Programmes

Want to get back to your career in tech but not sure which route to take? Our tailored support and free return to tech programme is designed to refresh your technical skills, rebuild your confidence and reignite your career. We do this through partnerships with inclusive businesses which help us connect talented individuals like you with progressive companies to create richly diverse workplaces.

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Our tech coach James talking us through a section of code built on our return to tech programme

"The Tech Returners programme let me know that I still have a chance. It gave me a safe place to grow personally and technically and restore my confidence in myself and my abilities."

How it works

a selection of returner who have completed our return to tech programme chatting to businesses at our 'hire fair' event.

Taken a break from coding?

Life doesn’t happen in a straight line and nor do careers. Our award-winning Tech Returners programme is free and available to anyone that has worked as a software engineer or developer, taken a career break (for any reason!) and is now ready to return to technology.

Together we transform your potential.

Apply for the programme

We run programmes every seven weeks, focusing on Fundamentals, Frontend and/or Backend technologies. All our teaching is delivered remotely and includes additional one to one support from coaches. Importantly, through our return to tech programme, we refresh more than just your technical capabilities by providing career and mindset support throughout.

Reignite your career

We understand that getting a job is important. We partner with progressive businesses that value your expertise and actively want to hire diverse, skilled talent. Upon completion of the programme we have several methods to support you to find a job and embark on the next part of your career journey.

JavaScript and TypeScript programme

If JavaScript and TypeScript is your thing and you want to refresh your software skills and rebuild your confidence, try our free re-skilling programme in JavaScript and TypeScript, funded by the Department for Education. Upon completion of the programme, you’ll be supported by our team to find an new exciting software role.

Learn more

%

increase in confidence post-programme

+

women embarked on a confident digital leadership so far in 2023!

%

of Tech Returners are women!

Are you a business looking to hire diverse talent?

For Businesses

FAQs

Which coding languages do your programmes focus on?

Tech Returners run programmes which refresh your skills in any of the following languages: Java, C#.net, TypeScript, JavaScript, Scala and Platform Engineering (Cloud Engineering/DevOps) with AWS, Azure or GCP. However, if you’re interested in a different type of language, please let us know by getting in touch.

How long is the programme from start to finish?

Our Department for Education funded programmes run for 13 weeks.

Our corporate funded programmes last between 8 to 12 weeks dependent on tech stack and hiring needs.

My career break was short/long - what's the minimum/maximum requirement to be accepted onto the programme?

We know that life happens differently for everyone. We have had previous Returners who took a 6 month career break and Returners with more than 10 years away from the industry. So, rest assured we know people will come in at different levels of ability and different levels of confidence. We believe that if committed, both are more than capable of completing the programme! We only have a minimum career break length of 6 months to ensure that you are part of the ‘Returner’ demographic.

Can I still apply for external roles whilst on the programme?

During our programmes we encourage you to dedicate as much of your time and energy to the experience as is possible. However, we recognise that everyone has responsibilities and bills to pay. That is why non-tech related roles, either part-time or arranged around the programme, which still allow for your attendance to the programme are acceptable. During the programme we do not agree for you to actively seek or interview for other tech-related roles as the course requires commitment and we have limited places available.

What if I need to take leave during the programme or an unexpected event prevents me from completing it?

Everyone has unique circumstances and sometimes life happens in the most unexpected way. We always encourage our Returners to be open and honest with our team so that if you require a leave of absence or something unpredictable occurs, we are able to offer you the best support possible. We also recommend making your team aware of any pre-booked holidays before starting the programme. Everyone at Tech Returners always does their best to consider the individual while making decisions and may be able to take an alternative approach if required.

Do I get paid to take part in the Tech Returners programme?

You do not get paid to participate in our programmes, nor are you required to fund any part of the course either.

Do we get school holidays off from the programme for parental responsibilities?

Tech Returners is an inclusive company, with parents making up many members of our team. We try to be as supportive of parental responsibilities and run our sessions between 10am – 3pm to allow time for school drop-off and pick-ups. We also build non-teaching weeks into our programmes which are based around school breaks and holidays.

A photo collage of some of the amazing returners that have completed our return to tech programme

Hear from Returners

Our Returners are a diverse and inspiring group of people with different backgrounds and stories. Learn about their experiences of the programme and why they decided to return to tech. Plus, find out where they are now in their technology career!

Success Stories