Ada, the National College for Digital Skills
| Ada, the National College for Digital Skills | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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1 Sutherland Street London , SW1V 4LD | |
| Information | |
| Motto | Think. Create. Develop. With Ada. |
| Established | 2016 |
| Founder | Mark Smith and Tom Fogden[1][2][3] |
| Chair | Tiffany Hall |
| Principal | Tina Götschi |
| Enrollment | 176 (2018)[4] |
| Website | www |
Ada, the National College for Digital Skills is a small college for further education in London, England, with a new campus in London Victoria. It is named after Ada Lovelace and opened in September 2016.[5] Its curriculum is designed with input from founding industry partners such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Gamesys, IBM, Deloitte, and King. Their founding education partner is the Aldridge Foundation.[6] The Board is chaired by Tiffany Hall and Martha Lane Fox[7] is Ada's Patron.[8]
History
The Prime Minister announced the formation of Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, in 2014 in a move to open five new National Colleges in crucial industries.[9] The National Colleges have a mission to work designing the curriculum with employers “to produce the skills needed now and into the future to ensure the UK remains innovative and at the forefront of pioneering industry.”[9]
Ada was founded by Mark Smith and Tom Fogden, both of the inaugural Teach First cohort which aims to get talented teachers into classrooms in low income areas.[6] Previously Smith assisted Lord Adonis writing his book Education, Education, Education.[8]
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Gamesys, Deloitte Digital, IBM, King and the Aldridge Foundation are the colleges founding partners. Capital Funding is supplied by BEIS, the GLA and Haringey Council.[10]
Ada opened to its first cohort of students in 2016 and became the first brand new further education college in England since 1993.[11] Ada opened its second campus in Whitechapel, London in March 2019.
By 2028 Ada will have educated 10,000 young people nationwide.[12] There will be an ongoing cohort of 1,500 per annum in London and plans in place for a campus outside London.[11]
Ada in partnership with Bank of America secured the prestigious award for ‘Promoting Opportunity’ through social mobility in May 2023.
Ada were honoured with the first ever King’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility) which is in keeping with their mission to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent. Ada were one of 148 organisations nationally to be recognised with the prestigious award.
The achievement follows a successful partnership with Bank of America to deliver outreach and additional services which recruit and support young people from underrepresented groups into Ada’s Sixth Form and Digital Degree Apprenticeship education programmes and onto aspirational careers in Tech.
Provision
The College opened its ‘Hub’ campus in Tottenham Hale in September 2016. Ada's Sixth Form first took students in September 2016. Each Ada student studies Computer Science as well as a range of A-levels. Ada's higher and degree level apprenticeship programmes began in 2017. Ada currently offers pathways in Software Development, Data Analytics and Tech Consultancy with over 30 blue chip employers such as Salesforce, Google, Sainsbury's, Deloitte, EY and many more. A degree programme, validated by the Open University, sits at the core of Ada's programmes.
By Autumn 2023, Ada had outgrown their temporary buildings, and moved to the much larger permanent home: 1, Sutherland Street, Pimlico. The new location, just 8 minutes walk from Victoria Station, enables Ada to be closer to their tech industry partners and to have a wider geographical reach for future learners.
References
- ^ "THE ADA STORY HOW WE CAME TO BE". Ada. National College for Digital Skills. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "How Ada aims to fill Britain's digital skills gap from Tottenham Hale". Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ Whittaker, Freddie (26 January 2015). "Digital skills duo told to drop Code College title". FE Week. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "Ada National College for Digital Skills". Ofsted. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ Hill, Dave (19 August 2016). "How Ada aims to fill Britain's digital skills gap from Tottenham Hale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ a b Hurst, Greg. "First college of coding aims to unlock Britain's silicon skills". Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Martha Lane Fox hopes digital skills college will prevent IT firms hiring "same kinds of faces"". ComputerWeekly. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ a b Green, Miranda (26 November 2015). "Ada Lovelace college invokes spirit of Victorian code pioneer". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Government confirms £80 million for National Colleges to deliver the workforce of tomorrow - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Ada College Partners".
- ^ a b "Ada National College for Digital Skills Official Opening - press release.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ Goddard, Sophie (19 September 2019). "Meet the Future Shapers of 2019 who are inspiring women worldwide". Marie Claire. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
