MadLab, the Greater Manchester grassroots digital organisation and Think Tank, is knocking down employment barriers and closing the tech skills gap by bringing its website development and digital skills course back to Greater Manchester.
Shift Click aims to open up the pathway into employment and creative and digital industries in Greater Manchester. Working with those keen to learn new skills, explore new careers and to boost their employment opportunities, it’s become more needed than ever as the challenges facing the technology and digital industries see it harder to get a foot in the door and access experience. Recent data indicates the creative and digital industries are facing a social mobility crisis, with working class voices and jobs in less affluent areas making up a minority of the sector making the call for more support and education even more needed.
The course is open for applications from those aged between 18 and 30 years old and living in Greater Manchester. Shift Click has been running since 2020 and has helped over 300 young people into the digital industry, and with huge support available it’s become a much needed pathway for those keen to work and learn. Open to those with no previous website, design or coding experience, the programme promises to take learners from zero knowledge to building interactive websites and building a portfolio of work.
Starting on 26th February and running until 3rd April, with onboarding kick starting from 13th or 20th February, the six-week course covers HTML, CSS and JavaScript as well as tools and support to help with finding employment afterwards.
Learning is spread across twice weekly sessions in person at Stockport Museum from 10am until 3pm alongside six hours of self paced study. Those attending will also receive careers advice, an insight into working in the digital industry and the chance to build relevant experience that can increase chances of a successful career. All those who finish the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Training Reference as well a support with finding employment in the digital industry once they’ve finished. Shift Click has received great results in the past, with many of its alumni heading into roles in technology and website development after completing at companies including the BBC, AutoTrader, Co-op Digital, Music Magpie and Talk Talk amongst others.
Rachael Turner, Director at MadLab, said: “We have brought our Shift Click course back again after much demand, and we’re excited to return to Stockport and to welcome learners from across Greater Manchester to study with us.
“Shift Click has always been positively received, and we’ve had applicants from all over the county including Salford, Oldham and Rochdale as well as Stockport. We encourage applications from anyone eligible, and we can also provide further support to access the learning including travel arrangements, childcare support and even setting up those keen to learn with equipment to help them build their skills.
“The course really is open for those without experience and whilst the idea of the digital industry, considering a creative career or even building a website might appear daunting at first, our course breaks down the foundations of it into manageable modules that will have learners proficient in the main elements of website development in six weeks. We’re pushing to bridge the tech skills gap, which has become a prominent and pressing challenge in Greater Manchester and Stockport, and to aid young people to feel more confident to apply for employment or to further learning. Shift Click is designed to empower and support, and open doors that may have previously seemed impossible to access.”
Luisa, who graduated from Shift Click and is now a Software Developer at AutoTrader, credits her learning experience for helping her towards her current career: “I couldn’t be happier with Madlab, I don’t have words to describe the impact it had on my path to be a developer. It was a complete game changer, not only because of the knowledge I gained but specially because of the mentorship I got. MadLab gave me the tools and skills I needed to start my journey and even helped on my next steps. I don’t feel like I am alone on this journey anymore and feel a lot more confidence.”
Olly, a previous Shift Click graduate who is now a Tech Tutor with MadLab, explained the benefits he saw from studying with Shift Click: “In 2023, I was experiencing a stressful time with my employment which impacted my mental health. To overcome this and develop new skills to shift my career trajectory, I applied for Shift Click. I had done bits of coding before but always struggled with completing online courses alone. I had never built an entire website from scratch, and didn’t understand the underlying theory.
“The course changed my entire situation in more ways than I can count. I adored coding, and completely fell in love with the way it worked. I really enjoyed learning the fundamentals and the support I was given to further my learning beyond this. My website won an award which I could never have imagined! Through the six weeks of learning, I developed a routine which significantly improved my mental health and wellbeing and I also made new friends who I still speak with regularly.
“As of 2025, I am now MadLab’s Tech Tutor and I am incredibly excited to give others the same level of support, understanding and teaching skill that I received.”
Applications for Shift Click are now open, to find out more, visit the website.
Applications for Shift Click are now open, to find out more, visit the website.
