FAQs

General stuff

: Good question. We run term-time and short holiday courses to help 15-19 year-olds learn in-demand tech skills while developing sought-after personal attributes like resilience, creativity and the ability to work well with others. It’s a combination of skills and qualities that will put you in a great position when you start work or uni – and you can find out more on our Why Skills Gap? page.

: It’s true, there are other companies out there offering to teach you tech skills. But these boot camps are often aimed at graduates or those already at uni. We’re different because our courses are specifically designed to give younger adults – aged 15-19 – a head start.
Taught by industry experts and leading tech entrepreneurs, you’ll study era-defining subjects like coding and data analytics. The main emphasis is on learning through application as you collaborate in small groups during lessons, and spend time working individually on your project to build a professional-standard tech portfolio. During your course you’ll develop sought-after technical skills, while honing more general, personal skills and attributes such as team-working, problem-solving and building a resilient, adaptable mindset.

: Skills Gap experiences are for young adults aged 15 to 19. They’re specifically designed for anyone who’s just finished (or is about to finish) their A-levels and wants to spend some time gaining new skills and experiences before moving onto uni or employment.

: Hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for on this site, but if you can’t please drop our friendly team a line at hello@skillsgap.tech.

Courses

: Nope. The whole point of Skills Gap is that you get to learn skills and subjects you wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to. We’ll always start with the basic principles (and a few extra challenges for those who already know them), before progressing to the more complex stuff.

: Our lessons are intensive and designed to cover a lot in a short amount of time. But that doesn’t mean you’ll just be talked at all the time. There’s a strong emphasis on getting stuck in, with practical-based sessions that encourage collaboration and interaction. As well as developing technical capabilities, you’ll also strengthen all-round skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork. Check out How our courses work for more details.

: We recognise that teachers can really make or break an experience. That’s why we’ve put a lot of effort into finding the right instructors for each course. We make sure they’re not just experts in their respective fields, but they’re also inspiring people with the ability to share knowledge in an engaging way.

: Holiday Courses
These run for either 4.5 or 5 days. We think this is the perfect length to give you a comprehensive understanding of the subject and for you to develop your skills.
Term Courses
We arrange these with your school to fit around your schedule. These usually involve two 90 minute sessions per week throughout the term. This ensures you receive the same comprehensive content delivered in our intensive holiday courses.

: Holiday Courses
Our Data Analytics course runs from 10:00 to 16:00 (UK Time) on weekdays except on the Friday where it finishes early at lunchtime.
Term Courses
We schedule with your individual schools the best time for our lessons.

: We use the video conferencing platform Zoom. It’s super-easy to use, allows everyone to be on camera and mic at the same time and has a bunch of handy features, like screen-sharing, white boards and breakout ‘rooms’. Your instructor will also record the lesson for future reference.
Alongside Zoom, we use Slack, which lets you send messages, share files and collaborate on projects. Like Zoom, it’s simple to use and allows you to set up different channels for whether you want to talk to one person or everyone in the class. Slack’s also a great way to ask your instructor quick questions and get feedback on your work.
All learning material, links to recorded sessions and any other resources will be archived on Google Classroom for you to access whenever you like. Handy.

: Our courses are designed to stretch and challenge you, otherwise what would be the point? That said, our friendly instructors will always give you lots of help and support throughout.

: If there’s no way you can make it – you’re ill or your internet goes out, for example – you’ll still be able to access a recording of the session and any material.

: You’ll be able to access a recording of the lesson, plus the instructor’s slides for 30 days after the final lesson. You can download the content and refer to in the future if you need it.

: Here are a few tips:
Find a comfy, quiet workspace
You’ll find it easier to focus if you have somewhere you can work without being disturbed. You’re going to be in front of a screen for most of the day, so make sure you have a good workstation. There’s plenty of advice online for how to set up your laptop or computer so you don’t get crippling backache by the end of the week!
If you’re struggling to find a quiet spot, we recommend noise-cancelling headphones (also handy for many other situations in life!).
Use a second screen
It’s not essential, but you’ll be flying around between videos, messages, notes, software programs and other resources all day, so it pays to hook up to a second screen such as a tablet, monitor, Chromebook or even a TV.
Be ready!
Lessons will start bang on time, so please make sure you’ve got everything set up and you’re ready to go in plenty of time.
A week before your course starts, your instructor will run a session so you can familiarise yourself with the online learning environment. They’ll check you’ve got all the necessary software and offer tips for helping you get the most out of the online experience.

