£0
Free, with help for travel, lunch and childcare
Start
your
tech
career
Free technical and employability training for people who face barriers to learning tech skills. Start from zero, learn part-time with a community of tech professionals, and get support to find a job.
New to computers? Try our Basic Online Skills course
96%
of Trainees start with little or no coding experience
300+
people have started tech careers with us
At CodeYourFuture, we believe everyone should have a chance to lead a thriving life.
Many people applying to CodeYourFuture feel nervous or unsure about whether they can succeed in tech. The good news? The majority of CYF developers have landed great jobs after completing our courses.
Below are examples of the groups of people who have started tech careers after graduating CYF:
- People on low income.
- People who were unemployed for a long time or stuck in low-wage jobs.
- People who changed careers in their 40s.
- People who have never coded before.
- Women returning to the workplace.
- Refugees and asylum seekers.
And many others – we have helped 300 people start tech careers.
If you face barriers to getting the skills you need to change your future, CodeYourFuture’s free training and employment support was created for you.
Built around your life, focused on a job
28 hours a week, part-time: an 8-hour class on Saturday and 20 hours of self-study in the week.
Free, flexible and no experience needed
All courses are free and part-time. From Intro to Programming, we pay for transport, lunch and childcare on class days, help with home internet, and can lend you a laptop.
Learn skills you need to get a good job
Tech professionals write and teach the courses. You learn the technical and teamwork skills local employers look for, by building real projects.
1:1 personal support and guidance
A community of Volunteers helps you from your first day: pair programming, code review, a career mentor, CV reviews and mock interviews.
Our courses, step by step
Five courses, one after the other. Everyone starts with Intro to Digital, and finishing a course opens the next one. You cannot skip a course, but you can finish some faster. Pick a course to learn more.
Explore
Intro to Digital 20–40 hours
Online · self-pacedMeet the world of tech. Perfect for complete beginners: study online at your own pace, with optional workshops in person on Saturdays and online on Wednesday evenings.
When it runs
Intro to Digital runs in February, April, June, September and November, from the 1st to the 28th of the month, so the earlier you join, the more time you have. If you can’t complete all the steps by the 28th, you can try again when it reopens.
New to computers?
Not confident with a phone or laptop yet?
Try our free Basic Online Skills course.
You will
- Learn how to use AI responsibly to learn
- Evaluate data in spreadsheets
- Build and deploy your first websites
Next step
To join Intro to Programming, we check that you:
- are over 18
- are on a low income (under 60% of your region’s median income, after housing costs and taxes)
- live within 90 minutes by public transport of Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Sheffield or Cape Town
You also take the Duolingo English Test (free, B2 level).
Fundamentals
Intro to Programming 13 weeks
Hybrid · Saturday class 10am–5pm + 20h courseworkProgramming with JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Work in a team to deliver working software with tests. 4 modules of 3 sprints each.
Not going further? Many graduates of this course find jobs as Business Analysts, IT Support, Testers or Front-end developers.
By the end you can
- Predict and explain how a program runs
- Turn business requirements into test cases
- Design applications from user stories
- Work with datasets and check accessibility
- Use GitHub and pull requests
Support
We cover transport, lunch and childcare on class days, and you can borrow a laptop.
Assess
Checkpoint 3 weeks
Hybrid · Saturday class + courseworkIn teams and on your own, build working software with tests, and explain your work to others. It decides who joins the Software Development Course. To join, pass a coding test.
You will build
- Two group projects and one solo project
- Each one complete, with tests
- Code you understand well enough to explain
We look at
- Working in a team to build software with tests
- Writing simple code on your own
- Explaining your work clearly in English
Theory & practice
Software Development Course 12 weeks
Hybrid · Saturday class + courseworkA secure grounding in software: binary, logic, systems and problem solving, with the soft skills you need to work as a software engineer.
What employers value
- Learning on your own: you pick up new things quickly and grow fast
- Working with legacy code: you are at ease jumping into existing systems
- Weighing trade-offs: you compare options instead of looking for one best way
- Complexity: you use big-O to compare how algorithms perform as input grows
- Mentored by people who do this work every day
Skills employers want
Teamwork, communication, problem-solving, adaptability and continuous learning.
Specialist Tracks
Optional 6-week courses: demand-led specialisation towards junior and mid roles, such as Cloud, Containers, Java or SQL. See all tracks
Real product
Launch 5 weeks
Online · Saturday classes 10am–5pmIn a cross-functional Agile team, develop and deliver a real product, then show it at a public Demo Day.
