Northcoders reports upturn in demand for its DevAccelerator apprenticeship programme over the past three months

Northcoders – the Leeds based coding school – has seen a sharp upturn in the last three-months of firms across the region accessing its DevAccelerator programme. DevAccelerator is designed to fast-track individuals with a foundation development skill set so that they have the attributes of those in professional level roles within 12-months and, most importantly, it can be paid for using the Apprenticeship Levy.

Northcoders designed the programme to combine the best bits of the Apprenticeship Framework with its DevLabs course in order to create a better way of using the Apprenticeship Levy pot. If employers don’t have a levy, they can share the cost with the government. This is called ‘co-investment’ and means the company pays 5% and the government will pay the rest.

Northcoders has cited a number of key reasons for the surge in demand, including firms wanting to  accelerate the development of new hires and upskill current employees in order to make them as technically proficient in web development as possible to aid their growth post-Covid-19.

Josh Gray – Head of Partnerships at Northcoders – said: “The last few months has been a challenging period for many businesses. However, it has also been a time of reflection which has made organisations take a step back and assess what skills they need in-house to ensure they come out of the pandemic in as strong a position as possible. DevAccelerator gives firms the opportunity to tailor training specifically to the needs of their organisation and culture whilst maximising financial support via the Apprenticeship Levy.

Josh added: “A lot of businesses don’t understand what apprenticeship funding is available via the Levy, whether they pay into it or not, so they are missing out on the chance to grow their in-house capabilities. Accessing this funding, and using it in the right way, could be a game-changer as it can deliver structured training that provides the progression and roadmap to attract and retain the best and brightest junior developers whilst freeing up senior developers’ time from training and mentoring. It also doesn’t impact on their balance sheet which is a key consideration in the current climate, whilst furloughed staff can still take part in training at no additional cost to them or the business.”