Kickstart your digital career

The free course that gives you the digital skills you need

START WITH CLICK START.

Do you identify as a woman or non-binary? Are you 18-40? Do you live in the North or North East of England?

Click Start is designed to support under-represented groups. The aim is to give you the digital skills you need to find new opportunities. Or get better pay. Or simply do what you want to do in life.

Logo of Catch 22

Think about digital

Digital jobs pay
£8k more a year1.

850,000 digital job
vacancies in the UK2.

82% of jobs now
need digital skills3.

“Click Start could be the thing for you. If you try, something good will come out of it.”

- Prisha
Works in digital marketing

FAQ’s

All you need is an open mind. You don’t need experience and you don’t need to have been to university. All you need is curiosity and be ready to learn new things. Maybe you want a new direction? Maybe you want to upskill? Maybe you want a raise or promotion in your current role? Click Start gives you the head start you need.

Click Start will give you a strong foundation in general IT and IT support skills. It will prepare you for the workplace and can help you get onto an entry level role. It will also equip you the skills you need to go into further education or training and aims to set you up for a level 3 or 4 apprenticeship. In addition, it will give you a taster of possible digital career paths to help you find your next steps.

Click Start is designed to support under-represented groups. The aim is to give you the digital skills you need to find new opportunities. Or get better pay. Or simply do what you want to do in life.

For a FREE place, check if the following criteria apply to you:

  • You are resident and eligible to work in the UK
  • You identify as a woman or non-binary.
  • You are aged 18-40
  • You live in the North or North East of England
  • You hold GCSE level Maths and English (or equivalent)

If you are not eligible for this programme, you may be eligible for our other courses. Take a look at our Click Start course listings to find the course that’s best for you.

The course is delivered in partnership with Catch 22.

The 6-week course is for those who would prefer to study at pace:

  • 8 hours per week live online learning
  • 4 hours per week independent study

The 12-week course is ideal for those who need to study alongside other commitments:

  • 4 hours per week live online learning
  • 2 hours per week independent study

This programme is now accepting applicants for 2025. The courses are due to start on 31st March 2025. You can apply on the TechUPWomen website and someone will be in touch.

https://www.techup.ac.uk/techup-women/

The Click Start course is designed to be flexible around you. We offer a choice of teaching days, independent study time, recorded sessions for catch-up, and tutor support via email or online learning community. 

You will also have access to a one-to-one industry mentor, and you’ll also be supported throughout the course, and for six months after you finish your training, by a personal employability coach from Catch 22.

If you meet the eligibility criteria, then it’s completely free. And no, there’s no catch. This programme has been developed in partnership with the Institute of Coding and has been funded by Nominet to help reduce the UK’s digital skills gap.

Bursaries will also be available for support with travel costs for all in person events.

On completion of the programme, your new-found digital skills will be recognised with a certificate from Click Start and the Durham University’s TechUP Initiative.

 

 

If you sign up to a Click Start programme, you’ll also get access to GetMyFirstDigitalJob, an online platform designed to help you find and land a digital job. It’s your new hub for jobs, support, and guidance for your digital career.

You’ll get access to job opportunities from employers looking for fresh talent, and a dedicated careers coach who’ll give you one-on-one support to guide you through your job search journey. There’s also learning modules to boost your employability skills in the areas you need them most, and exclusive live events where you can get your questions answered by experts from across the digital industry.

There’s never been a better reason to join a Click Start programme!

GetMyFirstDigitalJob was built by BCS and The Talent People to support the Click Start programme.

This course is part of Click Start, a nationwide training programme developed by the Institute of Coding (IoC), a national collaboration of universities, employers and charities and funded by Nominet – the public benefit company and guardians of the .UK namespace.

The programme, which launched in 2023, helps to tackle the UK’s digital skills gap by offering skills and training to more than 26,500 learners across the country who may not have previously had opportunities.