Delivered like a punch to the guts, the email began, “We are saddened to announce that as of today (4th August 2023) CodeClan will go into liquidation and therefore cease trading. The delivery of your course stops with immediate effect.”
I had just finished week twelve of CodeClan’s sixteen week Professional Software Development bootcamp. We were learning Java, having already studied Python and Javascript. I had produced two apps - an inventory for a guitar shop, and a movie database (a group project). Twelve weeks ago, I knew nothing about coding.
That’s what CodeClan was known for. Promoted as a fast track into the tech industry, for career-changers. Expensive to do, but worth the money, with more or less guaranteed employment at the end. CodeClan even helped you get a job by acting as an employment agency.
I had wanted to change my career- I’ve been composing music for television for the past ten years and it was time for a change. Before that, I was a member of the band Belle and Sebastian. I did a lot of research before choosing CodeClan. I spoke to people who had studied there and were now happily employed in tech. I spoke to friends who work and hire in the tech industry. Everyone told me the same thing: CodeClan is great, they teach you what you need to know and you’ll get a job at the end.
Read More: Codeclan: Scottish Government-backed firm into liquidation
This was an institution, I read, which was set up eight years ago with government backing and was well-respected. Why then did it go into liquidation last Friday, with no warning?
Our class, ‘Glasgow 37’, are some of the luckier ones. We had four weeks of teaching left. G38 had only done two weeks, and I hear that another cohort was due to start this week. Seven cohorts in all have had their tuition interrupted. Many students paid their course fees upfront. Nobody knows whether any of the fees will be paid back.
This afternoon I met with my fellow students. We all felt shocked initially, but today are feeling more optimistic. Some of our tutors are looking for a space for us to continue our learning and are even volunteering to teach us the rest of the course, unpaid. This doesn’t surprise me; they have shown so much dedication to teaching throughout this course. As my fellow student Iain McCall puts it, “the tutors take the time to make sure everyone understands some really quite difficult material and invest a lot of their own energy in doing that”.
Another G37 student, Paul Dimitris Kyriou, says, “CodeClan gives people who want to get into the tech industry a skillset that is almost instantly useable”. Paul’s friend, who works for a tech company and has hired a lot of developers, agrees: “Generally we find CodeClan graduates more focussed on the actual software development aspect, rather than theoretical computer science, which provides a better fit for joining the world of work. Seeing CodeClan go is a big loss to the tech industry in Scotland.”
I loved my time at CodeClan. My fellow students and tutors are a lovely and interesting bunch, diverse and engaged. This has been the most intensive learning I have ever done.
The staff at CodeClan believed in what they did. As lead programming instructor/manager Jennifer Ramsay explains, “Beyond being a bootcamp, CodeClan was a source of inspiration for ambitious career changers and a place where dedicated staff made every moment enjoyable. We’ll truly miss the unique and wonderful culture we had.”
I hope support can be found for all those affected by this situation. Despite everything, I am optimistic and excited about entering a new industry.
While questions still remain as to why CodeClan folded, it seems obvious to me that a replacement bootcamp is now needed to keep Scotland’s tech industry thriving and competitive.
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