New Yorkshire tech skills academy EyUp is offering graduates the guarantee of a tech job within the six months, or their money back.
Backed by data activation platform company WANdisco plc, EyUp has partnered with leading provider iO Academy to educate people about the most desirable processes in modern software development and equip them with the tools they need to bag their first job in the industry.
Founded by technology entrepreneur David Richards MBE, the 16-week award winning coding course, based in Sheffield, has been ranked as one of the best bootcamps worldwide. EyUp offers classroom-based learning at Castle House, the open-plan office of WANdisco plc.
Whatever your education or work background, if you are interested in pursuing a career in technology I would say go for it with EyUp. It’s a great introduction to tech and you get lots of support while you are doing the course and afterwards. There is lots of interesting technology out there but finding the right company can be hard. WANdisco has the friendly culture and lovely people I was hoping for – Jess Hamby, chemistry graduate from Barnsley
EyUp is currently recruiting for its second accomplice to join in March, via www.eyup.com. There are eight places available, including two places funded by a bursary scheme for people from disadvantaged backgrounds or who are under-represented in the tech sector.
During the assessment process, applicants are evaluated on aptitude rather than experience. Fees can be paid up front or with an interest-free deferred payment arranged through EdAid.
Money-back pledge
Any graduates who complete the course and fail to land a tech job within six months are guaranteed their money back.
However, the academy has already seen success in its first cohort of seven students who graduated last December – two have already landed full-time jobs in the industry.
Jess Hamby and Jake Rooms were awarded junior developer roles at WANdisco, working on software that helps farmers to plough fields, healthcare companies to predict diseases, and astronomers to discover new explanets.
Jake, who studied maths, commented: “Initially, I was sceptical. I looked at the full-stack coding course and thought how do they get all that information into 16 weeks? I gave it a shot because I thought I could pay back the course fees once I got a job. As we got into it, I learned a lot that I couldn’t have learned myself, like frameworks and best practice.
“I enjoy maths, logic, numbers and anything in which I can manipulate data. It scratched that itch for me. What I really like about my new job is that everyone is happy to help you, which is great. I can talk to my managers easily, the company is not very hierarchical, and everyone is there to collaborate.”
David Richards MBE, founder, CEO and chairman of WANdisco plc, said: “We are thrilled with the success of our first cohort of EyUp graduates. They have a broad range of backgrounds including unemployment, bartending, construction and the police service, which proves that tech talent really is everywhere. They now have the potential to become great software developers and we are really proud of them.
“We are looking forward to recruiting our next cohort and helping more people to fulfil their potential and enjoy rewarding careers. We passionately believe skills development is key to economic regeneration and we are delighted to be playing our part, starting in South Yorkshire. In the highly unlikely event that an EyUp graduate has not received a tech job within six months of graduating, we will happily refund the cost of the course.”
Research from national tech entrepreneur’s network Tech Nation showed that digital tech roles accounted for nearly a quarter of advertised job vacancies in Sheffield during 2021 – 5,591 in a total of 24,501. According to their analysis, a software developer could expect to earn £40,000 per year and a Java developer £52,500.
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