Tech had always been “pretty adjacent” to Seb Lamberts when he was growing up. He enjoyed video games and playing music, first as a jazz musician and later as a techno DJ. He tried a specialist computer science degree at a European university but the subject matter felt like the deep end of what he wanted to do and seemed to have little hands-on experience.
He left university and spent time working in hospitality and deejaying before having another go at academia, studying sociology to pursue his political interest, when a family member suggested he look at EyUp, the Yorkshire tech skills academy. Seb attended an open day last November, met the trainer and other prospective students and decided to apply straight away.
Seb said: “It looked like a great opportunity to re-skill quickly while being in an environment where we were actively surrounded by members of the industry. EyUp isn’t cheap but the course is condensed into 9-5 days over 16 weeks unlike a university degree, which is more expensive, taught in much larger classes and spread over three years.
“The programme is exceptional and even though we covered a huge amount of content in quite a short period of time I never felt like it was beyond our grasp due to the amazing manner in which it was delivered and the extensive one-to-one teaching time. If anyone is considering applying for EyUp, I would say just do it!”
The EyUp course revolves around learning weeks and project weeks. Students learn how to code
and practice how to solve problems and then tackle projects as part of a scrum team. The team
goes through the industry process of requirements, estimation, doing the work, tracking burn-down charts, doing code reviews and tests and then demoing the customer product.
Seb, who is aged 26, graduated as part of the second cohort in June and immediately secured a job as a junior software developer at WANdisco, the Sheffield and Silicon Valley-based data software company WANdisco plc.
He said: “My parents think it’s amazing and are proud of the rapid transition to what I’m doing now and getting a really good job. Now I’m focusing on continuing to improve as a developer. The tech industry is fun and runs parallel to so many other fields that no matter where my interests may lead me in the future I will be able to find something relevant within the industry.”
EyUp is recruiting for the September cohort and provides a bursary scheme for people from disadvantaged backgrounds or who are under-represented in the tech sector. EyUp offers a money-back pledge for any graduates who complete the course and fail to land a tech job within six months. Every graduate from the first cohort has found a tech job and 80 per cent of the second cohort secured tech jobs in Sheffield on graduation in June.
David Richards, founder of EyUp and CEO and chairman of WANdisco plc, said: “Our tech skills academy offers a quick and affordable way for people to launch exciting new careers in the tech sector. EyUp graduates come from backgrounds including the Metropolitan Police, the Royal Navy, the construction industry, charity fundraising, bartending and now a techno DJ. It is fantastic to see how Seb has benefited from our award-winning approach.”
