A course run by Bath’s Mayden Academy IT bootcamp to help more women secure careers in coding and tech has been praised by the regional mayor.
The scheme is part of the West of England Combined Authority’s Women into Digital Jobs, Education and Training (WIDJET) project. 
WIDJET works with women across the region, providing digital skills and training from entry-level taster sessions through to high-level industry specified courses.
Participants can take part in a range of skills courses, training or seminars designed directly with business needs in mind, with the aim of them securing jobs in digital roles.
West of England Metro Mayor Tim Bowles spoke with some of the women who had found success from courses supported by the scheme during a visit to coincide with National Careers Week and International Women’s Week.
Mayden Academy was set up by Bath-based specialist software house Mayden to run intensive training in coding, software development and project management for potential employees, benefiting Mayden and other local businesses.
It is one of the UK’s top coding training providers with a 100% graduation rate, 100% post-course employment rate, and five-star ratings on graduate review sites.
Among the women Mayor Bowles met on his visit to the academy was Georgina from Bristol. She achieved the career change she was looking for by securing a job in tech after completing a WIDJET course with Mayden Academy.
She said: “This is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me – being able to do this course and go from not being fulfilled and worrying about my finances for the rest of my life.
“It’s not just giving you the course and giving you the skills – it is giving us the ability to be independent for the rest of our lives and actually have enough money to do more of the things that we enjoy.”
Mayor Bowles added: “It was inspiring to see how our WIDJET project has supported even more people on these courses to boost their skills and improve their career prospects – ultimately changing their lives for the better.
“One of my ambitions as regional mayor is to improve job opportunities for all our residents and make sure our region’s success is inclusive so everyone has the chance to benefit.
“I’m also working hard to ensure that businesses in the West of England have a pool of talent to recruit from, particularly in key areas such as digital and tech.”
Mayden Academy business development and marketing manager Margaret Davidson said: “The WIDJET scheme was fantastic for getting more women into coding. Every woman who finished our programming course is now in a brand new career as a developer, with great long-term prospects ahead of them.
“We’ve also noticed many more women are now applying to come and study to be a coder with us – it has really helped to show that this is a career that is not only available to women, but one in which they really thrive and excel.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about training opportunities with Mayden Academy should visit www.maydenacademy.co.uk or contact it at academy@mayden.co.uk
Mayden specialises in innovative, flexible cloud-based software for the healthcare sector and is the company behind iaptus, the market-leading psychological therapy patient management system.
The West of England Combined Authority, which includes Bath & North East Somerset Council, secured £238,000 funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) for the WIDJET project.
Other partners in the programme include Bath College, the Knowle West Media Centre in Bristol, training organisation boomsatsuma and the DOT PROJECT, which is working towards a future where people flourish through responsible technology.
