Community

The Sentinus Digital Makers programme is a connected Digital Skills and STEM engagement initiative designed to create a clear learner journey from first engagement, through to skills development, and ultimately into digital innovation and future careers.

The programme is built around three complementary strands, each serving a distinct purpose while collectively supporting the development of digital confidence, creativity, employability, and community engagement.

Sentinus Digital Makers is a multi-strand engagement programme that supports children, young people, schools, community groups and families to develop digital skills through accessible, hands-on experiences.  Activity across one strand or multiple strands is possible.

The programme combines:

• Community STEM & Digital Skills Bootcamps
• In-School Digital Workshops
• Digital Futures Project-Based Learning

Together, these strands create a scalable pathway from:

Awareness and participation
to skills development
to innovation, enterprise, and progression into digital careers
And promote digital inclusion and engagement across rural areas, girls in tech and disadvantaged areas.

Strand 1 – Community Digital Skills / STEM Summer Events
This strand provides the entry point into STEM & Digital engagement, creating accessible and exciting experiences for young people, families and community groups.

The events are designed to:

• Raise awareness of STEM & Digital Skills
• Encourage family participation in STEM & Digital Skills
• Introduce coding, robotics, AI, Cybersecurity and digital creativity in an informal setting

Strand 2 – In-School Digital Skills Workshops
This strand focuses on building core digital skills within formal education settings through structured, curriculum-aligned workshops.

These workshops provide practical learning experiences and can help create a future digital skills pipeline. This strand also allows Creative Learning and Digital Arts to be a centre focus.

Strand 3 – Digital Futures Project-Based Learning
This strand represents the progression stage of the programme, supporting young people to move beyond basic digital skills into:

-Innovation – Entrepreneurship – Employability – Real-world problem solving. This Digital Futures strand provides direct structed employee volunteering opportunities through workshops, online careers presentations, mentoring and judging.

Our STEM & Digital Skills Camps provide young people with exciting opportunities to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Digital innovation during school holidays. Delivered over 3–5 days during mid-term breaks and the summer holidays, these camps take place in partnership with local councils and community organisations in targeted locations across NI.

Designed to engage young people in areas where access to STEM opportunities may be limited, each camp offers hands-on, project-based activities that encourage creativity, problem-solving, teamwork and digital confidence. Participants explore a range of topics such as coding, robotics, engineering design challenges, digital making, electronics and emerging technologies in a fun, supportive and inclusive environment.

By learning outside the classroom, young people are encouraged to develop new skills, build confidence and discover future education and career pathways in STEM. The camps also provide positive holiday provision that helps reduce barriers to participation, supports community engagement and inspires the next generation of innovators.

Programme Highlights

• 3–5 day STEM and Digital Skills camps during mid-term and summer holidays.
• Delivered in partnership with local councils and community organisations.
• Targeted at communities with limited access to STEM enrichment opportunities.
• Hands-on activities including coding, robotics, engineering and digital technologies.
• Focus on developing creativity, teamwork, problem-solving and digital skills.
• Supports confidence building, career awareness and learning beyond the classroom.

The Sentinus Digital NEETS Pathway programme will support young people aged 16–24 who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) to develop the digital, personal and employability skills needed to progress into education, training, volunteering or employment. Through a combination of transformational workshops, mentoring and masterclasses, participants will build confidence, strengthen resilience, develop meaningful cross-community relationships and gain practical experience with digital technologies.

The three-strand programme uses digital skills, innovation and leadership development as a vehicle for building confidence, resilience and meaningful cross-community relationships

The programme combines:

• Digital Skills Workshops
• Mentoring
• Digital Futures Masterclass

Together, these strands create a scalable pathway from engagement and confidence-building to skills development, personalised mentoring and progression into education, training, employment, volunteering or entrepreneurship.  Activity across one strand or multiple strands is possible.

Strand 1 – Digital Skills Workshops

Participants will engage in a series of practical workshops designed to develop core digital skills for employment alongside communication, teamwork and problem-solving. Sessions will be delivered in mixed groups to encourage collaboration, relationship building and peer learning.

Workshops include: Digital Communication Tools, Digital Productivity, AI, Cyber Security & Online Safety

Strand 2 – Mentoring

Each participant will receive ongoing tasks following the completion of Strand 1 and be mentored through a combination of peer learning and support from Sentinus online. Mentoring will focus on personal development, confidence building and career planning.

Strand 3 – Digital Futures Masterclass

Masterclasses will introduce participants to the latest developments in digital innovation. The tasks will be designed to solve a local community business, environmental or health need with a dragons den style pitch at the end. Local council representatives, employers, entrepreneurs and role models will be invited to attend.

The Tech Savvy Seniors Programme will support older people to build the confidence, knowledge and practical digital skills needed to participate fully in today’s increasingly digital society. The programme will help reduce digital exclusion, increase independence, improve access to services, strengthen social connections and enhance wellbeing through a structured programme of workshops, mentoring and masterclasses.

The programme combines:

• Digital Skills Workshops
• Mentoring
• Digital Discovery Masterclass

Together, these strands create a structured pathway that supports older people to build digital confidence, develop practical skills, strengthen social connections and become more independent in a digital world.  Activity across one strand or multiple strands is possible.

Strand 1 – Digital Skills Workshops

To develop practical digital skills that enable older people to confidently and safely use technology in everyday life while increasing social inclusion and independence.

Workshops will be delivered at an accessible pace using hands-on learning, allowing participants to build confidence through practice and repetition in supportive group settings.

Workshops include: Digital Communication Tools, Everyday Digital Skills, Online Safety, Digital Creativity

Strand 2 – Mentoring

Tech Savvy mentoring is focused on building practical digital capability rather than pastoral or career mentoring. This will include supported digital coaching, where participants learn by applying digital skills to real-life tasks with guidance from a mentor.

Strand 3 – Digital Discovery Masterclass

Masterclasses will inspire curiosity, increase digital awareness and demonstrate how emerging technologies can enhance everyday life, lifelong learning and community participation. These interactive sessions will include collaborative sessions with local businesses, enabling participants to apply their digital skills in authentic settings. For example, working alongside a local travel agent, participants could research destinations, compare transport and accommodation options, and create a complete online travel itinerary using digital booking platforms, budgeting tools and mapping applications.