The UK government and leading technology firms have launched a joint initiative offering 10,000 work experience and placement opportunities to help young people enter the digital sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Major employers including Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Cognizant, AtkinsR\u00e9alis, Arm, Kainos, and QinetiQ have committed to opening up the placements over the next three years. The scheme forms part of the government’s Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan, published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which sets an ambition to create or fill 20,000 entry-level roles annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative aims to address youth unemployment, with nearly one million young people in the UK currently classified as not in employment, education, or training (NEET). Alongside the corporate placements, the government is rolling out its TechFirst skills programme to secondary schools nationwide, targeting support for one million students, including 400,000 from disadvantaged backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the TechFirst expansion, secondary school pupils will access tech clubs, industry workshops, workplace visits, and learning resources via the Ada Computer Science digital platform. The government is also encouraging employers across other sectors to pledge an additional 200,000 work experience placements for pupils aged 14 to 16 through local Careers Hubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n