A NEW fund is being launched today to persuade more under-16s to become interested in technology, to try to tackle the future skills shortages in Scotland.
The £250,000 Digital Xtra fund has been developed by a partnership involving Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), ScotlandIS and Education Scotland to widen access to extracurricular computing-related projects.
It is seeking applications from a range of organisations that can deliver, as well as from existing projects, which are being given the chance to pioneer new approaches or expand to rural areas.
A panel of experts from Scotland’s digital technologies industry, Scottish Government and education will evaluate applications. They will then prioritise those that demonstrate scalability, sustainability and innovative ways of engaging additional young people, especially in areas where there is a shortage of provision.
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