You will
- Choose a product and plan it with your team
- Build it in five one-week sprints
- Demo it in public
- Get an employability review
The goal
Being ready for a job: you leave with a real product you built in a team.
Employment support
About 5 months to an entry-level role · 9–10 months to engineeringWe cannot promise a job, but around 70% of Software Development Course graduates find one in tech. We work with hiring partners and keep supporting you until you get there.
How we help
- A 1:1 career mentor
- CV, cover letter, LinkedIn and portfolio reviews
- Mock interviews
- Job search sessions with other graduates
- Introductions to hiring partners
See all courses and the full curriculum (opens in a new tab)
New to computers? Try the Basic Online Skills course
Not one of our coding courses, and you do not need it to apply. A free, short course in person for anyone who wants more confidence online first.
Before you start
Basic Online Skills
In person · 3 weeks · one session a week · freeBuild your confidence with the internet and your own phone, tablet or laptop, in a fun course of three sessions with homework.
Bring
Your own phone, tablet or laptop.
Next step
A certificate when you attend every session and finish the homework. When you feel ready, apply to Intro to Digital.
You will learn
- Week 1: icons, browsing and searching, generative AI, apps, social media and translation
- Week 2: gestures, digital documents, professional email, staying safe online, scanning and maps
- Week 3: online banking, online shopping and job websites
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Negin’s story: From Retail to Tech
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Tourist > Refugee > Developer: Natalie’s Story
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Chandré’s Story: A Winding Road To Success
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Vitalina’s story: Self-taught to Software Engineer
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Jaspreet’s Story: from Gaining Confidence to Employment
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Luan’s Story: From Warehouse to Web Developer
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Ahmed’s story: From Asylum Seeker to Software Developer
In 2020, while navigating the challenging asylum-seeking process in Scotland, Ahmed found himself in a difficult limbo, facing limited educational and work opportunities due to…
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Aspiring to achieving: Anosh’s journey with CYF
Discovering CYF and overcoming challenges. Anosh faced significant hurdles before joining CodeYourFuture (CYF), especially with immigration issues. “I felt the doors to a tech career…
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Deago’s story: A Remarkable Tech Transformation
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Saadia: chasing her dreams in a new country
Three years ago, Saadia moved to the UK with a heart full of dreams. “I had a stable job back home, so I was confident…
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Shawen’s trainee story: from struggling to success
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Ryno: from lack of job security to software developer
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Douglas’ trainee story: from manual labour to a career in tech
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Colette’s trainee story: coming back to her passion
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Student Story: Omolola
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Student Story: Mursel
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Student Story: Erick
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Student Story: Fatima
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Student Story: Deniz
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Student Story: Daniel
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Student Stories: Mona
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Student Stories: Mohammed
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Read storyQuestions before you start
The most common questions are here. The Trainee FAQ answers everything else, from Slack to laptops.
No. Intro to Digital is designed for people who have never coded. Many of our graduates who had never coded before now have great jobs in tech.
Yes, all our courses are free. From Intro to Programming, we can also pay for:
- Transport by bus or train to class
- Lunch on class days
- Childcare from a registered provider (up to 10 hours at the weekend and 15 in the week)
- Internet, if you need better broadband
These expenses don’t count as income if you claim benefits.
Yes. We are a DWP partner, and our courses are part-time, so you can keep looking for work or keep working. Let your job coach know when you reach Intro to Programming. You don’t need to be on benefits, and we welcome people with no recourse to public funds.
Yes. You can apply to Intro to Digital straight away. If you want more confidence first, try the Basic Online Skills course, three free sessions in person with the internet and your own device.
Intro to Digital opens five times a year: in February, April, June, September and November. You can join while it runs, until the 28th of the month. The other courses start when you finish the one before. See all dates for the year.
You need a computer for Intro to Digital. You can use one at a public library or a free online centre, or borrow one. When you join Intro to Programming, you can borrow a laptop from us for 12 months.
All courses are in English. Intro to Digital has no English requirement; its last step checks your level. To join Intro to Programming you need B2 level, tested with the official Duolingo English Test. We give you the test for free.
Intro to Digital is online, with optional workshops. From Intro to Programming, classes are in person on Saturdays from 10am to 5pm in one of our Regions, plus coursework in the week.
Your
first
step:
Intro
to
Digital
Free, online and at your own pace. It opens several times a year, and you can join while it runs.