Software Academy: shaping young futures with customised tech qualifications  

Software Academy was founded by a group of university lecturers with the aim of providing high-quality advanced education tailored for young learners, specialising in technology subjects such as coding, game design and graphics. Their journey began when CEO Ali Nemati discovered the potential for children to grasp complex subjects after teaching game design to his nephew and niece. 

Ali explained, “My nine-year-old nephew, who thought I was the coolest uncle ever, insisted that I teach him game design. Initially, I thought it would be too complicated for him, but he persisted. To my surprise, he quickly grasped the basic concepts, and soon I was teaching him more advanced topics. He excelled, and so did my eight-year-old niece when I tested the same material with her. This experience made me realise that children are far more capable than we often assume.” 

With this newfound insight, Software Academy was formed to deliver university level education to children. When a parent requested a letter to evidence their child's game design studies, Ali felt that something more substantial was needed to match the level of education provided by Software Academy. In order to reflect the quality and rigour of the courses, he decided to seek awarding body accreditation. 

“After extensive research, we found NCFE, the UK’s longest established awarding body, which offers a service to accredit qualifications we have developed. We knew instantly that NCFE was the right partner to provide valuable accreditation for our courses. 

We chose to co-create our qualifications in-house as it allowed us to explore alternative educational pathways that traditional, regulated qualifications simply can't match. These bespoke qualifications have enabled us to embrace a bold and innovative approach to learning. Currently, no regulated qualifications cater to STEM subjects for young learners. With the support of NCFE, we've led the way in accrediting tech subjects for children, positioning us as pioneers in this vital area of education.” 

Software Academy now offers a range of accredited Customised Qualifications including 3D Computer Games Design & Development, Games Design Programming, and Digital Media Design. Their Architectural Visualization course is the only one of its kind available to children in the world.   

“We’d certainly recommend NCFE to others. Having worked with many different awarding bodies, I can see that NCFE’s approach is different. NCFE has shown that they want to stand next to us, shoulder to shoulder, to help us grow and provide the best possible education for our students. Instead of making education more difficult, they intend to make it more beneficial and accessible.” 

Their Customised Qualifications are helping Software Academy provide their learners with a clear pathway to further and higher education. Ali explained, “Many parents use this as an alternative provision and it has become a priceless asset, especially to students with special needs. Some of our students used our NCFE accredited qualifications to become official students at the universities we lecture at. Others used them to gain entry to their dream college or university, or even get jobs!” 

Learn more about how Accreditation from NCFE can help you to demonstrate the value of your bespoke training programmes through our Customised Qualification option.