Leading Coding Provider Makers Launches UK’s First Government Levy- Backed Agile Apprenticeship Programme for Software Engineers

Makers, Europe’s premier software engineering training provider, has announced the launch of the UK’s first high-intensity and immersive  Level 4 software developer apprenticeship programme, which will offer the best coding training for students wishing to accelerate their careers as technology professionals.

Makers will work with employers to use their government Apprenticeship Levy to plug their tech skills gap by using the funds to pay for the apprentice’s software engineering education at Makers. Unlike most apprenticeships, the provider has borrowed from its 5 years running a software engineering bootcamp to condense the entire apprenticeship programme into only 12 months, front loading the entire training. This means that apprentices will be spending their first 4 months of the apprenticeships learning with the provider in order to become professional software engineers and to be able to create value and impact by the time they start working at the employer. Following this upfront intensive training, the apprentices will take an 8 month placement programme during which they will be building software professionally whilst accelerating their careers through Maker’s proven, industry-led, fast track learning experience.

The programme is open to everyone and to all age groups, including career changers and those from diverse social economic and ethnic backgrounds. Applicants do not need to hold a university qualification. Statistically, Makers has trained over 35% women as software engineers.

Makers has already signed up several corporations to the apprenticeship scheme, including CGI, RELX, BGL and Holiday Extras, with many more in the pipeline.

“We are thrilled to be launching the UK’s first apprenticeship software engineering programme in the format of the bootcamp we have been running for over 5 years. We feel our contribution will benefit the levy scheme, which has not yet reached its full potential,” said Evgeny Shadchnev, CEO of Makers Academy.

“Makers is raising the bar on quality in respects to apprenticeship schemes as we offer the best computer software training programme in Europe. We’ve achieved this milestone independent from any government support having trained 1,400 in the past 5 years working with  hundreds of leading UK employers. Now that we are part of the official register of training provider, we will have more employers working with us – and even more young people coming forward to train as software engineers.”

The Apprenticeship Levy stipulates that large organisations with an annual pay bill exceeding £3m must pay the levy at 0.5 per cent of those costs. This levy money is converted into digital vouchers, which can be spent on apprenticeship training courses offered by members of the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP), which includes Makers.

The levy will raise £3 billion a year in taxes for use in training apprentices– and the aim is to have three million apprentices trained by the end of 2020.

Since its inception in 2013, Makers has trained over 1400 students with zero funding from government and placed them with clients that include FT, ThoughtWorks, Tesco, Santander and British Gas.  

Makers has a solid reputation for excellence in software training and is committed to promoting diversity in the technology sector. 35% of all Maker trainees have been female – more than double the industry average.

Applicant can register their interest here.

About Makers: Makers is the premier coding provider based in Shoreditch, London, creating a new generation of tech talent who are skilled and ready for the changing world of work. Inspired by the idea of discovering and unlocking potential in people for the benefit of 21st century business and society, Makers has a successful track record for spotting and developing the talent of students from different backgrounds. Over 35% of its engineers have been women: two times higher than the industry average. In the past it has also developed its own fund to attract students from difficult backgrounds. To date, Makers Academy has turned over 1,500 people into junior software engineers and placed them with leading global brands such as Deloitte Digital, PaddyPower BetFair and Deliveroo.