback to us so far. Behind the scenes, we are developing a system update to suit your needs, ready for an official launch next year.
2020 awards and accreditations
- Percipio Success Award (Skillsoft)
- CompTIA’s Delivery Partner Runner Up Award
- Accredited by The LPI (9th year running)
- Partnered with Heart of South West LEP
Product launches
Our online training is regularly updated to suit the industry demands and this year we expanded our library of certification into some key areas.
- IT project management
- Soft skills
- Data science
- Front-end development