Project
Students gain hands-on virtual work experience with data champions from leading brands and services through fun, innovative challenges.
Secondary
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, building valuable experience and confidence along the way.
Who is it for?
Years 7–9 (S1–S3 / Years 8–10 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 (e.g. 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, students 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 7–10 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 10–13
STEP UP: University and higher education
Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
Improve attainment and progress in STEM subjects
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
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:
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:
Planning - Setting goals and designing routes to achieve them
Creativity - Using imagination and generating new ideas
Problem solving - Finding solutions to challenges
What the teachers sayLog in to write a testimonialWe would love to read all about your time with this experience!
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Students gain hands-on virtual work experience with data champions from leading brands and services through fun, innovative challenges.
