Generation Innovation aims to inform, upskill and empower the young people of the current generation to thrive as the next leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs of the future. And Anaeko is proud to support this event founded by Catalyst by offering resources for their work experience programme 2024.
The initiative energises the imaginations and aspirations of young people in Northern Ireland by increasing their knowledge of skills and awareness of future careers in innovation. The ethos of the program believes that young people are central to unlocking Northern Ireland’s future as a globally renowned knowledge economy. That’s why we put them at the heart of our inspirational community of entrepreneurs, companies and education leaders.
The work experience programme is for ambitious 17–18-year-olds interested in up-skilling for the jobs of the future. Students receive Design Thinking training over the course of five days, learning how to work as part of a new team made up of students from across Northern Ireland. The new skills are then put to the test by solving a company challenge by developing a solution, before pitching it to the partner company and their fellow students.
Generation Innovation kicked off this year with a company training day for the Generation Innovation Work Experience Programme in the new Ulster University Belfast campus.
This training day allowed partner companies to join together and build out their Design Challenges that will be proposed to the students during the Generation Innovation Week.
Anaeko’s Challenge Statement for Generation Innovation Week
Increasing Digital Inclusion
How might we come up with a solution that can bridge the digital skills gap across age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds to drive inclusive growth and maintain economic competitiveness in Northern Ireland?
Anaeko is a Northern Irish Data Engineering company on a mission to deliver environmental and societal benefit through timely access to quality data. Fostering inclusivity within projects and partnerships is one way that Anaeko can deliver societal benefit.
At Anaeko, we endeavour to undertake projects that facilitate digital inclusion, ensuring that everyone can access and benefit from digital technologies. However, according to a November 2023 report by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), nearly one in five individuals in Northern Ireland lack digital skills, defined as not having engaged in various online activities such as using online services, finding information, communicating, and practicing internet safety. While 44 percent possess above-basic digital skills and 38 percent have basic skills, significant discrepancies exist across age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Despite Northern Ireland surpassing the Republic of Ireland and the EU in basic ICT skills with 81.3 percent proficiency, challenges persist due to an aging population, lower productivity rates compared to the UK and Ireland, and gender disparities in digital skill distribution. Closing these gaps is crucial for maintaining economic competitiveness.
We look forward to working with the young people during Generation Innovation Week to explore and see what solutions they create against this design challenge.