Impact Report for Tay Cities Region
July 2026
A note from Bianca and Frank
Reflection
Five years ago, at a STEAM event, we found one shared conviction: the people the skills system overlooks are exactly who it should be built around. That belief has shaped every programme we've built since.
Bianca (NomadAlba Collective) & Frank (Code Division)
Built on partnership, empathy and community
Code Division and NomadAlba Collective refuse the false choice between technical and human skills. We start with design thinking and empathy, delivering trauma informed, work based learning that listens first and shapes every programme around what people tell us. We work with those locked out of opportunity: BAME and neurodivergent people, refugees, women, whoever needs us. We treat each learner as a whole person, not a statistic, which is why our programmes reach people others miss, and last. Community and place are the foundation, not the backdrop.
What next
This report shows what that approach has built in Tay Cities, and what it could build with you. Individuals grow in confidence, communities grow stronger around them, and we believe the same model, partnership, empathy and community first, can work wherever it's welcomed.
Tay Cities Skills Action Plan
We start with people, not a curriculum. The Tay Cities Regional Skills Action Plan names those left behind, and design thinking shapes our response.
Delivering What the Plan Calls For
The plan calls for flexible, modularised training that's currently missing. Our accredited programmes are built to deliver exactly that, opening data and AI skills to communities the region says traditional provision doesn't reach.
Building Toward the Target
These numbers aren't the finish line. Every learner who accesses programmes like ours brings Tay Cities one accredited course closer to the workforce this plan calls for.
Why credentials matter
Without national accreditation, a course often doesn't count, however good the teaching. We build SCQF alignment and accreditation into every programme we run, turning short study into a credential that gets someone hired. We think it's a real step forward, not all or nothing. If flexible pathways like this aren't available in your communities, it's worth asking why not.
“The course gave me Power BI, a completely new skill, and helped me combine it with my existing data analysis, statistics and SQL knowledge. It was my springboard into becoming a data analyst, first as a Business Intelligence Officer at sport scotland, and now as a Senior Analyst at Scottish Water.”
Download our Digital Skills Action plan.
We’ll send you our a full Tay Cities report, and our proposed plan for making the biggest our impact in Scotland and beyond.
A community, not just a cohort. Our learners bring lived experience, professional qualifications, and determination. We've engaged over 1,000 learners across numerous data and digital interventions. Each is built on SCQF recognised qualifications, giving genuinely flexible pathways into work for a flexible workforce. Together, they represent the workforce Scotland needs and has too often overlooked.
“Code Division gave me the skills and confidence to restart my career after a long break, helping me successfully transition back into a professional role with the UK IT Finance team at
ScottishPower.”