Northcoders welcomes Andy Burnham to official campus launch event

Northcoders – the coding bootcamp for the North – welcomed Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham along with over 100 other supporters to the official launch party of its brand new Manchester campus at Manchester Technology Centre on Oxford Road.

Guests included companies who are Northcoders' hiring partners, previous students and friends from the Northern tech and wider business communities, including representatives from many of the region’s leading firms such as AJ Bell, Arup, Bruntwood, Foot Asylum, GMCA, Infinity Works, Think Money and Spare Room.

Whilst it was a celebration of the Northcoders’ growth, the party also focussed on talking about how more people from diverse backgrounds should be encouraged to pursue tech roles in the North and included inspirational speeches from Bruntwood SciTech’s Tom Renn, Jo Morfee – co-founder of InnovateHer - as well as from Andy Burnham.

On the night, Andy said: “I really do love Northcoders. They're an "all people" business. They have embraced the idea that our strength is our diversity. Companies in Greater Manchester have that wider conscience about being there for everyone and Northcoders really embodies that. In some ways, Northcoders corrects the failings of the system and are proof that we have got a talent pipeline into the growing digital and tech sector".

Guests enjoyed food, special ‘DevDaiquiri’ cocktails and craft brews all courtesy of Circle Square; whilst everyone also took home an exclusive eco-friendly tote bag.

The new 10,000 sq ft campus is now home to Northcoders’ 30-plus strong teaching, partnership, marketing and senior leadership teams and can accommodate 100 students at any one time. Bruntwood’s Manchester Technology Centre, which is part of Manchester Science Park, sits at the heart of the city’s Innovation District, the Oxford Road Corridor, and the Circle Square neighbourhood.

Chris Hill – CEO of Northcoders – said: “The launch party was fantastic, and it was great to celebrate with everyone who came along. The company has grown massively over the past couple of years and moving to Manchester Technology Centre is a big step for the business. However, opening up opportunities in the tech industry for as many different types of people as possible is still at the very heart of what we do. That clear focus and direction won’t change as making a real difference is what drives us every single day.”