Barclays’ tech incubator Eagle Labs has launched a skills academy, a free online platform which it claims will support and train the next generation of UK tech leaders and entrepreneurs. The Eagle Labs Academy — funded by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology — promises to provide curated learning experiences where users can access […]
Barclays’ tech incubator Eagle Labs has launched a skills academy, a free online platform which it claims will support and train the next generation of UK tech leaders and entrepreneurs.
The Eagle Labs Academy — funded by the Department for Science Innovation and Technology — promises to provide curated learning experiences where users can access self-paced, on-demand and interactive content, covering key challenges starting and scaling a tech focused business.
There will initially be a total of 14 modules, underpinned by 60 individual lessons including founder videos, insights and additional templates to download.
The site will be simple to navigate, Barclays claimed, and users will be able to browse through the list of content. Users will have access to dashboards which allows them to track their progress against modules. The site is mobile-friendly, to ensure users can access content on-the-go.
Eagle Labs is picking up some of the work carried out by start-up network Tech Nation, which the government withdrew funding from last January, forcing it to close its doors.
Tech Nation, which formed in 2011, worked with nearly a third of the country’s 122 unicorns and ran the UK’s global tech talent visa, which was designed to help founders and tech workers move to the UK to start and join high-growth businesses.
Eagle Labs — the recipient of £12m worth of government grant funding, said that it was not currently endorsing global talent visas.
“The digital economy continues to experience huge growth and this platform is a great starting point for anyone who is thinking of entering this space and becoming a tech entrepreneur,” said Amanda Allan, director of Barclays Eagle Labs.
Saqib Bhatti MP, Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy urged that the UK’s startup ecosystem stands “unrivalled”, home to more tech unicorns than France and Germany combined.
Bhatti added that the government’s £12 million digital grant towards the Eagle Labs Academy was intended to drive economic growth and help to create new jobs.
