Summary
T Connect, run by Manchester Digital, has spent a year building connections between further education students and the region's tech sector. Participating colleges—Tameside, The Manchester College, Hopwood Hall and Wigan & Leigh—provided access to students keen to understand digital careers beyond the classroom.
Over 12 months, around 20 businesses and freelance professionals contributed expertise through technical masterclasses, mentoring, office visits and full-time placements. Amazon delivered a final three-week project; Hippo Digital offered 36-day placements; Deloitte hosted a hackathon; and firms including Hyperact, Phoenix Digital and AND Digital provided tailored training in JavaScript, GitHub, AI coding and web accessibility.
The programme demonstrates how structured partnership between education and industry can expose students to workplace reality: collaboration, project management and professional networks. Manchester Digital is promoting Switchboard, its platform for businesses to offer mentoring and work experience opportunities, as a model for ongoing engagement with digital talent in Greater Manchester.
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Common questions
- What is this article about?
- Manchester Digital's T Connect programme has completed its first year, connecting students from Tameside, Manchester, Hopwood Hall and Wigan & Leigh colleges with technology businesses for mentoring, masterclasses and work placements. Companies including Amazon, Deloitte, BAE Systems and Hippo Digital provided technical training, real-world projects and office experiences.
- When was this published?
- This article was published on 26 August 2026.
- Who published this article?
- This article was published by Manchester Digital.