Fujitsu sends VARs back to school

Vendor launches Education Ambassadors Programme to improve partnerships between schools and resellers

Fujitsu has launched its Education Ambassadors Programme which it hopes will bring the education sector and Fujitsu resellers closer together.

The initiative, set up with Intel, will see the establishment of so-called Innovation Hubs in schools throughout the country which will use Fujitsu technology, such as tablets, hybrid devices and laptops.

Fujitsu said the scheme is designed to foster stronger partnerships between education customers and resellers, as well as improve education.

Ash Merchant, head of education UK and Ireland at Fujitsu, said: "By putting technology at the heart of education, the Education Ambassador Programme aims to enhance teaching and unleash students' potential.

"It will help both us and our education-focused partners to develop deeper understanding and engagement and thus deliver solutions that really will help schools to do more with technology and achieve better outcomes."

Philip McNair, sales manager at Fujitsu partner Virtue Technologies, said he felt Fujitsu engages very well with the education sector as a whole.

"Some manufacturers don't really get the education market, but Fujitsu seems to understand it. They are extremely strong in the secondary-school market in particular," he said.

John Lester, sales director at IML Technology, which is on the programme, said: "Fujitsu has certainly helped cement the relationship between IML Technology and Derby College.

"The knowledge that Fujitsu has within the education sector was paramount when deciding which vendor to work with and Fujitsu have certainly gone the extra mile in ensuring that customer satisfaction has been maintained at all time."

Fujitsu has already launched an Innovation Hub at UTC Reading. In conjunction with this, the Japanese vendor is launching a programme to teach teachers coding and is launching a social media training scheme at UTC Reading for students in years 10 to 13.

So far, nine educational institutions have signed up to Fujitsu's Education Ambassador Programme, including University Campus Suffolk, Brunel University and Derby College.