COMMUNITY FAQ

YES! All of our courses, including the @uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter classes are 100% free.

We offer a wide range of courses and classes for complete beginners to those with some tech knowledge. Our courses include MOOCS Sprints and Challenges (the best place to start out, but topics and challenges are great for anyone wanting to learn more!), @Uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter (beginner level) and finally our CFGdegree (intermediate) and +Masters (advanced). For more information visit our FAQs or click on the links to visit our dedicated landing pages.

Our MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are split into two categories, our MOOC Sprints and MOOC Challenges. Our MOOC Sprints are a 1-hour session each week over four weeks and will give you a great taster of key tech topics – from UX/UI to bug fixing, languages to CVs and applications. After each session, you will need to complete a quick quiz on the topic. 

These sessions are recorded and can be watched later, however, to get the most out of the sessions, we recommend attending live to take part in interactive tasks and engage with the instructors. Those that complete the MOOC Sprint inside the initial time frame (usually 6 weeks) will receive a certification. Our MOOC Challenges come after the Sprints and allow members to take part in a challenge – our mini ‘Hackathon’ to test their knowledge and skills. Both MOOC Sprints and Challenges are great for CFG members at any level – from beginner to more advanced. 

Both our @uni Kickstarter and Coding Kickstarter classes run for 8-weeks, with one 2-hour session per week. These introduction classes are best for those wanting to kickstart their coding journey and will give you a solid introduction to Python and Apps, Web Development or Data and SQL. We also offer JavaScript classes, but we would recommend familiarising yourself with HTML and CSS first through our Web Dev classes. These sessions are live with instructors and certified and once completed, you will be eligible to apply for our CFGdegree programme.

You need a working laptop or desktop computer. This can be Mac, Linux, or Windows. Participants using Chromebooks may run into some difficulties. iPads or other tablets will not work with the courses. Please also make sure that your device is up-to-date with the latest software and that you have permission to download software to the device. All course materials are free of charge and we will not ask for payment to use them. If you are having trouble downloading the software, please ensure that you are using the free/community version of each platform.

We ask that all applicants please apply for the region relevant to them. The companies that sponsor these classes and make what we do possible to deliver for free often allocate funding to specific regions. It also allows us to keep track of which areas are most popular. If your region is not currently available please check back weekly as the team updates the website with new classes regularly – you can also apply for ALL UK & IRELAND classes.

No, our MOOCs and Kickstarter classes are for complete beginners. For JavaScript Kickstarter classes, we recommend taking our Web Development classes first. The CFGdegree is best for those who have successfully completed our Python and Apps, JavaScript or Data and SQL Kickstarter classes or have the equivalent skills and knowledge to complete our tech assessment to be able to progress with the CFGdegree and +Masters course application.

Our trained technical instructors will be delivering the classes.

Our MOOCs take place on YouTube live streams and they are automatically uploaded and kept online for students to catch up on-demand for a maximum of three months after the first live session date. Our Kickstarter class sessions are currently not recorded and require attendance at the weekly live sessions. CFGdegree classes are recorded but we do require live attendance wherever possible for you to meet the minimum requirement of 80%.

All students will be sent a set-up guide prior to their course beginning detailing which software they will need to download. All course materials are free of charge and we will not ask for payment to use them. If you are having trouble downloading the software, please ensure that you are using the free/community version of each platform. Please also make sure that your device is up-to-date with the latest software and that you have permission to download software to the device.