Before your course starts

: Essential hardware
You’ll need a PC or Mac (laptop or desktop) with at least 8GB of RAM and Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.11 or later.
Essential software
All our courses require you access Zoom. We recommend that you create your own free account and that you download the latest app (on phone/tablet or desktop) for joining the calls.
Our courses also use Slack for messaging. We also recommend that you download the latest version of the app. For windows, download here. To find out if you require the 32 or 64 bit version read this. For macs, download here.
You’ll need Excel 2016 or later. Please make sure it’s the desktop version and not the web-based program, which lacks some essential functions. You can download Excel here. It’s free for most students (providing you have an education-related email address).
The course involves the use of Tableau. You can use this in your browser for free or download the app here.
Our team will be available if you need any help before the course to install all the software.
Recommended
We also highly recommend using a second screen. This will allow you to quickly and easily move between the various applications.
While a tablet, smartphone or Chromebook can be used as a second screen, we don’t recommend you use these on their own for the course.

: All our courses are taught online, so you’ll need access to a stable internet connection capable of supporting video conferencing.
We recommend using a wired Ethernet connection with a download speed of at least 10Mbps (preferably 25Mbps) and an upload speed of 5Mbps.
There are lots of free apps and online checkers that let you see your internet speed. The best and simplest thing to do is run a test video call with friends to see how your connection holds up.

: The week before the course, your instructor will run a session where everyone will get the chance to work on a few fun activities and get to know each other.

Course pricing

: Our Pricing page has all the details you need about costs and what’s included.

Applying for a course

: The sooner the better, so someone else doesn’t snap up your place!

: You can apply here.
We’ll then send you a confirmation email within three working days to let you know your place is secured.

: Within a few days
We’ll send you a confirmation email within three working days and then email you again with a few things you’ll need to do before your course starts. This will include completing a short Tech CV. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too taxing, just a few questions that will help us make the course content more relevant to you.
Two weeks to go!
We’ll send you details about your instructor, how to install software and how to access the video and messaging platforms. We’ll also invite you to a getting-to-know-you session the week before your course starts.
One week to go!
Meet your instructor and fellow students (and potential future friends) at the getting-to-know-you session. As well as taking part in a few fun activities, your instructor will make sure you’ve got all the right software installed and run through some of the finer details to help you get the most out of the course.

Tech in Finance

: We are a careers accelerator, running short tech workshops and courses for 15-19 year-olds. Taught by passionate industry experts, our programmes give you the insight and practical tech skills required by companies in finance, science, engineering and many other sectors.

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are looking for a career in finance, and want insight into the specific tech skills required in different roles. It is designed to give you a head start before you go to university or take any other route into the sector.

: No. The workshop is designed as an introduction to the finance industry and the various roles, with a specific focus on digital skills.

: We use Zoom. It is free, easy, allows everyone to be on camera and mic at the same time, and features intuitive presentation and learning tools, like collaborative white boards and break-out rooms for group work.
You also need a Google account to upload the files into your online workspace for the practical session.

: You will need a stable internet connection capable of supporting video conferencing. We recommend using a wired ethernet connection with a download speed of at least 4Mbps and an upload speed at least 1Mbps (preferably 3.8Mbps).

: Essential hardware
You will need a PC or Mac (laptop or desktop) which has at least 8GB of RAM and runs Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.11 or later.

Essential software
You will need Zoom. If you have not used it before, you can create a free account and download the app for your phone, tablet or computer.

You will also need Microsoft Excel 2016 or later. Please make sure it is the full version and not the web-based program, which lacks some essential functions.

If you do not have Excel, we recommend you get a free Office 365 licence using your school email address or take a free Office 365 trial (which requires a credit card). You can also get a personal licence for Office for £59 a year / £5.99 a month.
Recommended
We also highly recommend using a second screen. This will allow you to quickly and easily move between the various applications.
While a tablet, smartphone or Chromebook can be used as a second screen, we don’t recommend you use these on their own for the workshop.

