Pilot ecommerce course a first for college sector

City of Glasgow College, together with Borders College and Edinburgh College, is piloting a new Ecommerce & Business course.

The six-week course is focused on preparing unemployed graduates, workers recently made redundant, or mature learners, for working in the world of fast-moving ecommerce. It will be co-delivered by professionals, ensuring an immediate connection between students and industry – providing more context to lessons.

Fast Track into Ecommerce & Business has been created in partnership between the Colleges, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and employers from the ecommerce sector.

Gus Grubb, Dean for the Faculty of Education and Humanities at City of Glasgow College, said:

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with both Edinburgh and Borders Colleges, along with SDS, to deliver this new course which is the first of its kind in Scotland.

“Further growth is projected within the ecommerce sector over the next decade. Employers will become reliant on a pool of emerging talent to help fill both existing and future roles, such as those in content development, content writers, business analyst, customer services, and digital skills.”

Industry growth and increasing digitalisation means that the ecommerce sector needs to create a competitive advantage that attracts, retains and develops more and diverse talent into the sector. According to LinkedIn research, the number of candidates hired for ecommerce related roles in the UK has increased by 143%, this is expected to continue rising.

Jane Grant, Executive Director for Enterprise & Business Innovation at Borders College, said:

"The inexorable expansion of ecommerce has required an urgent response to meet the skills gap for businesses operating in this area. Borders College are very happy to be part of this pilot programme so that we can provide the training to meet that demand, and look forward to future roll out.”

Head of Digital Technologies and Financial Service at SDS, Phil Ford, added:

“We applaud the great work done by the Colleges to get this over the line. Although a pilot at this stage, based on initial feedback about the course content from the experts involved - and the fact that ecommerce is so important to Scotland’s economy - I can only see this much-needed course going from strength to strength.”

Lynn Loudon, Head of School, Edinburgh College, said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for cross college collaboration, not only with our colleagues but including industry experts to develop and deliver a new exciting course in ecommerce. There is a growing demand to upskill potential and current employees with the skills and knowledge required to work in the many new roles that are becoming available in ecommerce.”

The Fast Track to Ecommerce & Business is a fully online interactive programme. Along with notes, remote collaboration tools, suggestions for self-learning, and one-to-one opportunities and group sessions with experienced tutors and industry experts, applicants should be fully equipped for a virtual classroom experience.

The course will run for four days per week, 9.00am to 5.00pm, for six weeks. Once completed, participants will receive the Fast Track to Ecommerce & Business Award jointly accredited by Skills Development Scotland, City of Glasgow College, Edinburgh College and Borders College.

Applicants can apply for bursary funding covering all costs of this course with no need to repay. Further details and the option to apply for the course are available on the City of Glasgow College website.