Reed Global acquires Code Nation to tackle the rising tech skills gap

Reed Global (@reedglobal)– the family run group of companies committed to improving lives through work – has acquired Code Nation, one of the UK’s fastest-growing independent digital and technical training providers.

The acquisition will complete Reed’s total tech talent solution – streamlining the process for businesses to find the technology talent they need in a competitive recruitment market.

Addressing the tech industry’s widening skills gap, the acquisition will enable Reed to offer specialised tech training. This will help to widen the talent pool available for businesses, by reskilling those with an interest in the sector, as well as offering opportunities for businesses to upskill their current employees to support talent retention and development.

It will also allow the company to drive better inclusivity in the technology sector. Reed will be able to use its recruitment expertise to source underrepresented talent, including women or those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and tap into Code Nation’s technology experts and industry knowledge to reskill such talent.

James Reed CBE, Chairman and CEO of Reed, commented: “The stark gap in digital technology skills is a known, wide-scale problem. The pace of change and fierce competition for technology and digital skills is far outstripping the workforce.

“We realised that partnering with a training provider wasn’t enough. We needed to be able to recruit and reskill new talent, or upskill existing employees, at a pace that matches market demands. Acquiring Code Nation allows us to do just that.”

The acquisition will also benefit Reed Talent Solutions – a contingent and permanent workforce solutions provider – greatly strengthening its ‘recruit, train and deploy’ solution for clients.

“In order to overcome chronic skills shortages, Reed Talent Solutions’ ‘recruit, train and deploy’ solution is designed to attract, reskill or upskill, and deploy new talent,” adds James.

“By having Code Nation’s expertise on side, we will be able to offer more bespoke solutions for training to help resolve any particular, unique pain points that businesses are experiencing and begin to narrow the persistent skills gap the technology industry is battling.”

Code Nation was founded in 2018 and quickly became one of the fastest growing and award-winning digital and technical training providers with a pioneering ethos around ‘creating employable talent’.

By combining forces, the companies aim to work with clients to make sure they are keeping abreast of current market needs, by understanding specific technology developments to ensure training curriculum matches demands. The current training programmes offered will focus on four core subjects that are strongly in demand: software engineering, data, cyber security and robotic process automation.

David Muir, Code Nation’s Founder, who will continue to be involved in the business as Managing Partner, shared his enthusiasm about the acquisition, stating: “This acquisition represents a pivotal moment for our colleagues at Code Nation, our learners, our funding partners and our employers, as well as Reed.

“We are excited to see this merging of complementary strengths and resources to create something quite unique in the market. We will be able to offer a comprehensive suite of solutions to employers struggling to fill those technical roles and for job seekers struggling to find their footing in the competitive tech space.

“By joining forces with a well-established and renowned company like Reed, with a mission of ‘improving lives through work’ we can continue to fulfil our mantra of creating work-ready, employable talent.”

James Wright, Primary Investor and Owner of Code Nation, said: “I’m proud to have been with Code Nation from the outset of its journey through the pandemic and to securing an Ofsted Grade 2 rating recently. This acquisition will see Code Nation flourish with expanded reach and conversations with employers and extended solutions for employers and learners.”

David Muir will be taking the post of Managing Partner and will be joined by Michele Smith, Managing Director of Client Services at Reed Talent Solutions, who will be taking on the additional role of Managing Director of Code Nation.