Scots digital skills academy CodeClan seals transatlantic deal with New York's Flatiron School to deliver online learning

CodeClan, which has campuses in Edinburgh and Glasgow, has teamed up with the Flatiron School in Manhattan that says it has since 2012 trained more than 10,000 graduates in software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and UX/UI product design.

The Scottish organisation estimates that by making its curriculum available on demand, as an alternative to full-time immersive courses in software development and data science, it will be able to reskill three times the number of students learning part-time compared to on-campus by 2024/25, tripling the number again in 2025/26, and equating to getting 3,000 students a year reskilled by the end of 2026, against the current level of around 300.

Kate Cassino, head of Flatiron School, said: “We have been working hard over the past few months on a partnership with CodeClan where they will deliver drop-in live lessons, mentoring, careers coaching, wellness, and support for getting students into jobs across the UK.”

CodeClan chief executive Loral Quinn said: “The Flatiron team are at the front of the field in [its] area, and we’re excited to partner with them with a view to appealing to a more diverse range of students and making CodeClan more accessible to a bigger audience.”

Amid 40 per cent of applications for CodeClan courses coming from women looking to switch careers, she added: “These numbers indicate that even if girls and women have been discouraged from studying [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] subjects at school, college, and university, there’s still a career pathway available to them, one that’s flexible around study, work, and family commitments. The UK tech job market is predicted to grow six-fold to £30 billion by 2025, but there will only be one qualified woman for every 100 roles unless something significant changes.”

The tie-up follows the news of CodeClan offering free places on its Women in Data Science cohort starting in September after teaming up with with The Young Women's Movement and Scotland Women in Technology. The Scottish organisation, which offers 16-week software development and 14-week data courses, says its hiring partners include Skyscanner, FanDuel, Baillie Gifford, DC Thomson, BlackRock, Tesco Bank, and Sainsbury’s Bank.