Bright Network is a free, online careers platform connecting students and recent graduates with the insights, advice and opportunities for them to succeed as the workforce of tomorrow. We currently have over 400,000 members and work with 250+ employers – our bespoke technology platform connects ambitious young people from all backgrounds with these employers, which range from big corporates to fast growth start-ups.
How did you come up with the idea for the company?
I came up with the idea to start Bright Network as a better way of connecting students of all backgrounds to leading employers. I could see the disconnect between these talented young people coming out of university and employers struggling to find the right people for the job, or not getting diversity of talent because students didn’t have their own network they could tap into.
I wanted Bright Network to be that network for them. Now, through empowering our members with the tools and insights they need to access brilliant opportunities, Bright Network ensures that the next generation finds the future it deserves, and businesses can identify the most powerful pipeline of tomorrow’s diverse and high-quality talent.
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Tell us about your new free tech academy
After 12 months of development, we launched Bright Network Technology Academy to provide an accessible opportunity for students to gain valuable skills that will prepare them for tech-enabled careers.
We have a widening digital skills gap in the UK – Accenture found the skills shortage will cost the UK economy £141bn over the next 10 years and according to research from our Talent Tracker, over 72% of students don’t feel they have the digital skills they need for the world of work. It’s critical, now more than ever, that we ensure our graduates are as work-ready as possible.
The Bright Network Technology Academy provides instructor-led courses for all undergraduate students, as well as a completely free, full time bootcamp for graduates from all backgrounds. This digitally driven learning curriculum transforms high performing graduates into customer driven software developers who are ready to join and contribute to the success of leading tech teams.
The Academy aims to upskill over 100,000 students with core digital skills and support thousands of graduates into software roles over the next 5 years, but it has the capacity to scale even further – anyone can access the programme by signing up for free with Bright Network and we hope this will be the biggest free digital skills training programme for all undergraduates and graduates in the UK.
What can we hope to see from Bright Network in the future?
In the first instance, we are continuing to invest in our data-analytics tools and technology platform, allowing us to provide better matching, so that graduates can make well informed career decisions, whilst employers can find the very best diverse talent for their business.
