Bath-based software house Mayden has announced that the first six trainee software developers have graduated from its intensive, employer-led training programme, Mayden Academy.
The academy was established to help grow and retain developer talent within the Bath and Bristol region, which is considered to be one of the largest and most productive tech clusters outside London.
It offers aspiring software developers the chance to learn the fundamentals of software engineering, and to become certified with industry-recognised qualifications.
Academy training also addresses the gap between theory and practical experience that many new developers come up against, by providing trainees with the opportunity to work on commercial projects alongside mentors from Mayden’s software development team.
The six trainees were part of the academy’s first intake in September 2015, and their graduation celebration took place at Mayden’s head office at One Widcombe Crescent in Bath on Friday, 15th April.
The first trainees to graduate from Mayden Academy are: Charlie Coggans, Ross Eastman, Connor Jones, Marta Pleszynska, Lucia Velasco and Peter Wilkins.
Each of these individuals has subsequently been offered a position as a junior developer at Mayden, and each has accepted.
“We’re thrilled with the progress that the trainees have made as part of this new initiative,” explained Chris May, Mayden’s Managing Director, “and honoured to be able to offer them such a great start to their careers as developers.
“We have learned a great deal from our trainees this year about delivering this type of intensive training, and look forward to taking that knowledge forward with a second intake of trainees in September.”
“I’ve gained a huge amount through my training,” said academy graduate Connor Jones.
“I understand different software languages and know how to write good code. Perhaps the most important things I’ve learned though are those that can’t be taught in a classroom how a team functions, robust testing practices and agile working, which are part of life on a development team.
“Graduating from the academy, I feel prepared to start in my first role as a developer and I know that I can be an asset to the company.”
