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FEATURE: SKILLS & TRAINING
Artist’s impression
of MK:U
Artist’s impression
of MK:U
that businesses need, both now and in the
future. The vision for MK:U that Cranfield
has outlined closely aligns with Microsoft’s
mission to empower every person and
every organisation on the planet to achieve
more and we are confident that this new
institution will help ensure that students
develop the skills they need to thrive in a
digital economy.”
MK:U will offer accelerated two-year degrees,
intensive three-year degrees with project
placements, part-time/apprenticeship
pathways and short courses/continued
professional development.
The proposal will now go through an
18-month feasibility study which will
consider the planning, design and financing
of the new university.
Professor Sir Peter Gregson, Chief Executive
and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University,
said: “We look forward to working closely
with Milton Keynes Council to create a smart
university for a smart city. Cranfield is one of
the UK’s most business-engaged universities
and we already have strong links with Milton
Keynes. I am delighted that together with
our partners, we will be helping to deliver the
exciting vision of a new university for the city.”
Councillor Peter Marland, Leader of Milton
Keynes Council, added: “For a long time,
we’ve held aspirations for a bricks and
mortar university in Milton Keynes to
attract talented young people and for local
students to attend and this is a significant
step towards the creation of MK:U. Through
the MK Futures 2050 process, we identified
how a university focused on technology
could benefit our economy, especially
coming alongside the development of the
Cambridge–MK–Oxford corridor, which also
www.intelligentcio.com
holds great promise. This will be the first
university anywhere designed as a response
to the challenges facing cities today and in
the future.”
Microsoft has moved to tackle the digital
skills gap in the UK by announcing plans to
recruit an extra 30,000 digital apprentices
through its own programme for its network of
25,000 partners in the UK; train 30,000 public
servants for free in a range of digital skills; and
make sure everyone in the UK has access to
free online digital literacy training that will
prepare them for a world in which companies,
schools and governments embrace
technology to transform how they work.
Additionally, the technology firm also
launched a Cloud Skills Initiative, which will
train 500,000 people in the UK in advanced
cloud technology.
Similarly, Digital Skills Academy and Cisco
are working together to improve the digital
skills gap and provide ‘project-based
challenges’ to working professionals who are
looking to develop their digital skills.
The largest IT and networking company in the
world, Cisco, is the latest major multinational
tech company to join Digital Skills Academy’s
impressive list of Industry Partners.
Professor Sir Peter Gregson, Chief Executive
and Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University
Digital Skills Academy’s unique International
BSc Degrees, Professional Diplomas and
Online Short Courses provide working
professionals with experience of developing
real digital solutions to real business
challenges. These challenges are provided
by Industry Partners, a network of
organisations that have placed digital at
the heart of business strategy. They range
from developing websites and mobile apps,
to launching digital marketing campaigns
and using digital solutions to make existing
DIGITAL SKILLS ACADEMY’S UNIQUE
APPROACH TO EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
ENABLES GRADUATES TO APPLY THEIR
NEW SKILLS IMMEDIATELY.
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