Students joining college in Daventry this September will all be given laptops

Students joining Northampton College's new Daventry Campus will get a boost to their studies in the shape of a brand new HP Chromebook laptop computer when they enrol this September.

The college has made the commitment to all students enrolling on full-time study programmes in support of its new Digital Academy so that they have the technology they need for their studies at their fingertips

Principal Pat Brennan-Barrett said: “Whether they are joining a Digital Academy course or not, all students need the skills to use the internet effectively, understand cloud technology and collaborate with peers online. The HP Chromebook is great tool for education because it is fast, safe and enables easy access to education apps and cloud storage for their work.

“We expect students to demonstrate a strong commitment to their studies so they will need to show excellent attendance and commitment to their course before receiving their own personal Chromebook.

“Our new curriculum is designed to prepare students for the fast-paced world of the creative media and digital sectors. We have designed the Digital Academy with the young people of Daventry in mind and are delighted to be able to offer them a fresh opportunity in brand new, state of the art facilities.

“Success rates at our Daventry Campus are already very high and our ambition is to make sure that all our students are well equipped to successfully achieve their qualifications.”

The Digital Academy was launched earlier this year and is set to teach students software and coding, web development, games design and social media is being unveiled this week.

The academy will welcome its first students as part of the launch of Northampton College’s state of the art Daventry Campus this Autumn. It will form a key part of the campus’s technical and professional curriculum providing students with cutting edge facilities and training from digital experts and local employers from the creative and digital sector. Students signing up to a Digital Academy course will also benefit from work placements within digital companies to help them gain the skills and qualifications needed to secure jobs in this fast moving sector.

The range of courses on offer as part of the Digital Academy will include skills for careers in:

- Multi-media design

- Website development

- Computer programming and coding

- Digital games design and product development

- Video, film and photography

- Digital art and animation

- TV and radio advertising.

The new, multi-million pound Badby Road West campus continues to take shape and, in addition to the Digital Academy, facilities will include industry-standard workshops for motor vehicle engineering, state of the art library facilities, contemporary hairdressing and beauty therapy salons, ICT and Mac suites, teaching space for healthcare and childcare plus dedicated provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities.

In addition, there are growing numbers of vacancies in the Daventry area for Apprenticeships that enable students to ‘earn while they learn’.

The curriculum includes a range of study programmes that consist of technical and professional qualifications plus maths and English and employability skills.