£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.
Single Parent, Multiple Jobs, One Decision: Donna’s Tech Transformation
Donna found herself juggling single parenthood with a series of minimum wage jobs—working as a librarian, barista, teaching assistant, and parcel sorter. None of these…
Read story
Moving Into Tech For A Better Life: Andriana’s Story
During her maternity leave, Andriana began exploring coding through online courses. “I wanted to find a career that gave me the opportunity to work hybrid…
Read story
Terry’s story: From Building Sites to Tech
“You Can Learn Anything” – How Terry Went from Building Sites to Tech. When Terry had his knee replacement, it was a proper wake-up call.…
Read story
Christina’s story: From self-doubt to success
Before joining CodeYourFuture (CYF), Christina worked as a graphic designer, but had always been fascinated by coding and its creative potential. “I initially saw a…
Read story
Gayle’s story: A ‘Can Do’ Attitude in a Path to Success
Before joining CodeYourFuture (CYF), Gayle found herself in a job with no room for growth or development. But she had a clear goal in mind…
Read story
Tersia’s Journey: Curiosity and Perseverance Fuel a Career Change
Tersia’s path to a career in tech is a story of perseverance and growth. “About 12 years back, I knew very little of how to…
Read story
Junita’s story: from zero coding experience to thriving IT career
Junita works in IT, but this wasn’t always the case. After the Covid-19 pandemic, she was raising her one-year-old daughter full-time, having previously worked in…
Read story
Negin’s story: From Retail to Tech
Negin’s path to tech wasn’t straightforward. As a former journalist in her home country, she arrived in the UK hoping to find rewarding work. However,…
Read story
Tourist > Refugee > Developer: Natalie’s Story
Natalie’s world imploded while she was travelling through the UK. A tourist in one moment, a refugee the next, she was caught off guard by…
Read story
Chandré’s Story: A Winding Road To Success
The path to a fulfilling career doesn’t always follow a straight line. For Chandré, it was a winding road – but one that led her…
Read story
Vitalina’s story: Self-taught to Software Engineer
Vitalina’s path to becoming a software engineer started in Poland, where she worked as an Import/Export Manager for a charcoal company. She began learning Java…
Read story
Jaspreet’s Story: from Gaining Confidence to Employment
Jaspreet wasn’t happy with her job, and when a friend who had graduated from CodeYourFuture recommended the program, she decided to take a leap of…
Read story
Luan’s Story: From Warehouse to Web Developer
Facing barriers in the UK When Luan Murilo de Oliveira e Souza moved to Manchester from Brazil, he could barely speak English. “Many times, I…
Read story
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…
Read story
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…
Read story
Deago’s story: A Remarkable Tech Transformation
Personal challenges marked Deago’s time before CYF. He recalls, “I was on state welfare… losing the will to continue – everything began to feel pointless.”…
Read story
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…
Read story
Shawen’s trainee story: from struggling to success
A goal of changing careers Shawen was at a crossroads in his life when he discovered CodeYourFuture. He had been retrenched and was struggling to…
Read story
Ryno: from lack of job security to software developer
Ryno is a perfect example of the power of CodeYourFuture (CYF), and how it can help people from all walks of life. Coming from a…
Read story
Douglas’ trainee story: from manual labour to a career in tech
Before CodeYourFuture, Douglas worked in manual labour. “A typical day involved waking up at 5am to start work at 7am”, he says. “When covid hit…
Read story
Colette’s trainee story: coming back to her passion
Colette grew up in a poverty-stricken housing development in Linwood in the 1980s. The area was rundown and desolate – “It was not a healthy…
Read story
Student Story: Omolola
CodeYourFuture (CYF) trains refugees and people who have financial, social or other challenges in coding. The program is free and helps graduates secure meaningful work…
Read story
Student Story: Mursel
Mursel is a refugee. He was a lawyer before he came to the UK. When he arrived, he had no idea what to do. He…
Read story
Student Story: Erick
Once Erick discovered that coding was behind websites and apps, he knew he wanted to be a coder. Erick discovered coding at The African Leadership…
Read story
Student Story: Davinder
Davinder was an asylum seeker. He was an engineering student before coming to the UK, and he wanted to study once again. In his own…
Read story
Student Story: Fatima
After completing a degree in Biology, Fatima struggled to find a decent job. She was unable to fund any further learning. Through her sister, she…
Read story
Student Story: Deniz
Deniz wanted to change her career, so she started searching for ways to learn how to code. When she found CodeYourFuture, the course seemed to…
Read story
Student Story: Daniel
Daniel had been out of work for nearly ten years struggling with mental health when he saw an advert for CodeYourFuture (CYF) in a local…
Read story
Student Stories: Mona
Mona, from Iran, found herself in a small town in the north of the UK where she spent five years with her husband and their…
Read story
Student Stories: Mohammed
This is Mohammed Mohammed came to the UK as a refugee from Sudan in 2015. Like others in a similar position, he tried to integrate…
Read story
Student Stories: Abdoulrazack
Meet Abdoulrazack Somalia is a country destroyed by civil war and then by the occupation of Al-shabaab. I had been working as an Interpreter in…
Read story
Student Stories: Madiha
Meet Madiha Madiha originally comes from Pakistan. She came to live in the UK about 15 years ago. After years of juggling various jobs to…
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.