The Duke of York launched the Bronze Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award in 2017 and set the team the ambitious target of trying to reach the milestone of a million badges (iDEA’s free online courses and challenges) completed by learners by the end of 2022. Five years to make a million. Nobody knew if it was possible.
On 10th December 2018, the team met the target. In the run-up to Christmas 2018, sometimes as many as 10,000 badges are being completed a day. As at 18th December 2018, over 1,070,000 badges have been won by learners all over the world.
There are people using iDEA in more than 100 countries. Participants include apprentices, school pupils, higher education students, jobseekers, people with special educational needs, pensioners, entrepreneurs, founders, business leaders, community groups, the armed forces, teachers and anyone who feels they have a gap in their knowledge. This can range from people who have never been online before, to students and professionals who want to top up their skills and understanding across a range of topics.
iDEA is a free platform-based voctech solution aiming to help plug the digital skills gap using an innovative Badge Store concept. This has been curated to help inspire people to become digital citizens, workers, makers, entrepreneurs and gamers to enhance their employability; and to empower them to develop vital life skills. The iDEA Booklet introduces the programme and includes the full curriculum.
Participants take on a series of challenges that earn points towards industry recognised Awards. The Silver Award was launched by The Duke at St James’s Palace on 13th November 2018. Where Bronze is set at beginner level, Silver is intermediate, so a step up in difficulty level. Silver requires learners to be resourceful and resilient.
iDEA provides vocational skills, knowledge and information training to support lifelong learning. Please encourage anyone who might be interested in the iDEA resource, to look at the iDEA film to find out more.
