Crowdfunder launched after Edinburgh digital skills training scheme goes into liquidation

A crowdfunder has been launched to support students training at a digital skills scheme, which went into liquidation, to complete their studies.

CodeClan – based in Edinburgh – called in administrators on Friday, making all staff redundant with immediate effect as well as bringing courses to an end for students.

The company was set up in 2015 to help fill the digital skills gap in Scotland by offering full-time training courses in coding and data analysis.

Student Stuart Ure, from Edinburgh, set up the crowdfunder to help students complete their courses.

Mr Ure told visitors to the website he gave up his job and spent his savings in order to attend a 16-week professional software development course.

The 34-year-old wrote: “I felt confident that CodeClan was the right company for me to learn with – Scotland-wide, government-backed, designed to fill a skills shortage; a good bet on all counts.

“On Thursday, the day before the news broke, we presented our first projects, and as we walked to the pub afterwards to celebrate, the air was full of excitement and promise.

“Little did we know, this would all come crashing down on us less than 24 hours later.”

Mr Ure has asked potential fundraisers to “please help” seven cohorts of students to complete their courses.

He added: “We took a risk, we put everything into our learning with the promise of a better life in the future.

“I do believe that opportunity is still there, but we do need to be able to finish the course. Please help us do this.”

As well as students no longer being able to complete their courses, CodeClan instructors have also been left without jobs.

Mr Ure said that any funds raised would go towards paying them to help students complete studies.

He said: “When CodeClan went into liquidation, the brilliant and dedicated instructors lost their jobs. We’re asking some of them to come back and help us finish our bootcamp, but we can’t ask them to do this for free.

“They have rent to pay and families to support. Help us to pay them for their time while they help to get us over the finishing line.”

A statement on CodeClan’s website read: “It is with extremely heavy hearts that we announce that CodeClan has gone into liquidation and will cease all operations as of August 4, 2023.

“Sadly, that means all our staff have been made redundant and will no longer represent CodeClan.

“Craig Morrison and Scott Milne of Quantuma Advisory Limited were appointed Joint Provisional Liquidators of the CodeClan Limited on 4 August 2023.

“CodeClan has ceased to trade with immediate effect. Creditors will be contacted in due course.”

The crowdfunder can be found here.