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Since 2013, codebar has created thousands of opportunities for minority group members to pursue a career in tech. Over the span of 11 years, we have held more than 2,500 workshops and created a global community of 27,000 students and coaches.
codebar stats as of 7th of January 2025 - stats.codebar.io
In this impact report, we tell you more about the codebar community and assess how our initiatives have made careers in tech more accessible for minorities from all over the world.
Despite the challenges this year brought, we remained committed to our mission, adapting and innovating to continue supporting our community as much as possible. These efforts are reflected in the findings captured through a community-wide survey. This feedback will drive improvements in future initiatives, ensuring we can further our cause and make an even greater impact!
Diversity is still a major issue in the tech industry despite being one of the world’s fastest growing fields. Women represent 52% of the UK population, but only 20% of software engineers. This disparity is even more stark for Black people, who make up just 5% of the tech sector.
Through our initiatives, we provide education, training, and networking opportunities form members of under-represented groups in tech. We believe in the strength that diversity brings and the importance of diverse thinking in an industry where innovation is a constant.
Two thirds of our community members find us via word of mouth, meaning codebar has been able to grow organically and establish chapters across the globe...
19,358 students and 7,005 coaches in 34 chapters worldwide
We work to create a safe and inclusive space for all, regardless of ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.
As a result of our commitment to this, 75% of our community members described codebar as welcoming.
80% said the skills they have learnt at codebar have helped them find a job in the tech industry
53% felt that codebar has made a positive impact to their confidence
63% find that our community is helpful and or specialised
55% of our community are returning members
codebar's growth has been entirely organic, driven by individuals in each location deciding to make a difference. This speaks volumes about our incredible community and highlights the growing demand for change in the tech industry.Kimberley Cook, Director of codebar
The lack of diversity in tech has rightfully gained increasing attention over the years.
Many companies, including Financial Times, Contentful, Compare the Market, and Google - all of which codebar has proudly partnered with — have made commitments to fostering inclusivity and diversity within their organisations, setting clear goals to drive meaningful change.
codebar values working with partners in the industry to improve inclusion in the sector, giving our community members the chance to change the face of the tech industry.
codebar connects tech companies with a diverse, untapped talent pool full of potential
Through our industry partnerships, we’ve created thousands of career opportunities for the codebar community. 80% of our community members felt that the skills acquired through codebar would help them find a job in the tech industry, with 1/3 going on to secure a job.
In return, tech companies have gained access to a diverse talent pool of skilled individuals who bring fresh ideas, innovative thinking, and a passion for growth — while enriching teams with their unique perspectives and varied life experiences.
To facilitate change in the tech industry, and encourage long-term partnerships, codebar offers a partnership programme to businesses. Companies can donate a set amount of money in a tier-based system, which can offer them a set of rewards. For instance, as a gold partner, businesses can receive 15 job listing on our job board, a logo listed on our sponsors page, collaboration on multiple events throughout the year, and much more.
This year saw the launch of our podcast, “codebar Stories”. This podcast has brought us the opportunity to sit down with industry professionals, and partners, to showcase the different stories and voices in the tech industry.
With over 750 listens in season one, we hope to inspire others to pursue a career in the tech industry whilst also bringing awareness to codebar and our mission.
10 industry professionals’ stories showcased to inspire our audience
Impactful stories that demonstrate our influence. For instance: “Codebar holds a special place in my heart, as it helped me grow not only as a coder but also as the person I am today"
Engagement from partners such as Compare the Market and Skyscanner, as well as from our community members from various chapters
codebar has something for every community member to grow within a setting that suits them best. Over the years, our initiatives have grown from offering regular free workshops, to organising festivals, job fairs, and hosting community-run events. We run virtual and in-person events to reach as many people as possible. From this, our attendees say:
"The community is fantastic. I really enjoy hearing about people’s journeys. [There are] so many different paths people are walking on! And people are generally amazingly helpful. I love being part of codebar and going to events. I feel I belong. I feel I have my community."
"The codebar community is incredibly supportive and ensures that anyone learning programming or improving their programming skills is very welcome. If it wasn’t for te codebar community, I doubt I would still be working in tech."
It all started with our workshops. To make tech careers more accessible, we began running regular free programming workshops in October 2013. These workshops take place within numerous chapters all over the world and are led by developers who choose to volunteer as coaches with us.
Through our workshops, we have created vibrant, collaborative environments for minorities to learn HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, Python and Git. Companies partner with us to host these workshops at their space, therefore helping aspiring developers expand their industry exposure early in their careers.
Our attendees are able to learn and thrive in these workshops, with one community member stating: “Each time I would come out of a workshop feeling energised, and that would help me keep focused on my journey and not give up.”
