The tie-up between Scotland’s national digital skills academy CodeClan, and recruitment specialist firm Eden Scott aims to tackle the tech skills gap in the Scottish economy by providing an additional route for CodeClan graduates seeking employment following graduation.

With CodeClan planning to scale its operations to meet growing demand from the private and public sectors, the digital skills academy believes a partnership with a specialist recruiter like Eden Scott will strengthen its offering, and the collaboration will enable CodeClan graduates and alumni to access support and expert advice from the team at Eden Scott.

Specialising in 16-week software development and 14-week data courses, CodeClan has produced 2,000 graduates from 120 immersive cohorts in software development and data from its Edinburgh and Glasgow campuses, plus remote, since launching in 2015. CodeClan has also been increasing its provision of bespoke courses for organisations across the corporate and public sectors, while offering additional courses including in low-code and no-code, one of the fastest-growing areas in software development, upskilling and reskilling more than 2,000 individuals.

Loral Quinn, CodeClan’s CEO, said: “The partnership with Eden Scott will widen the reach of employment opportunities for our students, while we can lean on the firm’s understanding and relationship-driven approach across industry.”

Michelle Lownie, CEO of Eden Scott, said: “Eden Scott is proud to work with CodeClan to help organisations find the best tech talent they need to grow.

“We know how important the right people are to a business, and with so many of Scotland’s start-ups now scaling, the demand is only growing. We also work with many public sector organisations, like the NHS, who also need access to tech talent to keep delivering vital services.”

“Overall, supporting well-trained CodeClan graduates is a perfect fit for us, and we look forward to a long-term partnership that will help Scotland’s economy stay competitive globally.”

CodeClan works with over 300 industry partners, including hiring partners like Skyscanner, FanDuel, Baillie Gifford, DC Thomson, BlackRock, Tesco Bank, and Sainsbury’s Bank. Last year, the digital skills academy launched CodeClan Youth Academy with the support of Baillie Gifford, an 8-week programme for young people aged 17 and over, designed to provide the kind of programming skills required in an industry environment.

Eden Scott is forecasting revenue towards £13 million in the year to 31st March 2023, with increased profitability in line with sales growth and customer wins. New projects over the last year include Skyscanner, Nude Finance, and StretchSense, in addition to ongoing recruitment support for clients like NHS Scotland, the University of Edinburgh, and Crown Estate Scotland.