NEW digital scholarships are being handed out to budding coders - and Bolton and Bury candidates are being sought.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Lancashire Digital Skills Partnership has 24 such bursaries on offer as part of the Northcoders initiative.

Supporters say the scholarships are for people who are disadvantaged or underrepresented in the digital industry, as part of the Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund. A 14-week bootcamp will start on Tuesday, May 4.

Lou Cordwell, who chairs the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Addressing the inequalities the pandemic has amplified is a central part of our Economic Vision for Greater Manchester.

"The Fast Track Digital Workforce Fund does vital work by providing under-represented and marginalised groups in the digital and tech sectors with accessible routes into digital employment.

“This scholarship programme will bridge the digital divide by giving residents valuable skills which can help them find meaningful employment. It also helps employers, boosting the talent pool of people with sought-after software development skills.”

Seven hundred and fifty coders have been helped into roles in the tech industry since Northcoders was launched in 2015.

Amul Batra, the chief partnerships officer at Northcoders, added: "We are confident this will be a platform that will directly benefit individuals but also help to make tech a more diverse and inclusive sector.”