CGI has partnered with IN4 Group, alongside Blackburn with Darwen Council, to launch the MEGA Hub (Motivated, Educated Generation with Ambition), an innovative technology education programme. IN4 Group is an organisation based in MediaCity in Salford who empower communities through digital skills and education.
This new initiative aims to support over 600 students annually and provide 50 scholarships, helping young people secure top careers in digital technology. The MEGA Hub addresses the growing demand for skilled tech professionals in the North West, building on the success of IN4’s CyberFirst programme with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
The MEGA Hub offers a technology enrichment curriculum for 11–16-year-old pupils that extends beyond the regular school timetable. It includes CyberFirst, Esports Academy, Play AI and IBM Skills Build, alongside hackathons, entrepreneurship education and technology career guidance.
Each year, 50 scholarships will be awarded to 16-year-olds entering sixth form or Level 4 qualifications. These scholarships include a £1,000 bursary, mentoring, industry placements and certifications in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity from AWS, Microsoft and Google. It will help students secure top technology degree apprenticeships or university places.
IN4, CGI and Blackburn with Darwen Council, alongside other partners including IBM, KPMG UK and BT, are committing over £300k annually to the MEGA Hub, with plans for increased investment.
As well as our annual sponsorship of IN4, CGI will be volunteering at MEGA Hub events, working directly with schools and colleges to provide bootcamps, mentoring and careers guidance. We are the Industry Ambassador for Blackburn College and will be building the relationship in the upcoming academic year.
With £5bn investment from the UK government in the region, the CyberFirst and MEGA Hub initiatives will help develop the future digital workforce.
IN4 operates innovation hub HOST, the Home of Skills & Technology, in MediaCity and plans to establish additional MEGA Hubs across the North West and Greater Manchester, including Salford and Oldham.
Mo Isap, CEO of IN4 Group and Blackburn entrepreneur, said: “It’s a moment of great pride that I have the ability to further invest in the North West, specifically to support our talented young people who have the potential to be great but due to disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination end up being average at best. We grew up not knowing we had started life in the second-class carriage. My aim is to ensure all our young people belong in the first-class carriage of the technology express, which will take them to incredible destinations and, in doing so, make our borough great again in the fourth Industrial Revolution as it was in the first one. This will lay the foundations for the MEGA Hub model as we aim to nurture and unlock talent in our local authority regions through collaboration and co-investment across public and private sector partnerships.”
Local businesses interested in partnering with the MEGA Hub can find more information on IN4’s website.
