Digdata FIRST STEP career challenges
Students gain hands-on virtual work experience with data champions from leading brands and services through fun, innovative challenges.
The Neon quality mark shows this activity has been reviewed and meets Neon's quality standards.
Overview
Give your students aged 11 to 14 the chance to gain virtual work experience with leading employers including BT, Experian, Meta, GSK, ITV, Lloyds Banking Group and Unilever.
Through Digdata’s FIRST STEP challenges, students tackle real-world data problems and earn a certificate for every challenge completed. They build valuable experience and confidence along the way.
Who is it for?
Years 7 to 9
S1 to S3
Years 8 to 10 (NI)
What students will do
Students complete guided challenges in their own time, using real datasets and industry-inspired scenarios. Each challenge is designed to build awareness, confidence and practical skills in data.
For example, students might:
Analyse customer data to help a brand target the right audience
Decide which digital channels (such as TikTok, Instagram) are most effective for a campaign
Solve real business or social problems using data insights
Example challenge:
"PlayStation wants to promote a new game. Using customer data enriched by Experian, identify the best audiences to target and recommend how to reach them."
What students will gain
Virtual work experience with leading employers
Insight into real-world data careers
Problem-solving and analytical skills
A certificate for every challenge completed
How it works
Register for the appropriate year group
Receive access to challenges, tools and guidance
Complete the work independently (recommended 7 to 10 days per challenge)
Submit work and receive certification
What next?
FIRST STEP is part of a wider pathway of careers challenges. Explore more:
NEXT STEP: years 10 to 13
STEP UP: university and higher education
Details
- School subject
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- Technology/computing
- Engineering
- Maths
- Physics
- Curriculum links
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- Computing
- Physics: Electricity and electromagnetism
- Engineering
- Sciences - Forces, electricity and waves: Electricity
- Computing science
- Technologies - Craft, design, engineering and graphics: Application of engineering
- Physics: Electricity
- Design thinking and engineering: Engineering
- Technology & design - Communication: Use of ICT tools (including 3D modelling)
- Sciences - Forces and energy: Using electricity
- Technology & design - Control: Incorporate control systems in products
- Technology & design - Control
- Group size
- Small groups
- Participation level
- Audience participation, Hands-on
- Duration
- Multi-session - flexible
- Cost
- Free
- Location
- Online
Learning outcomes
- Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
- Attainment and progress
- Learning what the engineering workplace is like
- Develop engineering employability skills
- Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers
- Challenge stereotypes by showing the diversity of disciplines, people and skills involved in engineering
Frameworks
Gatsby benchmarks
The Gatsby benchmarks are a framework for good careers guidance for schools across all of England and in some areas across the rest of the UK. This experience helps your school to reach the following benchmarks:
- 2 - Learning from career and labour market information
- 4 - Linking curriculum learning to careers
- 5 - Encounters with employers and employees
- 6 - Experiences of workplaces
- 7 - Encounters with further and higher education
EqualEx
- Introduce and Inspire
Essential skills
The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership. This experience builds the following skills:
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Enrichment framework
- 5 - An accessible and engagement enrichment offer
