National Software Academy wins Best Academic Programme award

The National Software Academy has fought off fierce competition to win Best Academic Programme in this year’s FinTech Awards Wales.

The Best Academic Programme award recognised the BSc in Applied Software Engineering run by Cardiff University’s School of Computer Science & Informatics. The three-year degree programme, delivered at the National Software Academy in Newport, is helping to address the shortage of skilled software engineers in Wales.

Judges praised the hands-on degree for its demonstrated success and clear and positive outcomes, referring to getting graduates work-ready through team-based, client-facing projects. In particular, the judges were impressed by the developed partnerships which provide students with real business challenges to solve with useful goals. Examples include a fly-tipping project completed in conjunction with Natural Resources Wales, and an ambulatory care for cancer patients’ project with the NHS.

The judges also recognised the continued progression of the Academy and its programmes over the last few years. From the launch of the BSc Applied Software Engineering in 2015 and the MSc in Software Engineering in 2018, to the development of degree apprenticeships set to be introduced later in 2019.

Matthew Turner, the Industry & External Engagement Manager at the School of Computer Science & Informatics, said “The Academy was thrilled and immensely proud to receive the Best Academic Programme of the Year from FinTech Awards Wales. Industry engagement is key to everything that we do here, and this award shows the relevance of our work to industry in Wales.”

The Academy was established in partnership with Welsh Government and industry leaders. Its ethos is centred on giving students ‘real-life’ projects to work on throughout their studies and providing opportunities to engage with experienced professionals.

The second cohort of students graduated from the National Software Academy on Friday 19 July. Many have taken up jobs at leading companies across the country.