WE TEACH TECH,WE CHANGE LIVES

In 2016, our founder, Michael Taylor, read 4000 DAYS, the story of entrepreneur DUANE JACKSON‘s journey from prison to business success, a journey made possible through software development. Inspired by Duane’s story, Michael looked to the US, where THE LAST MILE, a charity delivering computer programming training in America’s prisons, were already operating in a number of establishments. Michael was no stranger to delivering coding training, having setup CODER DOJO STOCKHOLM, a free coding club for the city’s children, and had seen first hand the enthusiasm computer programming inspires. Taking this inspiration, Michael founded CODE4000; his ambition was simple: to reduce reoffending through teaching UK prisoners how to code and preparing them for employment in the tech-sector.

THE UK HAS A REOFFENDING PROBLEM

46%

46% of offenders in the UK REOFFEND WITHIN A YEAR of their release from prison; for those sentenced to one year or less, that figure rises to 60%

40%

ONLY 40% of those leaving prison do so with a suitable work, training, or education opportunity in place, ONLY 17% find employment

THE FINANCIAL COST OF CRIME IS HUGE

crime in the UK costs BILLIONS of pounds

£59,000,000,000

every year in the United Kingdom, £59 BILLION is spent on the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of crime; putting that amount in perspective, it is:

50%

HALF of the annual budget for the National Health Service

150%

150% of the annual budget for education

£37,000

it costs £37,000 every year just to house a prisoner in a UK jail

THE UK HAS A TECH SKILLS SHORTAGE

50%

50% of employers find candidates LACK THE TECHNICAL SKILLS NECESSARY for technology roles

70%

70% of employers anticipate a RECRUITMENT CRISIS, of whom 24% believe will GREATLY IMPACT their business

1 in 3

1 in 3 employers say that their most sought after skill is SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

CODE4000 HAVE THE SOLUTION!

we teach COMPUTER PROGRAMMING in prisons and support our students into employment within the TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

0%

NONE of our graduates have reoffended or been returned to custody at the time of writing

WE ARE BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP

40% of those graduates found employment upon leaving prison

100%

of that employment, 100% was in SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT; every single CODE4000 graduate who moved into employment upon release is now working in the TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

our BESPOKE curriculum is designed to take an aspiring coder from novice to full-stack developer; it is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it is teaching the skills that employers need

CODE4000 are teaching the skills that tech employers need while supporting ex-prisoners into lives free of crime, it’s a WIN-WIN solution!

MORE THAN JUST SKILLS

Coding is an absorbing discipline, requiring problem-solving skills, imagination, and determination. After a few months observing the students in our academies, it became clear that learning to code TRANSFORMS LIVES, that the impact of the programme on the CONFIDENCE and SELF ESTEEM of our students could not be understated. For our students, coding was more than just learning a new skill, it was developing a hobby that they could throw themselves into. The PRIDE our students show in learning new skills, or in solving a tricky coding problem is evident to anyone who visits our academies. Our guys love to talk coding and are almost EVANGELICAL about their love for the subject!

WHERE WE OPERATE

In 2017 the first CODE4000 academy was opened at HMP HUMBER, and the first cohort of students joined the programme. Studying a BESPOKE CURRICULUM that guided them through the journey from novice to full-stack developer, the students were among the first to receive computer programming training in a UK prison.

Next, in 2018, came our academy at HMP HOLME HOUSE. With this expansion came further curriculum development, and a considerable interest from INDUSTRY VOLUNTEERS keen to share their experience of the software development industry with our students. The first CODE4000 graduates began to leave prison into work in the technology industry.

With the first phase of the CODE4000 project coming to an end, we believe we have demonstrated an EFFECTIVE MODEL for the training and resettlement of offenders. Our work helps bridge the UK’S TECH SKILLS GAP, and our ongoing graduate support helps our students find their feet upon release. We believe there is only one direction for us; to setup in more prisons and bring our unique brand of changing lives to more of the UK’s prison population.

By the end of 2020, we have built our first academy in the south of England, at HMP WANDSWORTH. The opening of the brand new classroom had to be delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic and it has seen its first students on July 2021.

With more academies in the pipeline for 2022, as well as work ongoing to harness the recent roll-out of in-cell technology, we are hoping to bring our award-winning programme to yet more prisons and their residents.

Our curriculum continues to expand, as does the offer of support we make to every CODE4000 student. More and more employers are beginning to realise the numerous and broad reaching advantages of employing ex-offenders and are reaching out to us to offer employment and training opportunities. Our ongoing mission to CHANGE LIVES THROUGH TEACHING TECH is gathering momentum!

Code4000 volunteers working with learners at HMP Holme House

ABOUT OUR DATA
The data referred to above is compiled from a number of sources, including Code4000’s own records. Those sources are as follows:
Re-offending rates | that 46% of those leaving prison reoffend, rising to 60% of those sentenced to one year or less | FULLFACT.ORG
Rates of education, training, and employment | only 40% of those leaving prison do so with an ETE opportunity in place; only 17% find employment | UNLOCKING POTENTIAL [PG. iii] and UK GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT STRATEGY respectively
UK tech-skills shortage | 50% of employers find candidates lack tech-skills; 70% fear a recruitment crisis; 35% say software development is their most sought after skill | ROBERTWALTERS.CO.UK
Code4000 graduate outcomes | 0% recidivism rate; 85% supported into positive activity; 100% of those in employment are employed within the tech-sector; 18 graduates in the community | CODE4000’S OWN DATA
The cost of crime to the UK | £59,000,000,000 is spent in the UK on the anticipation of, consequences of, and response to crime | THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COSTS OF CRIME
NHS and education budget comparisons | NHS budget of £129bn; schools spending of £39bn | FULLFACT.ORG and also FULLFACT.ORG respectively
The cost of prison | the annual cost of £37,000to house a UK prisoner in jail | derived from COSTS PER PRISON PLACE AND PRISONER BY INDIVIDUAL PRISON 2018 TO 2019
Code4000’s impact on crime spending | calculated at £40,000 per annum, per graduate; based on £37,000 for prison costs and £3,000 peripheral costs of potential crimes | CODE4000’S OWN CALCULATIONS

Code4000 CIC