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Programming and Coding Courses in South Africa
If you are comparing programming courses in South Africa, this guide outlines the main programming languages and course types, the jobs that use them, and where BOTI’s own instructor-led Python courses fit for beginners and teams. All of BOTI’s computer and programming courses, including the Python courses, are listed on one page.
Coding is no longer only for software developers. Analysts, finance and administration staff, engineers and IT support teams write small programs to automate repetitive work, tidy up system exports and pull figures straight from a database. For many of them, a short, practical coding course is the quickest way to get there.
What is computer programming?
Computer programming is the work of writing instructions that a computer can carry out. A programmer writes the code, tests it, finds and fixes errors (debugging) and keeps the program working as the needs of the business change. The instructions are written in a programming language such as Python, SQL or JavaScript, and each language suits a different kind of work.
In everyday use, coding and programming mean much the same thing. Some people use “coding” for writing the lines of code and “programming” for the wider job of designing, testing and maintaining a program, but a coding course and a programming course for beginners teach the same foundations.
What programming and coding courses teach
Whatever the language, an introductory programming course covers the same building blocks:
- Setting up the language and an editor, then writing, saving and running a first program
- Data types and variables: numbers, text and true-or-false values
- Decisions and loops, so a program can choose what to do and repeat a task
- Data structures such as lists and dictionaries for storing and organising data
- Functions and modules, so code can be reused instead of copied
- Reading and writing files, and working with folders
- Handling errors, so a program stops cleanly instead of crashing
- Object-oriented programming with classes and objects, usually on longer courses
Longer courses build on these foundations with data analysis, automating spreadsheets and files, connecting to web services, testing and debugging, and a project that brings everything together. The practical value comes from the exercises: on a good course you write code from the first morning instead of watching someone else do it.
Which programming language should you learn first?
The right first language depends on the work you want to do. These are the languages you will meet most often when you compare coding courses:
- Python: a readable, general-purpose language used for automation, data analysis, scripting and web services. It is a common first language because the code reads close to plain English.
- SQL: the language used to ask questions of a database. Anyone who works with sales, stock, customer or payroll data held in a database can use it.
- VBA (Visual Basic for Applications): the language built into Microsoft Excel and the other Office programs, used to automate reports and repetitive spreadsheet work.
- JavaScript: the language of web pages, used with HTML and CSS to make websites interactive.
- Java and C#: languages used for large business systems and for desktop and mobile applications.
- R: a language designed for statistics and data analysis.
For people in business roles, Python, SQL and VBA usually give the quickest return, because they automate and analyse the data and reports that staff already handle every day. Those are the three languages BOTI teaches. If your goal is a career as a web or application developer, you will need a longer programme in a language such as JavaScript, Java or C# once you have the foundations.
Who programming courses suit
Programming courses are not only for people who want to become developers. They suit:
- Beginners with no programming background who want a practical first step
- Analysts and finance staff who want to automate data work and reporting
- Administrators who repeat the same file and spreadsheet tasks every week
- IT support staff who want to script routine jobs
- Engineers and technical staff who process measurements or system exports
- Managers who work with developers and want to understand what is being built
- Developers who already program in another language and want to add Python
You do not need a degree in computer science to start. For BOTI’s introductory courses you need to be comfortable using a computer and working with files and folders.
Computer programming courses at BOTI
BOTI’s programming courses are instructor-led and hands-on. Each topic is followed by a short exercise, and delegates write and run their own code throughout the course.
Python Short Course: Introduction to Programming with Python (2 days)
The Python Short Course is the starting point for beginners. Day one covers setting up Python, writing and running statements, working with numbers and text, and storing data in lists, tuples, dictionaries and sets. Day two moves on to decisions and loops, functions, simple classes and modules, managing files and folders from code, and handling errors. Delegates finish with a short project that combines both days. No programming experience is needed.
Python Programming Training (5 days)
Python Programming Training starts at the beginning and ends with structured programs that automate real business tasks. Days one to three build the foundations: data types, program flow, data structures, functions, modules, error handling and files. Day four is given to object-oriented programming. Day five puts the language to work with pandas for data analysis, automating files and Excel workbooks, calling web APIs, and testing and debugging, and ends with a capstone project.
