This year has seen more than a sixfold increase in learners on the Institute of Coding’s (IoC) university-backed courses, the digital skills consortium announced this week.
Back in January, five thousand people were signed up to 35 IoC-created courses; today, the figure stands at 32,000 learners enrolled on more than 100 courses.
The IoC was formally launched in June 2018 as a partnership between 35 universities and over 100 employers, with the collaboration intended to ensure that learners were acquiring the skills required by industry.
“Fortunately, the IoC is proving its success at a time when the nation needs it most,” said Sheila Flavell, chief operating officer at FDM Group and chair of the Institute of Coding’s industry advisory board.
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“The digital skills gap is growing faster than ever, and the job market is evolving rapidly,” she added. “Without government, education or industry intervention, we are at huge risk of falling behind in terms of technology and our economy, and leaving thousands of young people without the skills to lead the future of our businesses and industries.”
Growth in 2019 has included a suite of 10 courses developed at Newcastle University, in partnership with the NHS, as well as short online courses from Coventry University, such as an introduction to cryptography and the basics of network security, which can be studied independently or used as building blocks towards an MSc in Cyber Security.
In the coming year, meanwhile, the University of Leeds will launch a collection of online courses in partnership with the social learning platform, FutureLearn.
To view the full course catalogue, please visit instituteofcoding.org/courses/search/.