Free online programme for young digital entrepreneurs

A free programme is published online today aimed at helping young people become digital entrepreneurs.

The ‘Digital Pathways’ programme will be launched at a conference at the National College of Art and Design.

Finola McTernan, access officer at NCAD, said: “We’ve tested it and all of the workshops have been tried and tested by the digital mentors and young people. There is a PDF training manual that is comprehensively laid out.”

The ‘Digital Pathways’ programme has nine modules for youth workers or school teachers. It is an open, free resource.

Ms McTernan said the programme has been in development since February 2015 and a number of young people were involved in its creation.

“A lot of the young people who were involved said they joined because they could get to learn things they couldn’t learn in school. A lot them were self-taught,” she said.

The modules cover topics such as digital photography, game-making, social media, sound, 2D and 3D animation, image editing, and film, including pre- and post-production.

Overall, it plans to improve the digital literacy of teenagers not just in Ireland but across Europe, thus exposing them to a wide range of career opportunities.

It can be accessed online from today and is aimed at youth workers, educators and young people themselves.

Ms McTernan described the programme as a “very, very practical handbook”.

The ‘Digital Pathways’ programme is funded by Erasmus+ and was inspired by the Digital Hub Future Creators Programme, but developed by H2 Learning and NCAD.