StartUp Grind is to host the launch of the Gibraltar Digital Skills Foundation as the push behind skilling up Gibraltar’s professionals to expand the adoption of blockchain technology and support the development of tech businesses on the Rock picks up pace.
The Gibraltar Digital Skills Foundation aims to support the development of digital skills at different levels within Gibraltar using the vast and wide experience of nine trustees from both the public and private sector who between them will be offering a wealth of experience and expertise. Charitable initiatives such as lessons for senior citizens and reskilling of prisners are just a couple of the overall activities that are being planned. The Foundation will be offering different courses and learning opportunities based on advice and guidance from the technology sector.has emerged from the links and successes trustee Stewart Harrison and his team members have already had with their work with private sector organisations that have enabled a joining up with educational professionals with the right teaching skills.
Additionally, the Foundation will pursue the setting up of internships and work placements to give members an experience of the type of work available in the technology industry, with one of the aims being to reach out to school leavers and mature students to offer them opportunities to learn new skills and facilitate their employment in this field. This will also help Gibraltar adapt to the changing demands of the job market by making sure that the relevant skills are taught.
The launch of the Gibraltar Digital Skills Foundation will take place on 27th February at the StartUpGrind Gibraltar Fireside Chat with Aaron Baw and David Black on the Sunborn Yacht Hotel. The Foundation is a recently registered charity which aims to deliver the development of digital skills around Gibraltar. Stewart Harrison is one of the founding trustees and at the launch he will be showcasing the initial initiatives and projects the Foundation has organised for 2020. These include working with the HM Prison delivering Pitman qualifications in Microsoft Office and working with the local Girl Guide packs to teach the Digital Skill badges such as the Google and NCSC badges. There will also be the opportunity to try out Gibraltar’s first ever cyber challenge, Rock Defenders. The Rock Defenders challenge is is a joint public-private sector sponsored project led by the Foundation that is to be carried out by over 900 local comprehensive students in March.
StartUp Grind’s Fireside Chat guest, Aaron Baw, is a young Gibraltarian and former Bayside student who was the team leader of team G-SEC when the team won the final round of CyberCenturion in the 2016 competition held at Bletchley Park’s National Museum of Computing. Aaron is an avid digital content creator and entrepreneur; not only has he also participated in the Young Enterprise competition but he has also founded his own ventures, designing, editing and producing a series of promotional videos to raise awareness and help market the main event for the 2019 series of TEDxWarwick talks where he also took part, giving his own talk. Aaron graduated in the top 3 of his year with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science after having also been an intern at Apple. With a passion to make things that will make meaningful contributions, he is now employed by one of the world’s leading global tech giants based in the UK.
David Black has 20 years’ experience within the online gaming and technology sectors in various roles from software licensing to data centre. In 2005, with Continent 8 Technologies PLC, David led a project to build the Isle of Man data centre whilst also developing the business throughout Europe and Asia until 2010. He returned to Continent 8 as an advisory executive in 2018, primarily focused on EMEA and strategy. In the interim years, David engaged in consultancy/interim executive roles for a number of tech companies alongside involvement in various disruptive start-up technology businesses.
To find out more and how to register to attend the event, visit:
Startup Grind Gibraltar – Launch of Gibraltar Digital Skills Foundation
