Scottish digital skills academy CodeClan calls for sponsors to help foster next generation of tech talent

CodeClan, which bills itself as Scotland’s first and only not-for-profit digital skills bootcamp, is calling for businesspeople to come forward and help create and diversify the next generation of tech talent by funding course places.

The organisation, which has sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow, is seeking more sponsors on the back of it having experienced increasing demand from young people in underrepresented groups for its 2023 Youth Academy, and it plans for its free summer courses that take place this July in the two Scottish cities to host 40 participants aged 16 to 21.

CodeClan added that the cost for sponsoring a student through the Youth Academy this summer is £3,000, while individuals and organisations can cover the £10,000 per student costs for the 16-week Professional Software Developer and 14-week Professional Data Analysis programmes, with smaller contributions starting at £1,000 also possible.

Loral Quinn, boss of the digital skills academy, said: “Sponsoring a student through CodeClan Youth Academy is a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs, or businesses, to ‘pay it forward’ and help these young people towards a career in tech. Across Glasgow and Edinburgh, there is a high percentage of secondary schools in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation zones, and we really want to change the trajectory of young people by giving them an opportunity to transform their lives through jobs in tech.”

CodeClan boss Loral Quinn says: 'Sponsoring a student through [our] Youth Academy is a perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs, or businesses, to 'pay it forward'.' Picture: Stewart Attwood.

Mark Logan, Scotland's chief entrepreneur, said CodeClan’s Youth Academy model “creates genuinely life-changing opportunities for young people while simultaneously expanding the talent pool for Scotland’s tech companies… With scale participation from individuals and businesses across Scotland, the scheme could be transformational in both economic and societal terms”.