Click Start Peckham DAZ

Programme complete · Our legacy

Peckham DAZ

Click Start Peckham Digital Accelerator Zone

18 months. Over 200 young people. Real data from a real high street. This is the story of how we trained a new generation of tech talent in the heart of Peckham.

Read the story What the programme offered
Delivered by UAL Creative Computing Institute UKBlackTech
Supported by Southwark Council
Group photo of around 25 Peckham DAZ students, tutors and partners standing together in a UAL teaching space, next to a podium with the UAL logo.

By the numbers

What we achieved together

200+

students skilled in tech in Peckham, south London

18

months of courses, workshops and events

2

tracks: Accessible Web Development and Introduction to Data Science

3

of London's biggest tech events opened up to our students

Our story

Not your typical bootcamp

We set out to make it hands-on, inspiring and career-transforming.

Over the last 18 months, we have skilled over 200 students in tech in the heart of Peckham, south London, delivered by UAL and UKBlackTech, with support from Southwark Council.

Click Start Peckham DAZ was delivered by the UAL Creative Computing Institute and UKBlackTech as the main providers, with support from Southwark Council. It was part of the national Click Start programme developed by the Institute of Coding and funded by Nominet. We set out to give 200 young people aged 18–30, living or working in south London, high-quality digital training. The focus was on helping people from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds enter and thrive in the digital economy.

Because it was based in Peckham, the training and support were close to home. That meant the benefits reached both the students and the wider community.

The March 2024 launch announcement recorded £800,000 in funding from Nominet and a total programme value of £1.4 million.

Explore the original plans and programme timeline.

A speaker addresses the room at a Peckham DAZ session, with a UKBlackTech team member standing by the UAL podium.

Industry in the room

Learning from the people doing the work

Students got direct access to professionals from major tech companies and local businesses. They saw how real digital roles work day to day.

Sessions delivered by

Workshops

Vantage Data Centers

Sessions exploring data centre careers, software engineering and database management with professionals from Vantage Data Centers.

Workshops

Hippo Digital

Product development panels with product owners, UX/UI researchers and designers, and quality assurance professionals.

Session

Amazon

An industry session for Peckham DAZ students.

Session

Booking.com

An industry session for Peckham DAZ students.

Students also met professionals from companies such as Spotify, as well as experts from local businesses.

A panellist speaks into a microphone at a Peckham DAZ industry event. Students and guests deep in conversation after a talk. Three people talking together at a Peckham DAZ networking session.

Real data, real high street

The High Street Innovation Project

We didn't stop there. The GLA High Street Data team gave students real footfall and shop spend data for Peckham High Street, the street right outside their classroom.

Students used that data on the course to build data visualisations and apps. These helped local retailers make better-informed decisions, such as when to open and when to run special offers.

Rye Lane in Peckham on a sunny day: shoppers on the pavement, a cyclist, red double-decker buses and rows of independent shops.
Peckham High Street: the data came from here.

  1. Real data

    The GLA High Street Data team shared footfall and shop spend data for Peckham through the High Streets Data Service.

  2. Build

    Students turned it into data visualisations and apps, using the Python and data skills from their course.

  3. Help local retailers

    Tree Shepherd, a local business network, introduced us to Peckham businesses. With Peckham Business Forum, students shared insights on opening hours and when to run offers.

  4. Show it off

    Students showcased their insights on CVs, GitHub profiles and personal websites: real proof of how they solve problems, helping them stand out to employers.

A 360° approach to real-world learning. Students learned by doing, made an impact on their own high street, and in return gained jobs and portfolios that prove what they can do.

  • Greater London Authority
  • High Streets Data Service Data Hub
  • Tree Shepherd

Beyond the classroom

A seat at London's biggest tech events

Students got into some of the biggest events in town. It broadened their exposure to the industry and gave them fresh inspiration.

Sharing PDAZ's success with a wider audience

The PDAZ programme was featured at London Data Week, London Tech Week and Southwark Skills Partnerships. These opportunities raised the programme's profile and gave us a platform to share our successes, celebrate students' achievements and showcase PDAZ's impact to a wider audience.

  • London Tech Week
  • SXSW London
  • London Data Week
  • Southwark CouncilSouthwark Skills Partnership

Research and development hackathons

The Women's and Girls' Health Hackathon

Students joined hackathons that opened up space for innovation and collaboration. At this one, teams built inclusive, low-cost digital tools to improve access to trusted women's health information.

