Landmark moment as MILLIONTH learner takes Institute of Coding digital skills course

BATH, England, Aug. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Institute of Coding (IoC), led by the University of Bath, has today [16th August 2023] announced that one million learners have participated in its range of digital skills programmes.

The IoC’s latest initiative, Click Start, is a national programme which helps to close the UK’s digital skills gap, with reports suggesting 10.2 million adults lack the necessary skills for getting online. There are 870,000 job vacancies in the tech sector.
Click Start supports those who experience barriers to accessing education, while boosting diversity within the tech industry. The programme is funded by Nominet, the public benefit company that operates and protects UK internet infrastructure.
Five years after the IoC launched, the one millionth learner to take a course is Molly Smailova, a mum from the North East learning tech skills while pregnant with her third child.
Molly is taking the Click Start TechUPWomen programme at Durham University, which specifically targets young women across the North, giving them vital digital skills to kickstart a career in tech.  
Professor Rachid Hourizi MBE, Director of the Institute of Coding, said:
“Today’s milestone achievement demonstrates the success of the IoC’s hugely collaborative work across the UK, supported by educators, employers and charities, to maximise the opportunities for people from all walks of life.
“We are so proud that a million people have now taken an IoC programme, boosting their confidence and earning power. Soon everyone will know someone who has benefited from the digital skills learning and careers support we provide.”
Molly Smailova, the one millionth Institute of Coding learner, said:
“I previously worked in the recruitment industry and was always interested in tech roles but I never knew where to get the skills I needed to change my career.
“The flexible programme allowed me to complete my studies alongside caring for my two young children, with my experiences giving me the confidence boost I need to succeed in becoming a data analyst.” 
The IoC’s career-ready courses on cyber security, website development and data programming feature access to specialist careers guidance and mentoring from tech industry leaders.  
Meanwhile, the Institute’s has driven inclusion in the tech sector with hundreds of thousands of young people from low-income and marginalised backgrounds embarking on new digital careers. 47% identify as women.
Further details can be found here: https://instituteofcoding.org/
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