City collaborates with local start-up on digital initiative to bring together education providers and employers
Cardiff City Council has helped to develop a digital careers platform as a contribution to improving the employment prospects for young people in the city.
It has been working with the locally based developers of the Digital Profile platform to include features for local schools and colleges, and encouraged more than 80 local employers from areas including finance, engineering, media, retail and construction to provide support.
A spokesperson for the council said the move derives from its Education Development Board’s ‘Cardiff Commitment’ to improve employment outcomes for young people. It identified a need for a digital system to improve connections between young people, schools and employers, and a member of the board is a partner at Tramshed Tech, a digital innovation hub in Cardiff at which Digital Profile is based.
Subsequently, the board began to work with the company’s chief executive, Dan Lewis, along with a forum of local stakeholders to develop and test the product.
The platform enables schools, colleges and other education providers to create a digital profile, outlining their organisations’ characteristics and goals. It also provides space for requests for businesses to support activities such as work experience, mentoring and coaching, and providing insights into careers.
Businesses can use it to makes schools and colleges aware of opportunities such as educational visits, apprenticeships, internships and recruitment fairs.
Employer support
More than 80 employers have pledged support to the initiative as part of the Cardiff Commitment. The nature of the pledges varies according to the nature and scale of the business, but typically includes working with schools in areas such as work experience, mentoring, mock interview practice and masterclasses in different sectors.
“The platform is available for use internationally, enabling registered employers to post job opportunities from any location,” said the spokesperson. “It is also available for use by schools and education providers beyond Cardiff, should they wish to work with the Digital Profile team.”
The platform has also been made available to youth groups helping young people into work.
Councillor Sarah Merry, deputy leader of Cardiff City Council, said: "Digital Profile provides a safe and secure community, in which pupils and students, schools and colleges, businesses and organisations can connect and interact. This straightforward, direct communication has brought a powerful online dimension to the Cardiff Commitment."
Image: Ken Poole, head of economic development at Cardiff City Council, and Dan Lewis, founder of Digital Profile
