DC Thomson partners with digital skills academy CodeClan to attract talent

By Maria Gran

May 19 2022, 2:13pm

Skyscanner vice president of engineering Andrew Phillips, CodeClan chief executive Melinda Matthews and DC Thomson talent acquisition manager Robin Chambers.

Dundee-based media group DC Thomson is partnering with digital skills academy CodeClan to scale up and strengthen its graduate pipeline.

In addition to the media organisation, CodeClan has also added Skyscanner and Sainsbury’s Bank as industry partners.

The firm already works with more than 320 businesses across Scotland and has to date supported more than 2,000 people in gaining digital skills.

CodeClan chief executive Melinda Matthews says the new partners offer even more quality to the digital skills academy’s offering seven years on from launching in 2015.

“Skyscanner, Sainsbury’s Bank and DC Thomson are organisations with digital in their DNA, employing thousands of people across UK and international offices between them,” she said.

“This is great news for our graduates, as each business knows how to attract and foster tech talent, which is crucial to the future success of Scotland’s digital economy.”

Large digital transformation for DC Thomson

CodeClan aims to bridge the digital skills gap and develop a new generation of digital professionals in Scotland.

It runs software development, data analytics, and a series of short and bespoke courses via campuses in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Andrew Phillips, Melinda Matthews and Robin Chambers in CodeClan’s offices.

There is also an online offering developed over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

DC Thomson publishes newspapers and magazines. It has also diversified into new media, digital technology, retail and television interests.

The family-firm owns newspapers The Courier and Evening Telegraph in Dundee.

Chief information officer Lee Wilkinson said getting access to “amazing candidates” will help the company realise its ambitious growth plans.

He said: “We’re bringing about the largest digital transformation in DC Thomson’s history and have created a true engineering and product-focused centre of excellence to accelerate change and support our diverse range of brands and communities.

“The partnership with CodeClan is part of our new Pathways recruitment strategy and we’ve already been hugely impressed with the students and graduates that we’ve met.”