Digital skills academy Codeclan prepares to increase its intake of students

John Swinney has praised the quality of training at the Edinburgh-based centre, writes Chris Mccall

John Swinney has hailed the impact of Codeclan in supplying new talent to support the country’s growing tech sector.

The deputy first minister praised the Edinburgh-based digital skills academy as it marked its second anniversary.

A total of 200 Codeclan graduates have now secured technology related jobs on completion of their courses and, to meet demand, the academy has unveiled plans to double its course numbers in Glasgow in the year ahead.

Mr Swinney said: “Digital skills are playing an increasingly important role in almost all business sectors. Being able to provide a technologically savvy workforce will be crucial for Scotland in the years ahead and Codeclan is playing an influential role in helping us to achieve this.

“The number of organisations returning to recruit skilled employees highlights the success of Codeclan and I welcome its plans for expansion.

“There is a well-publicised skills gap in the global tech sector and initiatives such as this are key to helping Scotland build the skills capacity to meet that demand.”

Codeclan is viewed by the Scottish Government as a key part of its national digital strategy, which aims to create the conditions in which tech firm can thrive. It is working with industry in a bid to have 150,000 workers in Scotland working in digital technology roles over the next five years.

Codeclan plans to double its intake in Glasgow in 2018 from three cohorts to six, with a further nine starting in Edinburgh – this will produce 200 “job ready individuals” in Edinburgh and 120 in Glasgow during 2018.

“Codeclan’s success shows how SDS and partners can work with industry to react quickly to meet the skills needs of employers,” said chairman of Skills Development Scotland John Mcclelland.

“Its success has been in equipping people with the digital skills they need and that businesses want in a crucial area of Scotland’s economy.”

Codeclan opened in Edinburgh in 2015 to offer a solution to the digital skills gap in Scotland by producing a flow of job-ready developers via its intensive and immersive 16-week software development course.

0 John Swinney praised Codeclan