Lyons announces new ASOS Big Data Assured Skills Academy

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons today announced a new Assured Skills Academy with global fashion retailer ASOS offering 20 quality training places.

ASOS Big Data Assured Skills Academy

Funded by the Department for the Economy, the Academy will see participants receive ten weeks of industry-relevant training with South Eastern Regional College (SERC) to provide the skills and experience required to take up exciting positions with ASOS.

Announcing the new Academy, Economy Minister Gordon Lyons said:

“I am very pleased to announce this Assured Skills Academy with ASOS and South Eastern Regional College. Twenty people will receive high quality training that will position them strongly for a post in the company’s Data and Artificial Intelligence domain.

“ASOS provides a global online fashion and cosmetic retail service, and to do so the company needs people with specialist skills. My Department’s Assured Skills Academies have a track record of equipping participants with the skills employers need in order to flourish and grow, and this has been particularly true in the digital and tech fields.

“The jobs on offer are high quality, well paid roles and I would encourage anyone who is interested and eligible to apply for this Assured Skills Academy.”

Participants who complete the course will be guaranteed a job interview with ASOS, although successful completion of the Academy is not a guarantee of gaining employment.

As well as the learning opportunity, participants in the Academy will receive a £155 weekly training allowance, travel expenses and could be eligible for childcare allowance.

Cliff Cohen, Chief Technology Officer, ASOS, said:

“We’ve been blown away by the level of talent we’ve seen across our Northern Ireland recruitment and in the Assured Skills Academy, reflective of Belfast’s talented and vibrant digital workforce. We’re committed to supporting and fostering that talent as we embark on our next phase of growth and look forward to welcoming our second Assured Skills cohort in the coming months.”

The Big Data Assured Skills Academy will be delivered by South Eastern Regional College. During the Academy participants will receive cutting edge training to upskill in areas such as Azure Fundamentals, Azure Data Fundamentals, Azure Databricks, Big Data Engineering with Spark and gain experience in Python, Scala and Agile Methodologies.

Ken Webb, Principal and Chief Executive of SERC: “We are delighted that our partnership with ASOS continues to grow, enabling SERC to contribute to NI business growth through high-quality skills training. The new roles will offer a range of opportunities for people looking to develop careers in an important and growing sector, and they present exciting pathways for people to join Northern Ireland’s digital workforce.”

Whilst no previous experience is required a STEM background is preferred as this is a technical course and applicants for the Academy must:

• be at least 18 years old
• be eligible to work in the UK
• have a passion for technology and a desire to work in a fast paced, innovative environment

Due to the ongoing COVID restrictions the Academy training may be a mix of virtual and classroom delivery.

Applications for the Big Data Assured Skills Academy are open now and close at 5pm on Friday 25 February.

For more information and to apply, visit the Assured Skills Academies page on the nidirect website.

Notes to editors: 

1. Assured Skills is a pre-employment training programme run by the Department for the Economy. More information on Assured Skills is available on the Department's Assured Skills page.

2.  To keep up to date with news from the Department you can follow us on the following social media channels:

• Twitter – @Economy_NI
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3.  For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk

4.  The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

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