The UK government has launched a new body for training prospective coders in order to address an increasing digital skills gap.
The Institute of Coding is a consortium of 25 universities and 60 private businesses. It has received £40m in funding, half of which has been supplied by the government and the other half from its private sector partners.
Students will be offered a variety of courses, from apprenticeships to degrees.
Its establishment was sparked by a survey carried out by Tech Nation, a state-sponsored networking body for tech entrepreneurs, that revealed that 50% of the UK's digital tech businesses are facing a shortage of skilled employees. The Insitute has also pledged to encourage more women to take up roles in the tech sector given that they only currently make up 17% of the industry.
“We have a clear commitment to tackling the digital skills shortfall by making it easier for students, people at work and potential learners that we have not previously reached to access higher education and improve their technical abilities," said the institute's director Dr Rachid Hourizi.
“We believe every person, whatever their background, deserves the opportunity to improve their digital skillsets through flexible learning convenient to their needs, whether that be face-to-face or online, full or part-time and as a stand-alone activity or part of an existing job."