How can we attract a wider range of talent into our sector? This is the question that the Tech Set Go! programme in collaboration with The Developer Academy, set out to answer. Working with typically underrepresented people in the tech sector, the programme is now linking up employers with talented and diverse individuals. In this post, Liz Wallis from Sero Skills tells us more about Tech Set Go! and how you can support the project simply by setting a web development project brief.

Tech Set Go! is a programme focused on finding and training individuals who are typically underrepresented in the tech sector – women for example, and individuals who are neurodiverse but have an aptitude for tech. We also wanted to focus on areas of deprivation where links with tech sector employers are often weaker.

The core of our offer is an eight-week web development course run by The Developer Academy – a condensed and creative version of their usual coding courses. It runs on a blended learning model with two hours a week of face-to-face training with instructors, and homework on the Developer Academy platform in between.

We currently have three courses running in community centres around the city – Firth Park Library, Zest Community Centre in Upperthorpe, and the LearnforLife centre on London Road – as well as a women-only course that has just started at Kollider. A pilot course for individuals with autism has just concluded. In all we are working with nearly 50 people.

The range of people and life circumstances is truly diverse. The sessions are lively with plenty of peer-to-peer support and enthusiasm. Some people are flying through the course and we already know that there are some potential developers in the mix.

Can you set a project brief for the students?

The final part of the course involves a simulated “work experience”. We know that it’s hard for employers to offer placements to individuals who are not fully up to speed so instead we want to offer a project set by an employer. The idea is that teams work together on an employer challenge using industry tools and approaches. The employer will introduce the brief and then return at the end to see presentations of the finished products and chat with the participants. It’s a great way for employers to see these talented individuals.

If you are interested in providing a project and meeting these fantastic course participants, please contact us. We can work with you to develop the website briefs.

Even if you can’t provide a project, we are looking for employers to meet with participants and talk to them about tech sector opportunities – possibly in your own business.

Contact Liz Wallis and Ben Atha on email: enquiries@techsetgo.org.uk.