# Thinking Bigger: Steph Locke at the Cardiff and Vale College FinTech Wales Coding Bootcamp, May 2026 > Steph Locke spoke at a FinTech Wales coding bootcamp in Cardiff: what the room looked like, what she said, and why Nightingale HQ keeps showing up. > > **URL:** https://www.gosmarter.ai/newsroom/steph-locke-cardiff-vale-college-fintech-wales-bootcamp-may-2026/ **Date:** 2026-05-18 **Author:** Steph Locke **Categories:** news **Tags:** wales, nightingale-hq, digital-transformation, smes, artificial-intelligence ## On 18 May 2026, Steph Locke walked into a room at Cardiff and Vale College's One Canal Parade building. Universities, hiring systems, and years of circumstance had all told the people in it the same thing: aim lower. She was there to challenge that directly. The event was an inspiration day for a Financial Technology (FinTech) coding bootcamp cohort. [Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC)](https://cavcforbusiness.co.uk/en/skills-academy) organised it in partnership with [FinTech Wales](https://fintechwales.org/). Several companies from across the Welsh tech and FinTech sector came in. Each talked about what it actually looks like to work in this industry. Steph spoke about mindset: thinking bigger, thinking differently, and thinking ethically. The conversations that followed reminded her exactly why she takes time out of the working week for this kind of thing. {{< figure src="steph-presenting.webp" alt="Steph Locke presenting at the FinTech Wales coding bootcamp inspiration day, Cardiff and Vale College, May 2026" caption="Steph at One Canal Parade — inspiration day for the FinTech Wales and Cardiff and Vale College coding bootcamp cohort, 18 May 2026." >}} ## Who Was in the Room The bootcamp cohort was not a single type of person. That was the point. - People who had left school years ago, built careers in entirely different fields, and were now changing direction. - University graduates who had the qualifications but hadn't found where they fit yet. - People who had taken an extended break from work and were building their way back. - Self-taught coders who had spent years learning on their own and wanted formal grounding to back it up. In short: a wide range of people at different stages, with different stories. All of them had made the same decision: the path they were on wasn't the only one available to them. The [CAVC Skills Academy](https://cavcforbusiness.co.uk/en/skills-academy) exists for exactly this moment. The academies run free, intensive programmes of eight to ten weeks, upskilling learners in technical and soft skills for Creative, FinTech, Industrial Software and Manufacturing organisations across Wales. Free. Intensive. Open to people who didn't follow the conventional route. That combination matters. ## The Three Stories That Stuck Steph's session centred on mindset. Specifically: the gap between what people are capable of, and what they've been led to believe they're allowed to attempt. Three people stood out. **The biologist and former lecturer.** She had a research and teaching career behind her. She'd enrolled on the bootcamp wondering whether she was technically qualified enough to move into tech. The reality: any bioscience manufacturer working with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data would find her overlap of knowledge extraordinary. She doesn't need to justify herself. She needs to stop listening to the voice that says she does. **The young people building an agentic AI business.** They were already doing the work. They just hadn't realised that non-dilutive grant funding exists for founders at exactly their stage. It lets them build a more ambitious plan without giving away equity. They were thinking at the right scale. They simply didn't know they could access the fuel to move faster. **The developer with seven years of hands-on experience.** He had never applied to a large company like Microsoft because he assumed the door was closed to anyone who hadn't come through a top-tier university. So he had never knocked. Steph's message wasn't about false optimism. It was a direct observation: the limitations most people carry are not hard limits. They are inherited assumptions. Systems reinforce them because they benefit from people not pushing back. And assumptions can be updated. {{< image src="think.mp4" alt="Steph Locke's mindset message slide at the FinTech Wales coding bootcamp, Cardiff and Vale College, May 2026" caption="The message on the board: think bigger, think differently, think ethically." >}} ## Why Nightingale HQ Shows Up for This Nightingale HQ is a Welsh company. The Welsh tech ecosystem is not a backdrop for our work. It is part of what we are building. That means showing up. Not because events like this generate pipeline. The talent is already here. Systems and institutions spend too much energy talking that talent out of its own potential. They sort people downward by default. Every conversation that pushes back is worth having. We've written about this in our post on [why supporting early-stage careers really matters](/blog/supporting-early-stage-careers/). It covers what we've invested in over the years: internships, apprenticeships, placement students. And what that has taught us about how to do it well. The same values that drove that work drove Steph's afternoon in Cardiff on 18 May. This event is part of a pattern. Earlier this year, Steph and Ruth attended the [Mid Wales Manufacturing Group](/newsroom/mid-wales-manufacturing-group-april-2026/) to talk practically about what AI can do for manufacturers today. GoSmarter made its case to Welsh investors at [Women Angels of Wales](/newsroom/women-angels-wales-pitch-2026/), building relationships that help the broader ecosystem function. And the team took part in [Wales Tech Week 2025](/blog/wales-tech-week-2025-connecting-showcasing-and-inspiring-welsh-innovation/), connecting with founders, researchers, and practitioners across the sector. Wales has the talent. Building the ecosystem means making sure that talent has somewhere to go. And that the people with it know they're allowed to use it. ## FAQs {{< faq question="What is the Cardiff and Vale College Skills Academy?" >}} The [Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) Skills Academy](https://cavcforbusiness.co.uk/en/skills-academy) runs free, intensive bootcamp-style programmes of eight to ten weeks. The academies upskill learners in technical and soft skills for organisations across Creative, FinTech, Industrial Software and Manufacturing sectors in Wales. The programmes are open to a wide range of participants: career changers, graduates who haven't found the right path yet, people returning to work after an extended break, and self-taught people looking to back up practical skills with formal qualifications. There are no restrictions based on previous educational background or career history. {{< /faq >}} {{< faq question="What is FinTech Wales?" >}} [FinTech Wales](https://fintechwales.org/) is an independent membership association and the primary champion of Financial Technology (FinTech) and Financial Services in Wales. It connects founders, businesses, investors, and public sector organisations with the goal of growing Wales as a centre for FinTech. FinTech Wales runs events, programmes, and community initiatives throughout the year. The coding bootcamp inspiration day on 18 May 2026 is one example. FinTech Wales works to bring new talent into the sector. It connects that talent with companies that can offer real careers and meaningful work. {{< /faq >}} {{< faq question="Does Nightingale HQ offer career programmes or work with early-stage talent?" >}} Yes. Nightingale HQ has invested in interns, apprentices, postgraduate placements, and graduate roles over a number of years. We work with people at different stages: from students doing their first technical project to professionals switching direction mid-career. Steph has written about our approach and what we've learned in [Why Supporting Early-Stage Careers Really Matters](/blog/supporting-early-stage-careers/). If you're interested in working with us, get in touch at [hello@gosmarter.ai](mailto:hello@gosmarter.ai). {{< /faq >}}