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After four months of searching we’ve found the next generation of tech stars in Guernsey.
 
The 2020 Digital Innovators Competition, organised by the Digital Greenhouse and sponsored by First Central, opened on 24th February and encouraged teams of up to five post-14 students to build a digital solution to the following problem statement: ‘Guernsey is full of talented people but it is not easy to find suitable people for specific jobs.’
 
Six entries were received for this year’s competition, with more than 36 students taking part from College of Further Education, The Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre and were judged by the Digital Greenhouse’s Director, Lucy Kirby, Programme Manager, Ben Wratten, First Central’s Chief Information Officer, John Davison, and Software Development Manager, Dan Edmunds.
 
After much deliberation, the judges chose a team of four Guernsey College of Further Education students as the winner, and they were presented with their prize at a special event on 25th June at the Digital Greenhouse.  
 
Leon Roze, Jonah Ingrouille, Luke Ousley and Nicolas Shell designed an app which calculated a potential match between jobseekers and organisations based on a points system, combining the user’s skills, experience and qualifications and the requirements of the role.
 
Ben Wratten, Programme Manager, at the Digital Greenhouse, said: “The high quality of this year’s entries has blown me away. Despite the pandemic, the teams have managed to work together, safely and remotely, to complete their projects.  We are really proud of the programme and each team’s entries and look forward to seeing what this group of students achieve in the future.”
 
Dan Hunter, Lecturer and Curriculum Lead in Computing at Guernsey College for Further Education, added: “The Digital Innovators Competition (again) showcases the opportunities provided by the strong relationship between First Central, the Digital Greenhouse and the computing team at the College of Further Education. These partnership initiatives demonstrate a real commitment to nurture the island’s students by developing their talents and skills through the experience of working on real-world scenarios alongside leading industry experts.”
 
The competition is part of the Digital Innovators Programme, which runs several events including ‘ideathons’ and hackathons for Bailiwick students. The competition and individual events are designed to develop young peoples’ digital skills in preparation for a career in the technology and creative sectors.
 
John Davison, our Chief Information Officer, said: “It’s vital to have programmes like this one that can develop our future Bailiwick stars’ skills and knowledge of the digital sector. I look forward to our partnership with the Digital Greenhouse blossoming further and seeing more students be successful on this programme.”
 
 

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