Software Dev Course

17 weeks (Part-time)

A free course designed to give you the programming and employability skills you need to get a job as a software developer.

Software Dev Course

8 months* (Part-time)

A free course designed to give you the programming and employability skills you need to get a full-time job as a developer.

Why take the Software Development Course?

Flexible schedule. Classes one day over the weekend and 16-25 hours of flexible course work during the week - so you can fit the course around your life.

Expert-led training. The course content is created and delivered by tech professionals - so you learn the latest technology and employability skills for the local job market.

Personal support. Face-to-face coaching and mentoring during the week to build your confidence in coding and other employability skills.

Financial support. There is no cost for this course. And if you live within approx. 90mins of a CodeYourFuture city, we can provide a laptop if needed, pay for internet costs and for childcare. We can pay for transport to class, too.

Support to get a job. We have a wide network of hiring companies. We will support you during your job search and prepare you for interviews.

What you will learn on the Software Development Course?

Key employability skills

Many employers believe interpersonal skills like teamwork and communication are as important in the workplace as coding skills.

On the Software Development course, you will practice essential skills that any employers want;

Teamwork
Adaptability
Problem-solving
Communication
Continuous learning skills

You will build your self-confidence with these skills.

Learn the skills that make you stand out as a developer

CodeYourFuture has a completely new Software Development programme, developed together with key partners and experienced, senior developers.

View the new SDC cirriculum

What you will learn on the Software Development Course

Key employability skills

Many employers believe interpersonal skills like teamwork and communication are as important in the workplace as coding skills.

On the Software Development course, you will practice essential skills that any employers want;

Teamwork
Adaptability
Problem-solving
Communication
Continuous learning skills

You will build your self-confidence with these skills.

Core Programming

Build a core understanding of programming and computational thinking. Learn the core skills that you will build the rest of your career on.

HTML & CSS

Structure and style static web pages using the best front-end practices.

JavaScript

A powerful modern scripting language to build web applications.

Advanced tools

Learn powerful tools that are used by companies across the world.

React

Structure and style static web pages using the best front-end practices.

Node.js

The back-end development for many web applications is powered by modern and fast Node.js.

View the full tech cirriculum

You must complete the Intro to Digital (ITD) and Intro to Fundamentals and Piscene before the Software Development Course.

You can register and start ITD following the link below.

Intro to Digital Course page

Meet graduates of our Software Development Course

Davinder

Davinder was an asylum seeker. He was not able to work and faced educational barriers. With CYF, Davinder was able to continue learning. He finished the CYF programme and once he received his refugee status, he found a good job in tech.

Read Davinder's story

Anthony

Anthony dreamed of becoming a software developer but lacked the funds to pursue further studies. With CYF, he was able to make his dream a reality - he now works as a software developer.

Read Anthony's story

Colette

Colette wanted to change careers. Because of learning difficulties and other challenges, she had no secondary qualifications. After finishing the CYF Software Development Course, she transitioned from an unfulfilling job to a tech job.

Read Colette's story

Saadia

Saadia struggled to find a good job in the UK. Her qualifications from her home country did not create job opportunities. With hard work and support from the CYF community, she found a great job in tech.

Read Saadia's story

Frequently Asked Questions

If you face barriers to starting a career in tech, we recommend you just start the Intro to Digital course.

We don't have a single number representing low income for ITD and ITP.

At CodeYourFuture, we know that everyone's circumstance is unique.

We don't have a simple single number that accurately defines low income in the UK or South Africa.

We want our programmes to be inclusive and fair.

That is why we say that if you believe you face any barriers to getting into tech, you are welcome to take the Intro to Digital Course. The same applies to the Intro to Programming Course.

Why should I complete the ITD Course?

By completing the ITD course, you can significantly enhance your employment prospects. This is because the ITD Course equips you with basic programming skills (variables, loops, control flow), improves your CV and helps you deploy a website in the cloud. These are all important steps in progressing into a tech career.

If you believe you are on a low income and have completed the Intro to Digital programme, you are welcome to continue with the Intro to Programming (ITP).

Will you check eligibility at any point at CYF?

Yes. If you complete the Intro to Programming (ITP) Course and aspire to join our Software Development Programme, we will assess your eligibility during the Piscine.

CYF will check your eligibility around low-income using a bespoke method.

To progress past Intro to Programming, your income eligibility will be calculated in relation to your household income size and your dependents.

