DIGITAL skills academy CodeClan is set for “significant expansion” in Glasgow as it relocates to larger premises, and is planning to take its model to more cities.

The Edinburgh-based social enterprise has set a target of achieving 1,000 graduations from now to the end of 2020. This will be achieved in part by a move for its Glasgow hub from The Tontine to flexible co-working space Clockwise.

And the recently installed chief executive Melinda Matthews Clarkson has revealed the academy is considering expanding into other cities, as it endeavours to build closer ties with industry to eliminate specific skills shortages across the digital technologies.

There are also plans to extend its programme to include courses in data analytics, helping reskill workers whose jobs are under threat from automation.

And a focus on bringing more women through courses to “demystify” the tech industries is also part of this year’s plans at the company. In January, a Digital Women’s Group launched to drive female graduates from a quarter of the total to 40% by 2020.

The move to Clockwise gives CodeClan the opportunity to run two cohorts of 20 students simultaneously in the city and double staff numbers in Glasgow to 12.

“Glasgow’s tech scene has been on a well charted upward trajectory in recent times,” said Ms Matthews Clarkson, a native of the US who arrived at CodeClan in December following a lengthy career at IBM.

“We’re excited to be playing a part in providing the digital skills that we know can be a game-changer to the success of the region’s economy,” she said.

CodeClan is supported by the Scottish Government, ScotlandIS and Skills Development Scotland. It launched in Edinburgh in 2015 and arrived in Glasgow in 2017.

It runs a 16-week professional software development course from its Glasgow and Edinburgh hubs. Broken into three modules, the first is an introduction to computing languages; the second moves onto the more complex Javascript language where students build a program; the third is a group project. “It’s full on with homework every night and a few hours at the weekend,” said Ms Matthews Clarkson.

Students are also given classes in identifying what they want and how to prepare for that. “Our ultimate goal is to match the passion of that person to the company that needs them. I wouldn’t say we’re a match.com for tech, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Of those actively looking for jobs from the most recent graduating class, 70% secured employment within just four weeks.

Positions are spread across Scotland’s commercial and public sectors in roles such as software developers, UX (user experience) analysts and testers.

The fifth Glasgow cohort (G5) of 20 students, begin their course today at Clockwise, joining current cohort G4 to bring the number of Glasgow students to 40.

As part of ambitious plans unveiled by Ms Matthews Clarkson, the academy is also launching a refreshed alliance programme, which is a natural extension of the current partner programme.

Companies requiring employees with digital skills can work with CodeClan to ensure graduates are being trained in the aspects of the industry where there are gaps.

“At the moment the partnership is loose, companies come on down when they need someone,” says Ms Matthews Clarkson. “We want a more premium partnership where we’re talking to each other all the time, we know what projects are going on, where their strategy is going and we’re working together to make sure we’re teaching what is relevant.”

She said the new alliance programme will be structured for larger companies and start-ups. “We want to make sure the model suits all of the environments across Scotland because you need to hit them all. If there are 11,000 empty jobs, you have to break it down to what those jobs are.”

The move to Clockwise begins an expansion programme which Ms Matthew Clarkson hopes will see the academy move to other cities. “There are ambitions to move into other cities,” she said. “To grow an education facility with our culture and collaboration needs a lot of physical space and that costs a lot of money, so we want to cobrand other locations.”