Click Start
Opening doors to digital careers for a new generation
What was Click Start?
Click Start was a bold, nationally significant programme that powered thousands of young people into digital futures.
Delivered between 2023 and January 2026, the programme has now closed — leaving behind a powerful legacy of skills, confidence and opportunity for almost 40,000 learners across the UK.
Click Start was created to tackle one of the UK’s biggest challenges: who gets access to digital careers — and who doesn’t.
Funded by Nominet and delivered by the Institute of Coding, Click Start brought together universities, employers and youth organisations to remove barriers, unlock potential and create real routes into work for young people from under‑represented backgrounds.
Over three years, Click Start showed what’s possible when education, industry and social impact work together at scale.
Why Click Start mattered?
Digital skills are now essential across every sector — yet too many young people face systemic barriers to accessing them.
Click Start responded directly to this challenge by:
- Opening digital pathways to groups under‑represented in tech
- Supporting young people facing inequality, caring responsibilities, disability or long‑term unemployment
- Strengthening a fragile digital talent pipeline critical to economic growth
- Combining technical learning with employability, wellbeing and confidence‑building support
Click Start proved that talent is everywhere — opportunity is not. And that with the right support, young people can thrive in fast‑changing digital careers.
How Click Start delivered impact
Click Start combined high‑quality digital education with meaningful, human support, tailored to learners’ needs.
Broad Support
National, online programmes delivered by the University of Leeds and The Open University supported over 35,000 learners, helping them build digital and employability skills in flexible, accessible ways.
Deep Support
Seven regional university–charity partnerships delivered intensive technical training, alongside up to six months of one‑to‑one coaching, pastoral care and peer support for 1,500 learners facing the biggest barriers.
Courses spanned:
- IT fundamentals
- Web development
- Cybersecurity
- Data science and AI
All curricula were shaped with employer input, ensuring learners gained skills that matter in the real world.
How Click Start delivered impact
Click Start combined high‑quality digital education with meaningful, human support, tailored to learners’ needs.
Broad Support
National, online programmes delivered by the University of Leeds and The Open University supported over 35,000 learners, helping them build digital and employability skills in flexible, accessible ways.
Deep Support
Seven regional university–charity partnerships delivered intensive technical training, alongside up to six months of one‑to‑one coaching, pastoral care and peer support for 1,500 learners facing the biggest barriers.
Courses spanned:
- IT fundamentals
- Web development
- Cybersecurity
- Data science and AI
All curricula were shaped with employer input, ensuring learners gained skills that matter in the real world.
What Click Start achieved
In just three years, Click Start delivered impact at national scale:
- £12 million invested in digital opportunity
- Nearly 40,000 young people supported
- 10,000+ course completions
- Almost 1,000 learners progressing into employment, further education or workplace opportunities
- Delivery across England, Wales and Scotland
- 9 university–charity partnerships
- 11 employers engaged through GetMyFirstDigitalJob
A nationwide campaign reached millions, generating 68+ million impressions and winning three industry awards — helping Click Start reach the right learners, at the right time.
Click Start partners
The King’s Trust
Be the Business
UKBlackTech
SaluteMyJob
TechUP
Catch22
University of Leeds
Future Learn
University of East London
Abertay University
Open University
University of the Arts London
A programme built on partnership
Click Start was made possible through collaboration.
Nominet brought more than 25 years of digital infrastructure expertise and a long‑standing commitment to social impact for young people.
The Institute of Coding led programme design and delivery, drawing on a powerful national network of universities, employers and educators — and a proven record of supporting over one million learners into digital skills.
Together, partners created something bigger than any one organisation could have achieved alone.
"Thanks to Click Start I've now landed my dream job as a social media manager at a FinTech company."
Grace
Works in digital marketing
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