: We will send you a Zoom link via email shortly before it starts.

: If you have not been able to find out what you need from the information on this page, please email our friendly team at hello@skillsgap.tech.

Intro to Data Analytics

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who want to find out more about data analytics and how developing data skills will help them get ahead in their chosen career.

: No. The workshop is designed as an introduction to data analytics and so is suitable for students without any experience.

: Essential hardware
You will need a PC or Mac (laptop or desktop – not tablet) which has at least 4GB of RAM, 1MB free disk space and runs Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.11 or later.

Essential software
You will need Zoom. If you have not used it before, you can create a free account and download the app for your phone, tablet or computer.
You will also need the Tableau Desktop trial, which you can download for free here.
(For more detailed instructions details please read the setup guide.)

AI in Engineering

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are looking for a career in engineering, and want insight on the AI and machine learning skills required in different engineering roles. It is designed to give you a head start before you go to university or take any other route into the sector.

: Essential hardware
You will need a PC or Mac (laptop or desktop) which has at least 8GB of RAM and runs Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.11 or later.

Essential software
You will need Zoom. If you have not used it before, you can create a free account and download the app for your phone, tablet or computer.
Recommended
Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari provide the best tested web browsers for the Google Colab activities.
We also highly recommend a second screen. This will allow you to quickly and easily move between the various activities.
(While a tablet, smartphone or Chromebook can be used as a second screen, we don’t recommend you use these on their own for the workshop.)

: No prior experience is required. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and is designed to give you an introduction to engineering with a specific focus on AI and machine learning skills.

AI in Medicine

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are looking for a career in medicine or biomedical science, and want to understand more about how AI and machine learning skills can support different medical career paths. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of AI in medicine and its future potential, and to introduce you to basic machine learning skills.

AI in Science

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are looking for a career in any of the sciences, and want to understand more about how AI and machine learning skills can support different scientific career paths. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of AI in science today and to introduce you to basic machine learning skills.

Robotics in Space

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are looking for a career in space robotics, and want an insight into the skills needed for related industry roles and career paths. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of space robotics today and the exciting academic and industry opportunities.

: Essential hardware
You will need a PC or Mac (laptop or desktop) which has at least 8GB of RAM and runs Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.11 or later.

Essential software
You will need Zoom. If you have not used it before, you can create a free account and download the app for your phone, tablet or computer.
Recommended
We also highly recommend a second screen. This will allow you quickly and easily move between the various activities.
(A laptop, tablet or Chromebook may provide you a suitable option. The main activities need the larger screen size but a smartphone can still provide a convenient way to submit questions in the panel discussion.)

AI in Finance

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are looking for a career in finance, and want to understand more about how AI is influencing the industry and the machine learning skills that can support differing career paths in financial services. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of AI in finance today and to introduce you to basic machine learning skills.

: Essential hardware
You will need a PC or Mac (laptop or desktop) which has at least 8GB of RAM and runs Windows 10 or Mac OS 10.11 or later.

Essential software
You will need Zoom. If you have not used it before, you can create a free account and download the app for your phone, tablet or computer.
Recommended
We also highly recommend using a second screen. This will allow you to quickly and easily move between the various applications.
While a tablet, smartphone or Chromebook can be used as a second screen, we don’t recommend you use these on their own for the workshop.

AI in Astrophysics

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who have an interest in astrophysics or AI, and who want an insight into the skills needed for academic study in the area, roles in the industry and the different career paths available. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of astrophysics and the exciting current and future applications of AI.

Careers in Hacking

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are interested in a career in cybersecurity, and want an insight into the skills needed for roles in the industry and the different career paths available. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of cybersecurity and the exciting opportunities in ethical hacking.

Coding in Game Design

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are interested in a career in game design and development, and want an insight into the skills needed for different roles in the sector. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you a guide to game development and an introduction to the latest advances in game technology.

Nanotechnology

: The workshop is specifically designed for students aged 15 to 19 who are interested in discovering more about nanotechnology, and want an insight into the skills needed for roles in the industry and the different career paths available. It aims to give you a head start before you begin university or take any other route into the sector.

: Not at all. The workshop has been created with beginners in mind, and has been designed to give you an overview of nanotechnology and the exciting opportunities in this growing area.