Digital skills academy expands to the Highlands

Fifteen students will get the opportunity to learn to code software in an intensive 12-week course when CodeClan Highland Academy commences in spring 2019.

CodeClan Highland Academy is a new initiative which provides industry-led training for a new generation of software and web developers. It will help attract and retain young people in the Highlands, create high-value jobs and ensure businesses have access to skilled people to help innovate and improve their competitiveness.

CodeClan already successfully works across the Central Belt and will deliver its Highland Academy offering the Professional Software Development (Level 8) course, an internationally recognised qualification.

It will be managed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) as part of the Northern Innovation Hub on behalf of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal Partnership.

The Hub is a set of carefully targeted projects to strengthen innovation and increase competitiveness among businesses across The Highland Council region.

It was awarded £11 million by the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, along with £3 million from the European Regional Development Fund and £2 million from HIE.

Senior project manager at HIE, Felix Spittal said: “Coding skills are increasingly in demand and employers are struggling to recruit suitably qualified people so it’s fantastic to have a provider with the experience of CodeClan deliver such an important project in the Highlands. Their track record in the central belt is remarkable, so we’re really looking forward to seeing them make a similar impact in the Highlands.”

Melinda Matthews-Clarkson, CEO at Codeclan added: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the delivery organisation for this HIE initiative. CodeClan has seen success in central Scotland and it is time to engage with other parts of Scotland.

“Inverness will be our next location and we are proud to be part of the initiative. We are also launching our new Partner Programme to better service the needs of the tech industry, helping address the digital skills gap across Scotland. 

“We will bring a highly successful delivery model to the Highlands, which will be given a local twist to ensure the course meets the requirements of businesses in the area. We hope to develop strong relationships with local businesses, collaborating with them in the development of the course as well as helping them to build relationships with students to aid recruitment.”