• The low-code development platform is set to grow to $45.5 billion by 2025.
• Low-code/no-code platforms allow for agile development and MVP deployment at a lower cost.
• There is a growing demand for low-code/no-code skills and educators would do well to help expose learners to these platforms and foster problem-solving skills.

“Learn to code” was the advice in the early 2000s and 2010s. While that advice may have been sound then, there are a growing number of low-code and no-code platforms that are opening the sector up to more people.

Platforms such as Coda, Notion, Zapier, Webflow, Appsheet and Airtable provide simple ways to create and launch applications. While these applications can help youngsters get to grips with digital development, these platforms also help businesses.

“We use our own low-code platform to build and manage virtual agents for large companies,” explains Ryan Falkenberg, co-founder of local firm CLEVVA.

“These digital experts resolve customer queries, issues and complaints via multiple digital channels, without the need for humans to be involved. And what is truly amazing is that we do this using many people who did not study IT or coding,” adds Falkenberg.

What is interesting to see is how low/no-code platforms are being integrated into the education space. Edtech startup Mindjoy makes use of low-code platform Coda to enable affordable and quick experiments when building minimal viable products. Much of what Mindjoy does through its learning courses happens through Replit. While this isn’t a no-code platform, it does make learning to code and develop applications far easier to grasp.

“Replit itself is definitely not no-code – you can literally start up a code project in any programming language within seconds. It makes coding very simple. But in stricter terms of ‘low-code’ we use platforms such as Coda to build our back-office tooling, and that enables running affordable and quick experiments when building minimal viable products,” explains Mindjoy founder Gabi Immelman.

Importantly, exposure to these platforms helps the younger generation understand that they don’t have to spend months learning a complex programming language to create something.

What excites us about these platforms is that they allow problems to be solved without the barrier to entry that coding has traditionally presented.

What’s more, is that educators could learn to use these platforms and incorporate them into their day-to-day activities. With platforms like Coda, educators can take their classes online and make things like homework, reminders about tests and other deadlines more simple. And learning how to use these platforms isn’t all that difficult as resources are everywhere.

“There are tons of amazing resources out there – like Makerpad – that help you learn how to wield these tools. As more aspects of work go digital, the low-code movement serves as a great stepping stone into building and prototyping in a cost-effective way – and fast,” says Immelman.

According to data from Markets and Markets the low-code development platform market is set to grow to $45.5 billion by 2025. This growth is being driven by an increased need for digitalisation and agile DevOps. To us, that’s a signal that more educators should start exposing youngsters to these platforms as there is a clear demand from businesses for experts in this field.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]