Digital Jersey ends training courses following funding cut

Digital Jersey Scales Back Training After Government Funding Cut

JERSEY – The organisation responsible for promoting Jersey’s digital sector has announced it will scale back several of its training courses following a government funding reduction.

Digital Jersey, which runs technology and digital skills programmes for islanders, said it faces a £400,000 shortfall next year after the Education and Skills Department reduced its financial support.

Chief Executive Tony Moretta said the decision would force the organisation to prioritise certain programmes and discontinue others.

“After this year, we will have to use our core funding to run as many courses as we can,” Mr Moretta explained.“We’ll need to focus more on AI-related training and drop a number of the courses we’re currently running.”

He added that the organisation relies on industry professionals to deliver training through a commissioning model, meaning less funding would directly reduce the number of tutors and classes available.

Government response

A government spokesperson said the decision reflected the availability of free online learning resources for basic digital skills, adding that future investment would focus on developing more advanced technical expertise.

“The Better Business Support Package (BBSP) includes grants for projects that improve productivity and skills development,” the spokesperson said.“Funding is already available for businesses to invest in basic digital skills training for staff.”

The government said its funding panel distinguished between introductory courses and advanced capabilities such as data analytics, which have been identified as a priority for future allocations.

Despite disagreeing with the government’s position, Mr Moretta said Digital Jersey would continue to offer as much support as possible within its reduced budget.

“We fundamentally disagree with the idea that free online courses can replace the tailored training we provide locally,” he said.