Software coding training company confirms £1.5m acquisition

Northcoders, a provider of training programmes for software coding and data engineering, has acquired Tech Returners in a cash and shares deal worth £1.5m.

The deal will complete tomorrow – 8 February – and will create a 120-person business. Northcoders has bases in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham.

Tech Returners is expected to be fully integrated into Northcoders by quarter two 2023 and will continue to operate under its existing brand.

Founders Beckie Taylor and James Heggs will join the Northcoders senior leadership team on completion of the deal.

Established in 2016 and based in Manchester, Tech Returners specialises in training and placing of mid – senior level professionals looking to re-enter the workplace after a career break in the technology sector.

The business up-skills corporate-sponsored individuals or existing corporate teams for large businesses across a number of industries. It delivers programmes focused on software engineering, confidence, and digital leadership.

Following the acquisition, Northcoders says it will not only benefit from entry into a new service area, specialising in mid – senior level re-training, but the team of 16 at Tech Returners will support the company in building a significant presence in key locations such as London.

In 2019, Taylor founded Reframe Women in Tech – the largest Women in Tech conference in the North of England – which she will continue to run and grow as part of the Northcoders Group.

Heggs will continue to run the DevOps Manchester meetup. He has also been instrumental in helping to set up the new Northcoders DevOps course which is launching in March.

Chris Hill, CEO of Northcoders, said: “Northcoders and Tech Returners share many common goals and values so this deal is an exciting step in our joint evolutions.

“As a result of this deal we will become the only organisation that allows businesses access to the most diverse and comprehensive pool of top tech experts across all experience levels, and that’s something that will stand us apart from the competition.”

Taylor added: “James and I have respected and collaborated with Northcoders in the past, so we know the fit is right.

“Our shared objectives are to ultimately drive talent retention in businesses, to attract the best and most passionate minds in the tech industry and to help build diverse teams.

“By combining our experiences and skillsets, I believe we will create something really special that will have a lasting impact.”

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