Two more major companies have joined the ranks of Scotland’s national digital skills academy as it looks to further scale up and strengthen its graduate pipeline.
Sainsbury’s Bank and media organisation DC Thomson are Edinburgh-based CodeClan’s newest industry partners.
They join more than 320 industry partners across Scotland’s corporate and public sectors, including travel site Skyscanner and gaming giant Fanduel.
CodeClan chief executive Melinda Matthews says the new additions offer “even more quality” to the academy’s offering, seven years on from launching in 2015.
She said: “Skyscanner, Sainsbury’s Bank, and DC Thomson are organisations with digital in their DNA, employing thousands of people across UK and international offices between them.
“Today’s announcement is great news for our CodeClan graduates, as each business knows how to attract and foster tech talent, which is crucial to the future success of Scotland’s digital economy.”
To date, CodeClan has supported more than 2,000 people in gaining skills to transform their careers, with a self-stated mission to bridge the digital skills gap and develop a new generation of technology professionals in Scotland.
Simon Jacobs, chief operating officer, Sainsbury’s Bank, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with CodeClan. This is a partnership that we’re confident will enable us to further source, introduce and develop diverse engineering talent, which is key to supporting digital growth plans for our business.
“The drive, dedication and passion of the CodeClan graduates that we have already witnessed is testament to the learning and support provided through the CodeClan courses, and we look forward to bringing CodeClan graduates into the bank.”
Lee Wilkinson, chief information officer, DC Thomson, said: “We’re bringing about the largest digital transformation in DC Thomson’s history and have created a true engineering and product-focused centre of excellence to accelerate change and support our diverse range of brands and communities.
“The partnership with CodeClan is part of our new Pathways recruitment strategy and we’ve already been hugely impressed with the students and graduates that we’ve met. We’re getting access to amazing candidates – people that will grow our skills, make us more diverse, inclusive, and help us realise our ambitious growth plans.”
Andrew Phillips, vice president of engineering at Skyscanner, said: “As we look to ramp up Skyscanner’s engineering recruitment in Scotland across 2022, we’re delighted to be partnering with CodeClan. Welcoming our newest cohort of CodeClan grads is particularly special for me.
“I joined Skyscanner at the beginning of my engineering career myself, back in 2009, so I know how much opportunity our grads have to make an impact.”
He added: “Moreover, with women making up just 15 per cent of software graduates from traditional university degrees, programmes like CodeClan’s are vital in helping improve the gender balance in the tech sector: we’re exceptionally pleased that almost half of Skyscanner’s CodeClan grads identify as female.
“I’m excited to see the talented people coming through from CodeClan, and to watch their careers flourish as they help us make travel search simple for millions of people around the world.”
CodeClan runs software development, data analytics, and a series of short and bespoke courses via campuses in Edinburgh and Glasgow, an an online virtual offering which has evolved since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
