NAA Member News: Burnley College at the Forefront of Cyber-Security and AI Training, Sharing in a £4.5 Million Boost to Education in East Lancashire
A trailblazer in digital technology education, Burnley College is proud to be part of an ambitious project powered by a generous £4.5 million Local Skills Improvement Funding.
The share of the money from the Department for Education (DfE) will propel us into the vanguard of cyber-security and Artificial Intelligence (AI) training, equipping our learners with the cutting-edge skills required to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
The need for education in the digital world increases every year and has seen a seismic shift in the past 18 months as the impact of AI technologies increase globally.
Burnley College has always spearheaded the creation of state-of-the-art teaching facilities, setting new standards. Last year, our extensive Security Operations Centre, where we teach Cyber Security, opened and we became a leading partner in the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology, offering higher-level courses in this specialist sector.
Our expert teaching staff now have the opportunity to expand those facilities and receive extensive additional training, empowering them to design, develop and deliver innovative teaching to address the digital, cyber, and AI skills gap across different sectors. Our students will emerge as skilled professionals, ready to contribute to the digital technology industry.
Clare Webster, Head of Business and Professional Studies, says digital technology grows at an exponential rate:
“Ensuring students have the skills to operate within these advances as well as discovering the holistic effects of data visualisation and cyber security on productivity, net zero and the ethical and financial implications of automation is vital for the future of industry.
“The challenges the world is facing with the rapid introduction of AI and the effect it is already having on young people’s lives means we need to be ahead of the curve, and this funding gives us the opportunity to shape our curriculum accordingly.”
Burnley College is committed to high-quality education and addressing the skills needs of the region. The significant funding boost allows us to provide industry-standard, flexible teaching facilities and curriculum.
Karen Buchanan, Principal at Burnley College, whose background is in IT and coding, says the world moves fast:
“Information technology is one of the most rapidly evolving subjects. It was constantly changing during my career in coding, and I suspect I would need several refreshers to keep up with the level of skill we see in College today.
“Our Tutors have been working closely with The Lancashire Colleges Group and industry experts to develop industry-standard, flexible teaching techniques – designing cutting-edge classrooms to deliver a new curriculum that will address the digital, cyber and AI skills required by so many businesses today.”
Rosie Fearn, Director of the Lancashire Colleges, says:
“By working together our Colleges will ensure state-of-the-art facilities and inspirational learning environments are available across Lancashire. Many of these will have added-value as demonstrator facilities, allowing the Colleges to raise awareness of the opportunities the latest low-carbon and digital technologies can bring.
“This builds on a long history of collaboration among our Colleges who have been working together as The Lancashire Colleges Group for over 25 years.”
Explore your opportunities at Burnley College. Be part of our mission to raise the bar in digital education and pave the way for the future of cyber-security and AI training. Find out more about our Digital courses available for post-16 entrants; Adult Learners, those studying at university level and employers ready to futureproof their business.
Visit www.burnley.ac.uk today.
