Career Advice

What is a Tech Industry Gold Accreditation?

Preeta Ghoshal

22.07.2022

The education industry in the UK is set to grow to a staggering £54.9 billion in 2022. Whilst the growth of the education sector is good news, signalling a corresponding demand for learning and development, it also poses the challenge of an overwhelming number of choices for students. With so many learning resources to choose from it can be hard to pick the right one. There were over 2 million tech vacancies advertised in the UK in the last year, so it’s not surprising that the demand for tech courses is among the highest across all other fields. The e-learning industry alone offers a massive number of tech courses and degrees. But which of these qualifications is truly valuable and can boost your employability? When choosing a tech qualification, the gold standard, quite literally, is TIG.

In this blog we’ll look at:

What is TIG?
What are TIG credentials?
What TIG programmes are available?
What are FDM’s TIG Accredited Courses?

What is TIG?

TIG or Tech Industry Gold is the industry recognised accreditation for all tech-related education and training programmes. A TIG accreditation distinguishes a programme for its quality and relevance to industry. Initially, TIG accreditation was provided to degree courses and apprenticeships, but has now been extended to intensive training programmes in tech. TIG is managed by TechSkills, a Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) for the accreditation of degrees in the UK.

What are TIG credentials?

Tech Industry Gold Credentials are awarded to those who successfully complete their accredited training programmes. The credentials showcase an individual’s skills and help employers assess their suitability for a role. The TIG Credentials are presented in a form that is easy to understand and transferrable across companies and sectors.

Each credential includes a clear description of the skills and learnings an individual needs to earn it. Credentials can be shared on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and incorporated into CVs.

TIG Credentials are issued through Credly, the largest credential- authorising network in the world.

There are currently three types of credentials being offered:

Certified Skills Credentials – these provide attestation for the completion of a Tech Industry Gold programme and validates the skills and knowledge earned by an individual.
Experience Badges – these include recognition for any skills advancements or experiences valued by employers. For example: national apprenticeship awards.
Relationship Badges – these allow individuals to build strategic connections as members of the Tech Industry Gold Community. Employers, trainers and individual learners can become part of the TIG Community and take advantage of its knowledge-sharing opportunities.

What TIG programmes are available?

Tech Industry Gold Credentials are offered for:

Full time degrees
Degree apprenticeships
Training programmes

Full time degrees

Tech Industry Gold degrees provide students with a unique combination of academic learning and practical business and tech skills to prepare them for high-demand digital careers. These are employer-led degrees where they work with universities to create and accredit bespoke courses and outline the specific capabilities graduates need to meet their unique business needs.

Find out which universities offer TIG accredited courses.

Degree apprenticeships

TechSkills accredited digital degree apprenticeships are also designed by employers to train apprentices for diverse tech roles like data analyst, business analyst, software engineer, cyber security analyst, and more. TIG accredited degree apprenticeships are offered by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) as a collaboration between private training providers with universities. A collaboration is usually led by the private training provider or college.

Training Programmes

TIG accreditation has been extended to intensive training programmes which provide dedicated pathways into employment. All accredited programmes are designed to meet industry standards and offer a mix of technical, business, project and professional skills.

TIG accredited training programmes provide equal value to employers and learners. For learners, TIG validates the quality and relevance of their training to industry standards. For employers on the other hand, the accredited training programmes are an excellent means to fill their specialist skills gaps with top talent specially trained to meet their business needs and provide value from day 1.

What are FDM’s TIG Accredited Courses

At FDM we are committed to providing the highest standards of training for our trainees. Our courses are conducted by our specialist trainers and are designed to equip you with the practical and professional skills that our consultants can subsequently apply once placed at one of our prestigious client sites. We are proud to have joined the Tech Industry Gold community as the first organisation to achieve accreditation for Foundation Training Programmes for the following courses:

Extending the TIG accreditation to training programmes has made it easier for individuals to launch their careers in tech regardless of their academic backgrounds. At FDM, we welcome applicants from all degree backgrounds and universities. We are committed to a ‘No STEM, No Problem’ mantra so you don’t have to have studied a STEM subject to join one of our technology graduate programmes. We want to help more and more people from diverse backgrounds to access a career in tech.

FDM’s graduate programmes enable you to adapt and build on the knowledge and skills you have acquired at university or college and apply them to a corporate working environment.

Are you interested in launching an exciting a career in technology? Apply to our award-winning Graduate Careers Programme today.