Region’s First Software Development Co-Operative Has Been Set Up In Gateshead

Co-Founder, John Evans said: “We are committed to creating a transparent, direct relationship between technical freelance professionals and customers, built on trust.”

He continued, “As coders, artists, creatives, and technical people with a social awareness we believe there is a better way than the traditional culture of using third parties. We want to bring transparency and value for money back to freelance software development, while using this as a vehicle to enrich the local software community.”

Co-Founder Nick Woodfine adds: “We want to provide members with good remuneration for work, job security and career progression through training and access to projects. For clients, we’ll offer streamlined and quality focused development teams, handpicked for each project we undertake.”

Set up with support from Gateshead Council, Cllr John Adams Cabinet Member for the Economy explained: “Every year there are technological innovations which change the way we live or work, but in some ways the structure of digital industries is quite old-fashioned. Rather than shareholders or company bosses, I’m really keen to see more cooperatives in the digital sector as I think it will lead to more innovation and creativity. It also helps people have more control over their lives, and helps keep wealth in local communities.

“At the Council we want to see a Gateshead where everyone thrives. To do this, we need to invest in our economy to provide opportunities for employment, innovation and growth. Supporting Code-Operatives is an excellent example of how we can do this.”

Code-Operative are running a pre-launch event on 17 October at PROTO with networking, coding challenges and presentations. They invite anyone interested in learning more to attend.