The focus was on communities that often miss out, including Black Caribbean and Black African women, people with English as a second language, digitally excluded groups and residents of high-deprivation areas.

Students tested ideas, built prototypes and sometimes failed alongside industry professionals. That built resilience, creativity and real practical experience.

Hosted in partnership with

  • UKBlackTech
  • NHS South East London ICS
  • King's Health Partners
  • King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence

Who was in the room

  • Clinicians
  • Data analysts
  • Programmers
  • Innovators
  • Academics
  • Public health experts
  • Students

Where they are now

The stories are still unfolding

Many students moved into tech roles, further and higher education or voluntary work, and some launched their own start-ups. They told us about new technical skills and more confidence, helped by personal career coaching and mentoring. Some also took their skills abroad to help communities use data.

  • Working at WPP

    Joined a global creative and advertising group.

  • Commercial Manager, Virgin Media O2

    Stepped into the role after Peckham DAZ.

  • IT Support Technician, Bank of China

    Supporting a global bank's technology.

  • Working at Southwark Council

    Using digital skills for the local community.

  • Operation Engineer

    On a Sino-British collaborative project.

  • Launched a creative studio

    Building a new studio and creative community.

  • Launched start-ups

    Founded their own digital businesses.

  • A business in Ghana

    Went back to Ghana to set up a business.

  • A master's at UAL

    Postgraduate study at University of the Arts London.

  • MSc, University of Sussex

    Human and Social Data Science.

  • A Computer Science degree

    BSc in Software Engineering and Computer Science.

Programme perspectives and projects

What people thought and what students built

Hear perspectives on Peckham DAZ from programme partners and participants, and explore some of the projects students worked on, through videos shared by UKBlackTech.

Partner perspective

Professor Rachid Hourizi

Director of the Institute of Coding (IoC). Hear his perspective on Peckham DAZ.

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Programme experiences

Reflections on Peckham DAZ

Hear about the programme and the experience of developing digital skills through Peckham DAZ.

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Student projects

Putting digital skills into practice

Explore the ideas and project work students developed through the programme.

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In their words

Student voices

Being a part of Peckham Digital Accelerator Zone has significantly improved my confidence. During my time here I have developed skills such as coding using the programming language Python. Also, I have built on my soft skills through networking with many people within the tech industry. These experiences have cultivated the belief in myself to kickstart a career within tech.
Aaron Cohort 2
The program was incredibly valuable, thanks to its thoughtfully structured modules, coupled with the supportive mentorship from UAL professors. Their expertise made even the most advanced topics feel accessible, while their encouragement added significant value to each session.
Tinu Cohort 1

Thank you

The people who made it happen

Thank you to the people across UAL Creative Computing Institute and UKBlackTech who helped make Peckham DAZ possible. Marvalyn and Georgie have now moved on to new adventures, but will always be part of the UKBlackTech family ❤️

Marvalyn Omoyinmi

Programme Lead

Georgie Bolam

Events Manager

Emma

Programme Manager, UAL

Mick Grierson

Professor and Research Leader, UAL CCI

Waitz Li

UAL Creative Computing Institute

Mark Martin

Co-founder, UKBlackTech

Partners and funders

Who made it happen

Delivered by

UAL Creative Computing InstituteMain provider: designed and taught the web development and data science courses, with tutor support for every student.

UKBlackTechMain provider: career workshops, coaching, industry links, events and hackathons.

Supported by

Southwark CouncilLocal authority support for the programme in Peckham.

Part of Click Start

Click StartThe national digital skills programme Peckham DAZ was part of.

Institute of CodingDeveloped the national Click Start programme.

NominetFunded Click Start through its social impact programme.

Sessions delivered by

Vantage Data CentersData centre workshops.

Hippo DigitalDigital services workshops.

AmazonIndustry session.

Booking.comIndustry session.

SpotifyIndustry presenters and speakers.

Project partners

GLA High Street Data teamProvided Peckham footfall and shop spend data.

High Streets Data ServiceThe data hub behind the High Street Innovation Project.

Tree ShepherdBusiness network that introduced students to local businesses.

Peckham Business ForumLocal business engagement for student data projects.

GetMyFirstDigitalJobCareer planning tools and apprenticeship access.

Thanks to every speaker who gave their time.

Keep the momentum going

Want to support home-grown talent in south London?

The Peckham DAZ programme has finished, but the work goes on. If you'd like to offer work shadowing, paid internships, apprenticeships or a talk, we'd love to hear from you.

Email info@peckhamdaz.com Visit UKBlackTech