Coventry University College has partnered with HP for its academic programme, called the HP Institute.
The college, a wholly owned subsidiary of Coventry University, will offer the vendor's curriculum for HP Accredited Technical Associate (ATA) certifications. The curriculum focuses on connected devices such as PCs and printers, networks, servers, storage and cloud.
Nick Wilson, vice president and managing director, HP UK and Ireland, said more institutions need to ensure graduates leave with the professional skills that employers are looking for: "Coventry University College is leading the response to the drive to diversify the higher education sector by making education accessible to everyone"
The college opens in September, aiming to deliver courses to 1,500 students for its first year, and hopes to extend its capacity to 3,500 by 2015 through developing IT technical professionals.
John Dishman, chief executive and director of Coventry University College said in a statement: "Our association with HP, with its status as a global leader in information technology, means that we will be able to attract more students, improve their employability and help them to become the IT professionals of the future."
The college will hold a launch event inviting students and businesses to learn about its HP ATA training programme. The event will be held at the university campus on Thursday 26 July.
IT companies are increasingly reaching out to young people to find new ways of attracting recruits to the industry as the number of students taking IT-related exams continues to plummet. Some firms are turning to apprenticeships, for example, to improve recruitment of school leavers.
