Who are we?
We’re La Fosse Academy, a tech training and services company on a mission to launch the next generation of technology professionals.
We don’t just build skills. We build careers — and help businesses build the teams they need for the future.
We believe the future of tech should be built by teams that reflect the customers they serve, not just a narrow slice of society.
What we do
We identify and develop the top 2% of emerging talent, equipping them with the core skills needed to thrive in technology roles.
Our training programmes are practical, fast-paced, and designed to prepare individuals to deliver value from day one.
Once training is complete, we embed our associates into businesses with tailored career roadmaps to accelerate their development.
Customers then have the option to convert them into permanent team members, helping to futureproof their organisation and build long-term capability.
Why we exist
The tech sector faces two big challenges:
- A critical shortage of skilled professionals
- A lack of diversity at every level
We’re here to solve both.
We help people from all backgrounds break into tech — and help businesses build better, more inclusive teams in a way that’s flexible, scalable, and future-focused.
In today’s market, many organisations want to invest in the future but face headcount constraints or a drive for efficiencies. Our model gives them a way to build for the skills they need now, with the option to bring associates into their permanent teams when the time is right.
Once an associate joins a customer, we stay close. They receive ongoing coaching and mentoring to help them thrive and deliver meaningful impact.
Oh, and the course? It’s free*. Because we back ability, not ability to pay.
Our story
2007
La Fosse Associates founded
Simon La Fosse was increasingly seeing an industry that just treated people as commodities. As a response, he founded La Fosse 15 years ago, a values-led executive search company centred around treating people with care and respect.
2017
Global expansion
After expanding into the permanent, contract, and interim tech markets, La Fosse continued its rapid growth by opening its first international office in Los Angeles, US. This was quickly followed by another office in New York City.
2019
La Fosse Academy is born
With over a decade of technology recruitment experience, the La Fosse team were keenly aware of the supply and demand issue within tech and the overall lack of diversity at all levels within the sector.
After consulting with leading CTOs in our network, we developed a curriculum and launched La Fosse Academy as a means of addressing the issues our customers and candidates were facing throughout their tech careers.
2021
La Fosse Academy begins rapid expansion
After just two years of operation, La Fosse Academy had made quite the impact within the wider tech community. To keep up with increased demand, we expanded to run new cohorts on a monthly basis and opened a dedicated training room at the La Fosse headquarters.
Why does diversity matter?
Fresh perspectives
The coming together of people from different backgrounds is at the heart of innovation – it’s by working outside of our usual pattern of knowledge and combining our unique life experiences that we develop a greater understanding of the markets and people we are seeking to connect with.
Better representation
Currently, just 19% of the tech workforce are women, and only 15% of the UK tech workforce are from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Fostering diversity as a core value allows you to build a workforce that is more representative of the UK population and therefore better able to serve its audience’s needs.
Attract talent
Prioritising diversity and inclusion also has a snowball effect on your reputation and attractiveness with new talent.
According to Glassdoor, 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity to be a key factor when considering opportunities, with more than 50% of current employees expressing a desire for their current workplace to do better as far as diversity is concerned.
In a market as candidate led as the technology sector, this is crucial for staying ahead of the competition and attracting the very best talent.
The bottom line: Diversity and commercial success
Diversity has been shown to directly impact business success. Companies with higher-than-average diversity had 19% higher innovation revenues, and according to a 2015 McKinsey report, companies in the top quarter for gender diversity are 15% more likely to outperform their peers, while those in the same bracket for racial/ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to surpass their competitors.
Creating more equitable businesses benefits employees, companies, and the wider society. Diversity is not a guideline to be complied with, it is a route towards a better company, both in a moral and economic sense.
Our partnerships
We are very excited to be the official partner of the Tech Nation Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit, a comprehensive resource for tech leaders on how to build diverse and inclusive companies.
We are a proud partner of Women in Tech, an organisation which celebrates female successes, encourages women to join the sector, and works towards closing the increasing gender gap.
Our approach
These are the opportunities we provide for our students, and for the companies we place them in:
- Free for students*
- Comprehensive assessment
- Ongoing support
- Diverse talent pools
- Retention and continuity
*Please read our full terms and conditions
