Why is a partnership with businesses beneficial?
Students at Livingstone Academy Bournemouth (LAB) will not only find the beautiful Dorset coastline on their doorstep, but some of the most innovative and forward-thinking businesses in the digital industry. Coined Britain’s ‘Silicon Beach’, recent years have seen Bournemouth emerge as a growing tech hub. The continued birth of fintech and digital agencies alongside the technological development of more established companies indicates that this growth shows no signs of stopping.
We see the opening of LAB as a tremendous opportunity to forge mutually beneficial, innovative and lasting relationships between industry and education in Bournemouth in a way that also makes a real and tangible contribution to the local community.
Although we welcome interest from any organisation with a technological and digital bias, we would be particularly excited to hear from businesses with expertise and experience in 3D technologies who would be keen to explore how a dynamic relationship with the Academy and its students could help to shape the future of our community as a whole.
Bringing Ian Livingstone’s vision to life
The vision of the school’s co-founder, Ian Livingstone CBE, is to transform young people from digital consumers into digital creators. With LAB sandwiched between the growing number of digital agencies and fintech firms in Bournemouth, the school could not be more ideally positioned to make that vision a reality.
Our aim is to inspire each and every student from all backgrounds in a way that provides each one of them with their own vision of how each stage of their education directly relates to practical steps into the world of employment and exciting career opportunities.
Ian Livingstone CBE, author and entrepreneur.
The Future for the Digital Industry & the role of our students
At Livingstone Academy Bournemouth we understand that businesses must operate in what has been coined a ‘VUCA world’, VUCA standing for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Whilst the term is not new (previous examples of ‘VUCA’ environments include the political chaos of the post-Cold War period and the 2008 mortgage crisis), the global COVID pandemic is a current example. The upheaval caused has placed the need for employees to be skilled in navigating such environments at the forefront of strategic conversations across businesses worldwide.
That said, one constant in VUCA environments is the rapid advancement of technology and, most recently, 3D technology. In 2020, Burning Glass Technologies (in collaboration with Epic Games) reported that 3D graphics and real-time 3D skills are in high demand across the globe, growing 10% faster than the overall job market and 50% faster than average IT skills in some places. The UK, alongside Germany, showed the highest demand, and it was evident the rise in 3D technologies use is impacting growth in multiple industries including fashion, engineering, design and architecture.
Bringing Local Industry Experience to the Classroom
Our dedicated LAB Curriculum team will work with local businesses to create authentic learning experiences for our students which will allow them to interact with employees and projects alike to gain the valuable experience they need to thrive and succeed in the 21st century digital workplace. We have the ability at LAB to co-design work experience projects which span different amounts of time (e.g. workshops, days, half-term/termly projects). We aim to work closely with our industry partners to ensure planning, delivery and evaluation fit seamlessly within the daily demands of running a company.
It is recognised that to be successful, the partnership however must be of real benefit to both parties. In the short term, businesses would be able to benefit from an available resource of young creative student minds and in the long term it would be able to look locally to fulfil many of its employment needs with individuals who will more acutely understand how to make an immediate and effective contribution to their new employer’s business and the community in which it operates.
Resource Donation
We would be very grateful for any donation of resources which companies no longer require and could add value to the education of our students. Please get in touch to discuss if we could repurpose your old equipment to help us deliver engaging and innovative learning experiences at LAB.
Get in touch
If you are excited by our local businesses partnership initiative and would like to help Livingstone Academy with our mission to empower future generations with the skills they need to shape the future of the business world, then please contact Nia Treharne, Director of Digital Curriculum and Innovation, on ntreharne@livingstone-aspirations.org or 07935 754 346.
Nia Treharne, Director of Digital Curriculum and Innovation.