Leading coding bootcamp Makers announces partnership with Generation UK to provide coding skills and job opportunities to underrepresented talent

Leading coding bootcamp @makersacademy announces partnership with @YouEmployedUK to provide coding skills and job opportunities to underrepresented talent    

Leading software bootcamp Makers today announced a strategic partnership with youth employment non-profit organisation Generation UK. The partnership will support in diversifying the nation’s digital talent pool and narrow the rising skills gap.   

This announcement comes as the latest government statistics reveal that youth unemployment is currently surging with young people facing the prospect of a declining jobs market in the UK. The number of under-25s on Universal Credit nearly doubled during lockdown, rising by 250,000 to 538,000.   

At the same time, recent data from Tech Nation shows that Software Engineering continues to be the most in-demand profession across the country, with tens of thousands of vacancies posted even during lockdown.   

The organisations have joined forces to offer greater access to digital skills training as a pathway into these job opportunities. The programme will train young people from disadvantaged backgrounds without prior qualifications or experience to become software engineers. It will help build a diverse pool of world class software engineers and guarantee a steady supply of high-quality talent for the world’s leading hirers.    

As partners, Generation and Makers will develop a combined talent programme to provide a scalable and sustainable offering to hiring partners. The training, that usually costs £8,000, will be free to those that qualify under the scheme, ensuring wider access to a market-leading training programme. The goal is to make this available to one hundred selected learners. Learners will also be connected with Makers’ hiring partners, providing a clear pathway into life-changing career opportunities. 

After participating in Generation’s introduction-to-software-engineering programme, where learners are chosen based on their intrinsic skills, motivation, and social impact case (and not on formal academics or previous work experience), learners will then move onto complete the Makers’ bootcamp. Makers will work closely with graduates to launch their digital careers by connecting them with employers in the tech sector.   

Claudia Harris, CEO of Makers said: “Generation and Makers share the same goal, to change lives. Both organisations help people from all walks of life to train in tech and build successful careers. This partnership with Generation enhances our service offering by connecting us to a pool of exceptional talent that is hard to reach and often overlooked which we will support to become world class software engineers. Together we can bring the UK closer to narrowing the tech skills gap and achieving a more inclusive and diverse digital workforce.”   

Michael Houlihan, CEO of Generation said: “Makers is a fantastic organisation that shares our vision, values and goals. They have a proven curriculum that ensures that students graduate with the skills that are sought after by industry, while also putting diversity and social impact at the heart of its business model. Together we will help to close the technical skills gap in Britain and provide employers with a culturally diverse and highly motivated talent pool that can improve business outcomes. At this time, the youth in this country are entering the world of work in a dismal economic climate – at Generation we’re committed to doing what we can to help more people to gain vital skills and have access to the opportunities that will further their own development and benefit society and the economy at large.”