Nine in ten CodeClan students could not afford a place without industry support

Almost nine in ten students could not afford a place at CodeClan, Scotland’s digital skills academy, without industry partner support, research has revealed.

By partnering with CodeClan and “paying it forward”, organisations commit to backing around one-third of course fees, and this model is said to have helped the academy to place more than 2,000 students into tech roles with some 300 companies. CodeClan’s Emerging Talent Fund was launched in response to a shortage of women, individuals from the LGBTQ community and people from underrepresented ethnic groups in tech.

CodeClan chief executive Loral Quinn 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.”

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, as well as remotely, since launching in 2015. It 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. CodeClan, a not-for-profit organisation, works with more than 300 industry partners, including hiring partners such as Skyscanner, FanDuel, Baillie Gifford, BlackRock, Tesco Bank and Sainsbury’s Bank.