Learning code to prepare for work
A pool of work-ready jobseekers with new skills learned at an IT bootcamp are ready to help fill London’s chronic digital talent shortage.
Thirty participants who took part in the four-week online training programme acquired the knowledge that will equip them for a wide range of IT roles.
The jobseekers were identified for the course by Ingeus, which provides enhanced employment support to people on out-of-work benefits through the Government’s Restart Scheme across Central and West London.
It funded the bootcamp, which focused on the computer coding language Python but also gave participants other skills that would benefit London businesses currently desperate to fill 29,000 IT jobs.
The scheme was launched with CodeVerse, which specialises in running technology courses for under-represented groups including those from low socio-economic backgrounds and people with neurodiverse conditions.
CodeVerse head of training Gautham Pai, said: “The learners came away from the bootcamp not just knowing more about computer programming but also how to use their new knowledge to learn other skills.
“The kind of IT roles these people can take up is diverse and I would urge employers not to be fixated on specific technology skills. Instead they should look for people who are hungry to learn and have already demonstrated the effort to take on board the knowledge a job requires.
“The percentage of learners achieving a higher level of skills was double what we would normally see.”
Ingeus’s head of employer services in London Jonty Rooke said: “This is a more advanced level of vocational training than normally offered under the Restart Scheme.
“It demonstrates our commitment to working with businesses to provide the skills they need.
“The high number of learners completing the bootcamp is proof of the effectiveness of our screening programme, the engaging nature of the CodeVerse training and the quality of the candidates.”
Picture: Joel Fogden, managing director at CodeVerse (left) and Jonty Rooke, head of employer services – London at Ingeus awarding certificates to graduates of the first software engineering fundamentals bootcamp. Picture: Zeddy Productions