PLANS to create a dedicated software skills academy in Scotland have been revealed.

CodeClan, a coding school for web and mobile software development, aims to produce waves of graduates ready for work every ten weeks when it opens in September.

A joint-initiative between the Scottish Government and the tech industry, CodeClan will offer a 16-week course from its base in Edinburgh and will work with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to offer its graduates professional development awards in software development.

CodeClan aims to respond to the challenges of a lack of digital talent in Scotland by training over 1,000 students in its first three years. Rebecca Heaney from CodeClan said: “CodeClan needs people who share our passion for software and who want to learn the craft of coding so they can build and design digital products for the real world.

“Applicants don’t need any prior experience to apply to CodeClan but we do demand an intense desire to learn.”

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister said: “CodeClan will provide new opportunities for people from many walks of life to meet pressing skills shortages in this growing and vibrant digital sector.

“The Scottish Government is very pleased to support this initiative as part of our commitment to make Scotland a world class digital economy by the year 2020.”