Coding fellowships aim to plug diversity gap

London-based coding school Makers Academy has announced the launch of four fellowships that will aim to promote greater diversity in UK tech.

The Makers Fellowship programme will train its participants to code for free, as well as provide them with guaranteed jobs as junior software developers upon completion. The course will take place from January 3rd to March 16th 2018 at Makers Academy in London's Tech City, with pre-course remote learning getting underway from November 20th 2017.

According to Makers Academy, the programme is open to all applicants, but special attention will be paid to those from diverse backgrounds. Prospective students are not required to hold a university degree.

“Maker’s Academy is on a mission to find tomorrow’s tech talent and we are casting a wide net in our search for the best candidates – and opening this competition to anyone who is interested in a career in tech,” said Evgeny Shadchnev, CEO of Makers Academy.

“We believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t, so we are aiming to level the playing field by sponsoring four students from different backgrounds to do the course. This initiative will not only help to close the fundamental digital skills divide that still plagues this country, but the diversity gap as well.”

Application for the Makers Fellowships are open from October 23rd to November 1st 2017, and further information on how to apply can be found here.