Creative and Digital Specialist Hub and Skills Advisory Board launches at Mosaic@Soho 

Capital City College (CCC) has launched a Creative and Digital Specialist Hub and Skills Advisory Board at its Mosaic@Soho campus, bringing together employers, educators and students to shape the future of digital and creative skills across London.

This board launch is especially timely, following from the recent UK Government announcement this week of five new Technical Excellence Colleges (TEC)s, including CCC as a TEC for digital and technology.

At a busy launch event held this week, this new advisory board saw strong engagement from industry partners, including employers from global organisations, innovative start-ups and SMEs.

The event opened with a keynote from Neil Hatton MBE, Chief Executive of UK Screen Alliance in partnership with Animation UK, who spoke about the urgent need for employers to play an active role in education. Highlighting the pace of change across the sector, he emphasised the importance of upskilling both new entrants and the existing workforce, and how advisory boards are important to create deeper partnerships. 

Neil said: “Doing nothing is not an option. Nor is accepting new qualifications designed without meaningful industry input. Employer engagement, therefore, becomes essential. If industry does not actively shape these new pathways, we risk ending up with systems that fail to meet real-world needs.”

He challenged attendees with a clear call to action: “I’m up for it – are you?” 

Following this, Carlo Liu, Group Head – Enterprise, Employability and Careers at CCC, introduced the purpose of the Skills Advisory Board, outlining how employers can directly influence and support the curriculum, from co-designing courses, contributing to assignment briefs, sponsorship, work placements, recruiting apprentices and engaging with students through talks and mentoring. 

In a panel discussion of current students and alumni brought together diverse voices from across the education and skills landscape, with Omari Bramble and Niamh Sammon speaking about their positive experiences on T Level programmes at CCC, as well as alumni Kehase Mehari, who shared his journey of the Digital 10 week Bootcamp programme delivered in conjunction with Generation UK. 

Employer representatives from the Edge Foundation and LIFT Futures also shared insights about the challenges facing youth today in London. Olly Newton and Hamish Mackay highlighted the ongoing obstacle of youth unemployment in the capital and the growing gap between the skills employers need and those many young people are able to access. Both emphasised that closer collaboration between education providers and industry is critical to addressing this, particularly through high-quality placements, employer-led curriculum design and clear progression pathways into work.  

The session continued with an interactive discussion hosted by Mark Martin MBE CITP, Co-Founder of UKBlackTech, focusing on the knowledge, skills and behaviours required in today’s digital and creative industries.  

The event concluded with networking, providing further opportunity for collaboration and partnership building, alongside a clear call to action for employers to get involved. 

Carl Boyd, Assistant Principal at Capital City College’s Mosaic@Soho campus, said: 
“This launch marks a significant step in strengthening the relationship between education and industry across London. By working closely with employers, we can ensure our curriculum remains relevant, ambitious and aligned to real-world needs, while creating meaningful opportunities for our students.” 

Employers and partners who would like to support the Creative and Digital Specialist Hub and join the Skills Advisory Board are encouraged to get involved. To pledge your support or arrange a conversation, please register your interest online.

Share!