Practical makes perfect
“Australia’s universities closely monitor developments in industry and amongst other education providers. Our universities are demand driven and continue to do what they’ve always done – evolve to meet the needs of each new generation,” Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson told CIO Australia.
“Our best evidence is that there continues to be a very strong demand from Australian employers for university computer science graduates.”
Australian universities offer a wide range of computer science, software development and related degree courses. The likes of Mike Cannon-Brookes have recently dubbed them “amazing” but lamented the “brain drain” of graduates to overseas.
At last count – in a report published by Graduate Careers Australia – recruiters said graduates of information technology related disciplines were the most difficult to source and a point of concern.
Coding bootcamps seek to provide a quicker, cheaper fix to the problem. Robinson said she didn’t consider them a threat to university computer science courses.
“We don’t see it that way,” she said. “The higher education sector in Australia is highly dynamic. It’s constantly innovating and evolving to meet the changing needs of prospective students and employers. Our universities are constantly adapting content and delivery.
A common criticism levelled at coding bootcamps in the US, is that they fail to provide the foundational knowledge a degree course does. Coder Factory’s Nambiar concedes he had heard this on industry steering committees in Silicon Valley.
“But in terms of practical skills they find that pretty much on par with the university graduates,” he added.
GA's Meyer said there was a place for both bootcamps and degree courses: "Of course there will always be a place for people with in-depth theoretical knowledge of a field – that’s where long form degrees step in. But when it comes to technical knowledge in a fast-evolving sector like digital, bootcamps and intense immersive courses play a huge role in keeping our workforce competitive."
Happy hirers
Employers appear pleased with bootcamp graduates. A survey of 1,000 US-based technology company hiring managers and recruiters, released yesterday by job-listing site Indeed, found that 72 per cent say coding bootcamp graduates were just as prepared and just as likely to be high performers as candidates with traditional computer science degree backgrounds.
Some 80 per cent said they had hired a coding bootcamp graduate for a technical role within their company and 99 per cent would do so again. And while 40 per cent preferred candidates with a computer science degree, an equal number had no preference.
"If the US experience is anything to go by, it's likely that Australian employers will be seeing more applications from candidates with bootcamp qualifications," said Chris McDonald, managing director ANZ at Indeed.
"Employers in the US believe they are a good way to close the tech talent gap, retrain workers from other professions and even bring more diversity to the tech industry. There’s a lot of work to do here in Australia but also a huge amount of potential."
McDonald added that Indeed itself had hired from bootcamps, and the individuals had proven to be ‘really strong performers’.
“Now that a few cohorts have gone through and we're starting to see those high employment rates, employers are starting to take more notice,” added Nambiar.
Of the 150 Coder Factory bootcamp graduates, “almost 75 per cent” had found employment within three months of graduating.
“Combine that with all of the stuff going on around 457 visas and the restriction on bringing in foreign labour…for those higher-demand, skilled occupations the employers are getting a little bit worried," Nambiar said. "They're starting to think well I need to look at alternative avenues than university to fill my pipeline.”
"Bootcamps are extremely effective and create very hirable talent so I trust they’ll help to fill the void," added Meyer. "Our mission is to create a pipeline of diverse talent for today’s most in-demand jobs and in doing so, shorten a skills gap in today’s workforce – particularly in the tech industry."
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