Scottish digital skills academy CodeClan hails 2,000 graduates milestone

CodeClan, the Scottish digital skills academy, has produced more than 2,000 graduates and added a number of big-name organisations to its industry partner base.

The academy runs software development, data analytics and a series of bespoke courses via campuses in Edinburgh and Glasgow, in addition to an online virtual offering which has evolved since the onset of the pandemic.

It is pushing the button on two new courses - an eight-week web development essentials course that will be available on evenings and at weekends, and a new half-day course for industry executives, called Digital 101.

Unveiling the milestone of 2,000 graduates since the venture was launched in 2015, bosses said they have added a number of corporate and public sector organisations, including Skyscanner, FanDuel, Baillie Gifford, Virgin Money, Leonardo and Public Health Scotland, to CodeClan’s industry partner base.

CodeClan's Edinburgh campus. Picture: Stewart Attwood

Chief executive Melinda Matthews-Clarkson said: “Over eight weeks of part-time learning, the web development essentials course will take candidates through the tools, technology and techniques required to build and deploy a functioning web application.

“Digital 101 is for people who want to have greater involvement in all things digital in their places of work, to contribute more to the digital growth of their companies. It’s about bringing executives and managers up to speed on key digital concepts and processes, while empowering them by raising their digital confidence.

“Overall, our aim is to have a variety of leading-edge courses that cater for a range of requirements, ensuring that we’re equipping people with the kind of digital skills needed by businesses and organisations across the country. To that end, we see CodeClan as an integral piece of Scotland’s digital future.”

To date, the academy has run 54 cohorts in Edinburgh, 28 in Glasgow and three in Inverness. Candidates can choose to attend courses on campus, virtually or in a hybrid manner.

Another area CodeClan is reviewing is around reaching a younger market.

Matthews-Clarkson added: “We know that undertaking digital skills courses will lead to a more productive university or apprenticeship experience for young people in Scotland, so we would like to shape some kind of initiative in this space next year.”

Over the last 12 months, the academy has also strengthened its leadership team with a number of key appointments.

Neil Brown was hired from The Data Lab as chief operating officer and Ceri Shaw joined as chief delivery officer, from global investment heavyweight M&G. Shaw has also held roles at Sky and FreeAgent, and the University of Cambridge Masters graduate is a steering committee member of Equate Scotland and a co-founder of Women Who Code Edinburgh.

Matthews-Clarkson said: “We’ve now got a really strong team in place, we’ve moved through a challenging year or so in common with the rest of the world, and we’re now ready to push on in 2022.

“One of main areas of focus over the next year is around growing the industry partnership base, while helping organisations do an even better job of training their own staff and being part of the apprenticeship offering.”

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