CodeClan, a coding school for software developers, has been launched in Scotland.
The initiative, the first of its kind in Scotland, aims to produce a new cohort of software developers every 10 weeks. The first group should graduate in February 2016.
The course will be tailored to fit the market demands in Scotland in real-time. Students will be chosen through a selection process including a mandatory pre-qualification course, and will include STEM graduates, coding hobbyists or complete beginners.
With participation from industry bodies, including digital industries trade body ScotlandIS, aims to fill the skills gap in Scotland, with Scotland alone expected to offer up to 11,000 job opportunities a year in the digital sector and this figure set to increase by 2000 each year.
Rebecca Heaney from CodeClan explains: "Digital is part of every day life and CodeClan will fast track access into shaping that world. A CodeClan qualification will create countless career paths and give students skills they can take anywhere."
Heaney adds: "CodeClan needs people who share our passion for software and who want to learn the craft of coding so they can build and design digital products for the real world. Applicants don’t need any prior experience to apply to CodeClan but we do demand an intense desire to learn."
Polly Purvis, CEO of ScotlandIS said: "It is a phenomenally exciting time to be working in the digital technologies in Scotland with companies like Skyscanner and Fanduel taking the world by storm. CodeClan is a ‘way in’ for people who want to be part of that story."
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Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, said: "I greatly welcome today’s launch of CodeClan, the industry-led digital skills academy.
"CodeClan will provide new opportunities for people from many walks of life to meet pressing skills shortages in this growing and vibrant digital sector. The Scottish Government is very pleased to support this initiative as part of our commitment to make Scotland a world class digital economy by 2020."