Launched in 2021, codebar Festival is our annual five-day hybrid event that focuses on three key areas: coding, career development, and well-being. Attendees have the opportunity to participate in talks, panels, and hands-on technical workshops, as well as network with industry professionals. We have received amazing feedback from attendees, with one highlighting the networking benefits of the event: “I made a great friend with a speaker I connected with at the last codebar Festival! Our connection thereafter has helped embolden my thinking on a couple of subjects and has influenced me to steer the next steps of my career in a certain direction.”
After four successful years of running codebar Festival, we are excited to be running it again in 2025. For which we are currently looking for sponsors, please get in touch if you're interested.
Through codebar Festival we have raised £2,500 to support these charities:
uncodebar cultivates authentic spaces for genuine conversations and growth.
Now in its 10th year, uncodebar is an annual event that is 100% participant-led. It is our version of an unconference, which can be defined as a "loosely structured open space event emphasising the informal exchange of information and ideas between participants."
During uncodebar, community members propose talks, panels, workshops, and decide which topics they’d like to focus on for the day before convening in separate breakout sessions. These topics include anything related to web development, software development, game development, learning, mentoring, and community. Anyone is welcome to participate, whether you’re a seasoned developer or a first-time speaker.
uncodebar is a testament to the proactive and dedicated spirit of codebar. Everything lies in the hands of our community, and through their involvement, we grow and thrive as one. In 2024 we were so excited to bring this special event to another location: Barcelona.
50% of coaches say they volunteer to drive positive change in the industry
codebar is a genuine community and genuine people who aren't in it for anything else other than to drive change.
It's amazing to have a community that connects students and coaches. My interaction with the students has demonstrated that there are lots of technical talent out there, who comes from non-tech backgrounds and this platforms gives those students an opportunity to move into tech.
From a coaching perspective, codebar has helped me feel more confident in my skills when I help someone else solve a problem. I also love seeing how people who are new to tech are so interested and excited about its capabilities and it's very infectious!
codebar puts together learners and real developers. I initially came to codebar as a student and I was stuck in tutorial hell. Having someone IRL explain things to me made learning so much easier.
To me, codebar is a safe space to help people learn to code for the first time. It opens up networks between coaches and students which can build professional relationships outside of the codebar community to open up career opportunities.
It has made me feel like I'm not limited in my career and that I have not only the ability but the option to learn something new and to put it to good use. It is very empowering knowing that I am becoming more skilled.
codebar coaches are extremely dedicated, respectful, friendly, and experienced individuals who really encourage students and are willing to give up their time to give advice and support, which makes a massive difference to students.
I found the teaching and space to be inclusive and gentle, which is exactly what I needed to start learning.
I managed to gain confidence to complete most of my university tasks and apply for tech roles. I got help with interview readiness which has helped me land an internship with Marsh as a Cyber Security Analyst.
I found my current job through codebar Festival. I've met a wide range of incredibly knowledgeable and empathetic mentors who have helped me with all aspects of my career development. It has made me feel more like I belong in tech and that my presence is valuable there.
I have gone from being a student (having been encouraged by people at work to go), to organising my local chapter and now coding full-time for my job. codebar had a huge role in that, making me feel there was a place in the tech community for me and increasing my confidence that I could be a developer.
Before codebar, I was an Elementary School teacher. I attended out of curiosity and it led me to find a more complete course in coding and eventually I found a job in the industry.
codebar gave me an initial boost by learning python. I attended something like 10-15 workshops where I received excellent instruction from the coaches. This gave me the skills and confidence to work on my own projects, and I eventually got a job in tech about a year later.
We’ve had an amazing 11 years, and we’re excited to keep providing opportunities for minorities to break into tech in 2025. codebar has made a huge difference to the tech industry so far, placing thousands of people in tech jobs and building an inclusive and supportive community. There’s still lots more we can do to address the industry’s diversity issue and, as an organisation that puts our community first, we’ll be working closely with our members to evolve our offerings.
Offering more career opportunities will be a big focus for us in 2025. Getting the first job is always the hardest, so we will be prioritising working closely with some of our amazing partners to help kickstart our community members’ careers in the tech industry.
We will also be reviewing the feedback from our community-wide survey, intending to listen to what our community would like to see from us and how we can best support our members.
We'll be running codebar Festival again in 2025, as well as expanding the locations where our unconference (uncodebar) happens.
Our close work with our sponsors will continue, utilising their knowledge and expertise to help our community join the tech industry.
Everyone at codebar wants to say the biggest thank you to every single person who has ever attended, or volunteered, at one of our events. We would not have been able to help 19,358 students if it were not for your amazing support of everything we do. You really are the backbone of what we do!
We also want to give a big thank you to all the companies who have supported us over the last 11 years. Your support of our mission has made tech a more inclusive industry to be involved in.
We look forward to many more years of teaching people to code for free.
If you’re keen to get involved or support our mission of making tech more inclusive then please get in touch at: [email protected]
