A NEW National Software Academy is setting up shop in Newport city centre.

Cardiff University’s National Software Academy will be based in Newport City Council’s Information Station in the city’s old railway station building from the 2018/19 academic year.

Academics hope the move will help to accommodate the ever-growing cohort of students choosing to study for a degree at the academy, which offers a unique and innovative programme that is heavily focussed on engagement with industry.

The new facilities will also enable the academy to expand its teaching facilities and help to achieve one of its key goals, which is to provide students with a study space that mimics a workplace environment and integrates industry working practices.

Economy secretary Ken Skates was in Newport yesterday to officially open the new headquarters of the academy.

Mr Skates said: “The National Software Academy is a prime example of the way universities can fulfil their civic mission in their regions. Cardiff University moving the academy to these new facilities supports Newport’s economic development, putting a pool of talented software engineers in the heart of the city’s growing tech hub.”

Professor Rudolf Allemann, pro vice-chancellor college of physical sciences and engineering at Cardiff University, said: “The expansion of the National Software Academy is a sign of our success. I’m delighted that the university has been able to maintain a presence in Newport and therefore continue to forge a strong relationship between our two great cities.

“The move will allow the academy to build on its foundations and continue to attract the best businesses from across Wales, the UK and the rest of the world.”

The academy was established in partnership with Welsh Government and industry leaders, including the Newport-based Alacrity Foundation, and its ethos is centred on giving students “real life” projects to work on throughout their studies and providing opportunities to engage with experienced software engineers from industry.

Market research undertaken by Welsh Government predicts that industries in Wales demand around 3,000 IT professionals each year. The supply of skilled graduates from universities is low, which means the demand is currently not being met.

Furthermore, software engineering graduates are perceived by industry to be lacking in a number of essential skills to make them ready for the workplace once they leave university.