Huge job expansion plans for coding and AI company

Caroline GallWest Midlands
News imageSchool of Coding & AI Nine men and women wearing various forms of formal evening dress pose for a picture at an awards ceremony. The man in the middle, in a dinner jacket and bow tie, is holding a black trophy. The group is standing in front of a black branded media wall featuring several sponsor names alongside the event name, The Signature Awards 2026. School of Coding & AI
The school and its founder, Manny Athwal (centre) have previously won awards for their work

A computer coding and AI firm has said it plans to create 1,000 jobs, predominantly in the West Midlands, over the next five years as as demand for digital and AI education continues to surge.

Over the past year, the School of Coding & AI has opened a £2.5m tech lab in Birmingham, redeveloped its Wolverhampton headquarters and established a new international campus in Dubai.

Up to 170 people are currently employed by the firm and it said the expansion was linked to growing its coding, AI and emerging technology training.

The jobs will be split between Wolverhampton and Birmingham with some overseas, the school said.

The school, which began operating in 2017, opened a campus in Birmingham in 2025 in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton, offering computer science, business management, and health and social care courses, using AI "across the curriculum".

The Dubai site was set up to up-skill 2,000 students using AI, computer science, and digital skills.

The school said it also worked with the government-backed Shaw Trust to support people who have been out of work for more than six months as well as pupils excluded from mainstream schools.

"We're growing quickly, taking on bigger opportunities and building an environment where people can develop, contribute and progress," recruitment manager Andrew Wright said.

"Last year, we recruited across every part of the organisation, from academic leadership and lecturing roles through to student support, operations, finance, HR and recruitment.

"We're currently rolling out an apprenticeship scheme to create routes into professional work for people finishing college, while also attracting experienced specialists in key areas who can help take the organisation to the next level."

School founder, Manny Athwal said: "Our continued expansion and job creation underlines our role as a key contributor to the growing digital economy in the Midlands, while also helping to address the UK's widening skills gap in technology and AI."

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