DXC takes four-year digital skills academy to East London

DXC Technology is taking its Digital Futures Academy to London, partnering with West Ham United Foundation to help 30 young people build technology skills over four years.

The London cohort will stay together through the programme, rather than attend a one-off workshop. Aimed at students in Year 8 and above, aged 12 to 16, the academy combines technical learning with confidence-building and preparation for working life.

Details of the expansion appear in an undated, DXC-supplied announcement published by Corporate Counsel Business Journal. It says the programme will run at The Foundry, the foundation’s community hub in Beckton, East London. The supplied material does not specify a London launch date.

The curriculum spans artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, virtual reality, automation and data analytics. Students will also tackle communication, leadership and career planning, with opportunities to engage directly with DXC employees and industry experts.

That mix puts career awareness alongside the technology itself. DXC says the aim is to connect education, industry and community organisations, opening pathways for young people who might otherwise struggle to access technology careers.

“Partnering with DXC Technology on the Digital Futures Academy gives young people the chance to develop digital skills, meet industry professionals and see the opportunities open to them in the technology sector,” West Ham United Foundation director of programmes Jesse Foyle says in the announcement.

London builds on an initiative that began in Greater Manchester. In a primary company release dated 28 March 2023, DXC and Manchester United Foundation announced they had launched the original four-year academy for secondary-school students. That release framed the initiative as a way to develop social and technical skills and broaden access to opportunities.

The later London announcement says the programme has also expanded to Newcastle and Erskine, with more than 100 students enrolled. It reports that 47 students are completing the first full four-year cohort “this year”. Because the supplied announcement has no publication date, that reference cannot be tied to a calendar year.

DXC places the academy within its broader Responsible Business strategy, focused on social mobility, community engagement and future skills. The company describes a long-term, scalable initiative supported by schools, charities, community organisations and employee volunteers.

The supplied material outlines the programme’s ambitions and participation figures, but provides no independent assessment of learning or employment outcomes. For London’s first cohort, the commitment is sustained support across four years, with technology careers firmly in view.