Audacia is happy to announce the successful completion of another Academy Programme.
Now in its fourth year, the Academy is a 3-4 month long intensive training programme with options for Full-stack Development, QA, and Front End. It covers everything from the fundamentals of software development and testing right through to a simulated software development project that is completed at the end of the programme.
The roles are full-time permanent job contracts, with a career in tech guaranteed beyond the end of the programme. Academy members have a career with Audacia for as long as they wish, and will have the opportunity to move into different roles that fit their skills and interests.
Audacia’s Head of Engineering, Richard Brown said about the Academy:
“The Academy exists to provide an opportunity for anyone, irrespective of academic, cultural or socio-economic background to get into technology. This year’s cohort, alone, are made up of people who have graduated with non-STEM degrees and who are changing careers paths. The diverse range of backgrounds and skills that each candidate brings to the Academy helps us deliver the best possible service to our clients and makes Audacia a great place to work”
This programme is one reason that Audacia has been recognised as a software development company who are investing in the next generation.
“Participating in the Audacia Academy has been a really rewarding experience. The programme creates a strong foundation for the projects that we will move onto afterwards. I felt really supported during the Academy programme and Audacia has a very welcoming culture; everyone is happy to answer your questions and listen to your ideas”. - Rai Osbourne, Academy QA
Since starting in August, members of this year’s Audacia Academy Programme have been learning all the skills required for a successful career in software development and testing. Academy members have been learning a range of technical skills, including coding in C# and non-functional requirements, plus non-technical skills such as Agile delivery practices.
The training consists of both seminar-led and hands-on development sessions, delivered by senior team members who are specialised in each area.
Speaking about the Academy, Programme Lead and Senior Audacia Developer, Rhys Smith said: “Everyone on this year’s Academy cohort have been very engaged and committed to learning. It's been a great experience teaching and mentoring our biggest intake yet. I'm really proud of all the progress everyone has made; it’s been great to see how much everyone has grown into their role over the past few months and how well they worked together in the final project.”
Each Academy member is also assigned a mentor who can help with their personal and professional development throughout the programme. Regular meetings with Academy mentors provide support and guidance at every stage of the programme.
“I really liked the Academy due to how much support you received throughout. Every week I had a catch up with my mentor and the Academy manager, which gave me a valuable opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback. If you were ever stuck on a problem someone was always there to help”. - Sam Markey, Academy Front End Developer.
The final project consolidates all of the skills covered in the programme, with the aim being to simulate the cycle of a real software development project. The project draws together both technical and commercial concepts that Academy members have been learning, such as code review guidelines, agile delivery practices and non-functional software testing. Using their knowledge of these subjects, they worked to deliver functional software within budget and time.
Academy member, Faezan Ali said this about the final Academy project: “The simulated project was really helpful in consolidating the knowledge learnt throughout the Academy. It introduces you to scenarios that are very applicable when it comes to delivering a software development project.”
With the Academy now reaching its completion, this year’s Academy cohort will now transition onto internal and external projects, with continual support in the form of appraisals and career manager meetings with an Audacia employee outside of their project team.
Applications to our 2023 Academy programme will be open soon. In the meantime, we would like to encourage those interested in enrolling in the Academy to express their interest via the openings on the careers site.
Audacia is a digital transformation & software development company based in the UK and headquartered in Leeds. To find out more about life at Audacia, go to our careers page.
