Digital Peninsula Network continues to work with an increasing number of organisations seeking support to learn valuable new skills within digital subjects. Top subjects include website creation, social media marketing, and how to sell products online.
Based in Penzance, Digital Peninsula Network (DPN) is a leader in designing training methods to upskill sole-traders, small businesses, and individuals in digital skills. DPN have developed and delivered innovative training courses in partnership with employers to over 3,000 participants across the South West of England within the last five years.
With local businesses facing a drop in income the appetite for funded training has continued to grow, alongside the need for training to be amended to meet the needs of businesses less familiar with digital skills or technology.
DPN offers learners an online training delivery service to continue to support businesses throughout the South West, utilising their tutors, video conferencing tools, and a specialist online training platform to maintain the level of education delivered in-person.
DPN’s Managing Director, and Digital Skills Partnership Board Member, Janus Howard explains
“Demand for DPN’s training has increased throughout the last two years as many more businesses have become reliant on internet technologies to advertise, take bookings, and deliver services, due to many months of restrictions. The development of DPN’s online training delivery has allowed us to meet this demand enabling DPN to grow as a company and support more businesses than ever before. Working in partnership on 13 separate EU and UK government funded projects we are pleased to have been able to support so many businesses in making the best use of internet technologies to cushion the effects of the pandemic on the business community.”
DPN recognises that small businesses are faced with a near-impossible task of spinning multiple plates at the same time. There’s an appetite to learn valuable digital skills but finding a way to fit this into an already-hectic schedule can be challenging.
They deliver funded training offerings aimed at giving small businesses practical digital training in high-demand marketing areas to bring skills in-house and help reduce external costs.
Their offering includes:
All their training has been developed to allow the participant to not only learn a new skill, but to have practical experience of implementing their learning. ‘What’s the point of learning how to build a WordPress website if you don’t build a site during your training?’
DPN’s Senior Programme Manager, Lizzie Trudgeon commented “The success of our webinar series indicates that Cornish businesses, especially micro-businesses and sole-traders, are crying out for digital skills training. Learning a new skill through bite-sized, online sessions has offered a positive solution allowing time-constrained and remote businesses to access upskilling opportunities online.”
Participants leave each DPN training with life-long skills regardless of the training length they undertake. This could be learning how to use Facebook Ads through a two-hour webinar or building their own WordPress website through DPN’s four-day course.
Their funded Digital Marketing Apprenticeship gives participants 12 months of industry-leading training delivered remotely for their convenience. Whether the business is made up of 2 or 200 people, anyone who is not alone in the business, or is considering taking on a helping hand can be eligible for the diploma.
Participants will benefit from 12-18 months of funded training, learning up-to-date marketing theory and practical skills through a combination of online learning and practical workplace experience.
Training takes place every other Friday in a virtual classroom – making it flexible and easy to join from the office while working around work schedules and other responsibilities.
