Almost nine out of 10 students at Scotland’s digital skills academy could not afford the course fees without the help of industry, new research has revealed.
A study released by CodeClan has shown that 89 per cent of students on coding, software development and data courses are unable to cover the costs of their education.
However by partnering with CodeClan and ‘paying it forward’, organisations commit to paying around one-third of course fees.
This model has helped the SQA-accredited body to place over 2,000 students into tech roles with over 300 companies.
Loral Quinn, CodeClan’s CEO, said: “We have an ongoing commitment to getting diverse talent into the ecosystem faster, while helping companies to become more successful, and the research shows how important our industry partnerships are.
“Against a backdrop of economic headwinds, and a cost of living crisis, existing and planned collaborations and our new Emerging Talent Fund can help to address a challenging environment.”
CodeClan’s Emerging Talent Fund was launched in response to a shortage of women, LGBTQ, and people from underrepresented ethnic groups in tech.
Quinn added: “We strive to create an inclusive, welcoming community at CodeClan, and to get more students from underrepresented groups into tech. Our Emerging Talent Fund is designed to support students who could not otherwise afford our immersive bootcamps, but who have shown great aptitude to learn and succeed on our courses.”
Following the success of the Baillie Gifford-supported CodeClan Youth Academy in Edinburgh, CodeClan has also partnered with the Scottish and UK Government Tay Cities Deal to bring a fully-funded software coding bootcamp to Perth.
Open to young people between the ages of 16 and 24 from across Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth and Kinross, applications for the four-week course at Perth Creative Exchange close this week.
Loral Quinn said: “Tech jobs remain in high demand, and if you learn how to code, you can work across any sector. The youth academy bootcamp gives participants a strong foundation in the type of coding skills that we know employers are looking for.”
Specialising in 16-week software development and 14-week data courses, CodeClan has produced 2,000 graduates from 120 immersive cohorts in software development and data from its Edinburgh and Glasgow campuses, plus remote, since launching in 2015.
CodeClan has also been increasing its provision of bespoke courses for organisations across the corporate and public sectors, while offering additional courses including in low-code and no-code, one of the fastest-growing areas in software development, upskilling and reskilling more than 2,000 individuals.
CodeClan, a not-for-profit organisation, works with over 300 industry partners, including hiring partners like Skyscanner, FanDuel, Baillie Gifford, DC Thomson, BlackRock, Tesco Bank, and Sainsbury’s Bank.
Last month, the digital skills academy announced a tie-up with recruitment specialist firm Eden Scott, aimed at tackling the tech skills gap in the Scottish economy by providing an additional route for CodeClan graduates seeking employment following graduation.