Getting Started with Microsoft SQL Server: SQL Querying (2 days)
SQL querying teaches delegates to get data straight from a SQL Server database using T-SQL. Day one covers writing and saving queries, filtering, sorting, grouping and summarising data, and joining tables. Day two covers subqueries, inserting, updating and deleting data safely inside transactions, and creating tables, views and indexes. It suits analysts, report writers and Excel power users who want to check the figures at the source.
Writing Excel Macros with VBA (3 days)
Writing Excel Macros with VBA is programming for people who already use Excel well. Delegates record and edit macros, write their own VBA procedures with decisions and loops, work with workbooks, worksheets and ranges in code, build a simple user form and automate a complete report. VBA is taught from the ground up, so no programming experience is needed.
Data courses that pair with programming
Many delegates learn to code so that they can work with data. Data Analytics Fundamentals with Excel and Power BI (3 days) teaches the analysis process from framing the question to presenting the findings, and Microsoft Power BI Basics (3 days) shows how to turn raw data into interactive reports and dashboards. Together with SQL and Python, they give a team a practical data toolkit.
Learn to code in Johannesburg, Pretoria or online
Programming training is available as onsite training or as live online training. BOTI runs its programming courses in-house at client premises in Pretoria and elsewhere, at its venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online.
In-house training suits a team: the trainer comes to your offices anywhere in South Africa, and the whole group learns on the same examples. Individual delegates and small groups can attend at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg. Online courses are live and instructor-led, so delegates can ask questions and get help with their code as they work. Each delegate needs a computer for the practical work; laptops with the software can be supplied on request, and Python is free to install.
Accredited coding courses and short programming courses
People who search for accredited coding courses in South Africa are usually choosing between two kinds of training. An accredited qualification is registered on the National Qualifications Framework, carries credits and usually runs over several months with formal assessment. A short programming course runs over a few days and concentrates on practical skills that delegates can use at work straight away.
BOTI’s programming courses are short courses. These courses are not accredited. They are delivered as professional skills programmes, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. For many employers this is the right fit: staff learn a specific skill, such as automating a report or querying a database, without a long time away from work.
How to get the most from a coding course
- Bring a real task. Pick one repetitive job, such as a weekly report or a file clean-up, and use it as your practice project during and after the course.
- Practise little and often. Short, regular coding sessions in the weeks after the course keep the new skills from fading.
- Read the error messages. Every programmer makes mistakes. Learning to read an error message and the line it points to is how you fix them quickly.
- Start small. A script that renames a folder of files or combines two spreadsheets is a sound first project.
- Take the next step when you are ready. After the two-day Python course, the five-day course adds object-oriented programming, data analysis and automation.
Planning programming training for a team
Start with the outcome: what does the team need to automate or analyse? If the work lives in Excel reports, VBA may be the quickest route. If the data sits in a database, start with SQL. For wider automation and data work, choose Python. A two-day short course is a sensible first step for a mixed group, because it shows who should go on to the five-day course.
Tell us how many delegates you have, what experience they bring and what you want them to be able to do, and we will recommend the course and the format. Call 011 882 8853 or email [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
Are BOTI’s coding courses accredited?
No. BOTI’s Python courses are professional skills programmes, not accredited qualifications, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. They give working professionals and teams practical programming skills for work, and run in-house at your premises, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online. Each course page lists the topics covered and the number of days.
Where can I learn to code in Johannesburg?
BOTI runs instructor-led Python courses at its venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, in-house at your company’s premises, or online. Beginners can start with the two-day Python Short Course: Introduction to Programming with Python, and the five-day Python Programming Training goes further. Call 011 882 8853 or email [email protected] to check dates or arrange a group.
What jobs use programming skills?
Programming skills are used in roles such as data scientist, developer, software tester, app developer, web developer, software developer, junior programmer, software engineer and systems architect. If you are new to programming, an introductory course gives you the beginner skills and the reasoning you need to get started, and more specialised courses build on that foundation.
Which programming languages can you learn on a programming course?
Programming courses in South Africa teach languages such as Python, R, JavaScript, C#, Visual Basic, Ruby and Java, together with frameworks and libraries such as ReactJS, Spring, Django and VueJS. BOTI’s own programming courses teach Python, from the two-day introductory short course to the five-day Python Programming Training, as well as SQL querying for SQL Server databases and VBA for automating Excel.
If you want to learn to code in Johannesburg or online, start with BOTI’s two-day Python Short Course: Introduction to Programming with Python, then move on to the five-day Python Programming Training. Both run in-house at your premises, at our venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or online, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.