Firebrand are a part of WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence!

We are proud to be selected as part of WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence! Firebrand is the only Independent Training Provider (ITP) specialised on digital to be a part of the programme.

At Firebrand, we have been dedicated to accelerated certification since 2001, delivering quality training to over 106,000 students (so far!). It is this dedication and quality that has led to our inclusion in the Centre of Excellence.

The current digital skills gap in the UK is estimated to cost businesses around £2 billion a year and continues to worsen due to uncertainty caused by the pandemic. Our aim is to help reduce this skills gap by offering world-leading accelerated IT certification courses, Apprenticeships, and Skills Bootcamps.

Our acceptance into the Centre of Excellence means we are now one of 11 leading institutions receiving exclusive training and 60 hours of intensive continual professional development to help upskill the nation.

“We’re delighted to have been selected as part of WorldSkills UK’s Centre of Excellence and are proud to be the only specialised digital ITP, which is a testament to our dedicated trainers who are still active experts in their various fields," said our Managing Director of Apprenticeships, Ben Hansford.

"Being part of The Centre strengthens our commitment to reskilling the UK in much-needed digital competencies. We look forward to building upon our already highly-valued training methods and work towards our vision of closing the growing digital skills gap.”

The Centre of Excellence is funded by the education charity and body, NCFE, who this year will ensure more than 40,000 young students and apprentices from wide-ranging backgrounds have access to world-class skills.

The Centre is part of a record-breaking 3-year partnership deal and is the single largest investment ever made by the NFCE group. We are proud to be at the forefront of the Centre’s delivery of digital specialised training, thanks to the world-class expertise and knowledge provided by WorldSkills UK.

“In order to deliver the world-class skills that employers demand to be internationally competitive, we need to invest in the educators that are training young people for the future," said the CEO of WorldSkills UK, Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE.

“The Centre of Excellence is a radical new way of bringing global best practice to local economies. Mainstreaming excellence in training standards and delivering it directly to tens of thousands of young students and apprentices at their places of learning is key to levelling up the economy and attracting inward investment.

“This new phase of the project means that we are now supporting young people the length and breadth of the UK.”

So, what's next?

For the past twelve years in a row, we’ve been named one of the Top 20 IT Training Companies in the World. We offer accelerated courses, Skills Bootcamps, and Apprenticeships, featuring key players in tech space. With help from WorldSkills UK, we will continue to raise the bar when it comes to the provision of high-quality accelerated training leading to certification. Stay tuned!