The last decade has seen huge investment in technology and computing by the government in Britain, as well as the arrival of foreign investment.
The London and Cambridge (or "Silicon Fen") tech scenes are flourishing – now more than 15,000 businesses are said to have located in Tech City and Cambridge has become a hotspot for hardware companies. Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne are close behind.
But there is a vacuum in computing expertise. Tech companies live and die depending on the talent they can attract. The demand for web developers, coders and tech aficionados outstrips supply by a great margin.
In September 2014 new computing curriculums will be introduced that will teach children as young as five how to write computer programs and then from 11 upwards how to code, as well as providing information on internet safety and how to make use of computer data. This will help establish, in the next few decades, an unprecedented base of talent for tech companies in the UK foremost, but also around.
Below we list some of the groups and businesses that also addressing the need to boost Britain's computing expertise in the UK. This is likely to be key to unlocking the true tech potential of the UK.
Its aim is to teach a computing science course in 12 weeks. The courses are intense: students are selected based on their drive to learn how to code, at £9,600 per course. The academy seeks two types of potential coders: those who are "sick and tired" of waiting for somebody to build what they envision and are willing to do it themselves; and those who want to move out of an unhappy career and into a creative field, like coding. Maker's Academy is based in London and NY but plans to expand across the UK.
Code clubs are free extracurricular coding sessions for kids. There are now almost 1,000 clubs in the UK, with between 20 and 30 abroad – and the number is growing.
It was founded in April 2012 by Clare Sutcliffe, a designer, and Linda Sandvik, who still programs. The two planned a hack day for kids – getting them together for a day of experimenting with software. They found the children wanted to code, but didn't have the outlet to do so.
"Children really like playing with games and computers, so it's not a huge leap in logic to think they might actually want to make it." Sutcliffe said of the logic behind starting Code Club.
Their programs start by teaching basic computing concepts and then on to HTML, CSS and beyond.
It launched this year with a specific aim: to allow people to act on their creative urges. Founder Rik Lomas said: "We didn't want our students running a marathon, so that they're relieved at the end. People prefer five intense days and after that they can go off and build – people are more passionate when they work towards something."
The company teaches two types of five-day courses, at £1,500 per person: back-end and front-end web development. Steer, based in London and Manchester, claims 100% positive feedback – some of its profits support Code Club.
It began in effect in March 2009, when it hosted the National Hack the Government Day, which sought to improve the transparency of government data. It runs hack days throughout the year and the Festival of Code run by Young Rewired State for developers and designers aged under 18. Emma Mulqueeny, its founder, says that there were three reasons for Young Rewired State. "One, for the kids, who really appreciate the community. And because we need this education — there are a lot of jobs and not enough people to fill the roles. Third, it's important to understand how the web really works, so that we're in control."
Treehouse is an online coding course, whose mission is "to bring affordable technology education to people everywhere, in order to help them achieve their dreams and change the world". The courses have a massive scope: building websites, iOS and Android apps, creating a tech-based business and getting a job. Courses have stellar reviews and are affordable, at £30/month. Treehouse built Code/Racer, a colourful programming course.
Another set of online tutorials from a company that teaches coding in languages HTML, CSS, Ruby on Rails, Python and more. The company uses badges and "streaks" of activity to turn the learning experience into a computer game and claims to take "cues from Facebook and Zynga in creating an engaging education experience" to separate it from the classroom environment. So far it is extremely popular, perhaps not least because it is free.
Hosted by a group of volunteers, Coderdojos teach children and young people skills in web development and creating applications. The dojos operate in nearly 30 countries. The UK alone hosts 24 dojos. The initiative was founded by James Whelton in 2011, at the age of 18, along with an Australian entrepreneur, Bill Liao. Whelton saw the massive gap in tech education and wanted to make coding more practically relevant.
Decoded began with a question: can someone learn to code in a single day? From that concept, the idea of "decoding" the mysteries of computing jargon for technical laymen has become its main focus. Co-founder Kathryn Parsons sees people's inhibition about coding as problematic, while coding education today is a "must-have", she says. "If we break down the character of a good coder – patient, creative – these are common skills. So many people tell us 'I wish I'd found all this years ago'." Decoded's courses are largely tailored for businesses. It is based in London and New York, but hosts popups across England.
This is targeted at young children and wants to communicate that "computer science is an intensely creative field," says company president Shantanu Sinha. As such, the interface is simple: a textedit file next to a display which changes in real time as you code. The ethos of Khan Academy was to inspire people who had had no previous experience.
Launched in New York in 2011, General Assembly was attracted to London by the buzz. "We are fundamentally an education company, a gateway to opportunity, and outside the US the biggest destination for tech opportunity is London. If you spend 10 minutes in Tech City, you'll know why."
It hopes to train experts in web development, user experience (or UX) design and data science. Its courses are flexible, ranging from £30 a day to £8,000 for a longer course.