Eligibility

Are you over 18?
Do you live within 90 minutes on public transport of:
- Sheffield, UK
- Glasgow, UK
- Manchester, UK
- Birmingham, UK
- Cape Town, ZA
Or do you live within 60 minutes of London Kings Cross, UK?
Are you on a low income?
And do you want to change your life with a career in tech?

Suitability

And have you experienced one or more of the following:

Refuge/Asylum
Forced Migration
Disability
Prison
Long term unemployment
Homelessness
Single parenthood
Social care
Poverty

Then you are welcome at Code Your Future.

If you are uncertain about your eligibility, we suggest you start the course and email us at contact@codeyourfuture.io. We try to help everyone facing barriers to learning the skills they need to get a good job.

You will need a laptop or computer for the Intro to Digital course.

There are many ways you can get access to a laptop or computer. Graduates of our programme have done the following to get access to a laptop or computer.

Use a computer in a local library:

All UK public libraries have computers for public use. In England and Wales: Book internet access in your local library (This is popular, so you should book in advance.).
For Scotland: Find your local library
For Cape Town: There are 101 libraries with computers / work stations (please check if you need to book).

Use another free computer centre:

The Digital Inclusion Project in the UK is a network of online centres that are free for everyone to use.1. Consider borrowing a computer from a friend or a relative.

Buy a computer or find a non-profit that can give you a computer for free:

You can buy a computer in the UK at prices starting from around £200. You can find the specifications for a suitable laptop or computer for CodeYourFuture ITD here.
Here is a list of profit organisations that could provide a laptop in the UK, there may be others near you - search the internet or ask around.
If you know of a non-profit that provides free laptops in Cape Town - please let us know!

CodeYourFuture may offer extra financial support in the following courses (with agreement):

Intro to Programming Course after the first module
Piscine
Software Development programme

The extra financial support we offer is childcare, laptops, internet and transport*. You can apply for extra financial support once you make it into the Intro to Programming Course.

To qualify to financial support, you must

You can easily and regularly get to London on Saturdays, or
live within 90 minutes of the cities listed below:
- Sheffield, UK
- Glasgow, UK
- Manchester, UK
- Birmingham, UK
- Cape Town, ZA

*Transport costs are capped to £20 per Saturday / class day

All of our courses are in English.

The ITD Course does not have an English requirement. At the end of ITD course, you will be able to check your English to see if you can progress.

We use the CEFR system to grade English levels from the Intro to Programming course onwards.

To join Introduction to Programming, the lowest level we can work with is B1. If you continue in our course, you will be expected to have level B2.

You can read this document on how we define a good level of English for the various courses we offer.

CodeYourFuture's Intro to Programming course is a comprehensive, self-paced program designed to equip you with essential programming skills.

This course will give you a solid foundation in programming, preparing you for further learning and real-world projects.

The course is 12 weeks like, with the potential for extra tracks.

The course divided into 4 modules, each containing 3 sprints.

By the end of the course, you'll be able to:

Predict and explain program execution
Refactor code based on new requirements
Write composable functions
Turn business requirements into test cases
Design applications based on user stories
Work with datasets
Verify web application accessibility
Understand processes and file descriptors
Use GitHub effectively, including pull requests

And you'll also achieve Codewars level 5!

To see the full ITP curriculum, visit https://programming.codeyourfuture.io/

CodeYourFuture's Piscine is an intensive 22-day assessment course designed for trainees who have completed the Intro to Programming (ITP) and wish to join the Software Development Course (SDC).

By completing the Piscine, you'll gain hands-on experience in project development, teamwork, and independent coding. You'll also improve your ability to articulate technical concepts, a crucial skill in the tech industry.

Here's what you'll encounter:

During the Piscine, you'll work on three projects: two group projects and one solo project.

For each project, your tasks will be to:

Build a complete project that meets all requirements, including tests
Develop a thorough understanding of all the code in your project, as you'll need to explain it

The Piscine aims to identify candidates ready to train as professional software engineers. The program assesses your ability to:

Collaborate in a team to build working software with tests
Write simple code independently
Clearly explain your work in English

These core goals reflect the skills needed for success in the CYF Software Development Course and as a future software engineer.

This course serves as a bridge between your initial programming knowledge and the more advanced training in the Software Development Course, helping you and CodeYourFuture determine your readiness for the next step in your tech career.

To see the full Piscine curriculum: https://piscine.codeyourfuture.io/