June 2020 Coding Bootcamp News

Table of Contents

• DIVERSIFYING THE TECH PIPELINE
• BOOTCAMP ACQUISITIONS & FUNDRAISES
• COLLEGE VS. CODING BOOTCAMP
• UPSKILLING/RESKILLING A WORKFORCE
• PROS & CONS: INCOME SHARE AGREEMENTS
• YOUR JOB SEARCH... IN A PANDEMIC
• BOOTCAMPERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
• NEW BOOTCAMPS + CAMPUSES
• NEW TO COURSE REPORT IN JUNE
• FAVORITE PIECES ON THE BLOG

This June, we’re covering fundraises in the bootcamp world (newsflash: MOOCs are back!), ways bootcamps can integrate with workforce development, and the pros and cons of Income Share Agreements. Also did you hear that Flatiron School is spinning out of their partnership with WeWork and operating independently again? We’ll certainly be digging deeper into that in our July episode. Plus, we dig into the ways that bootcamps can diversify the tech pipeline amongst calls for racial equality in June.

Curious about what happened in May? Check out last month’s episode with the biggest bootcamp news from May 2020.

DIVERSIFYING THE TECH PIPELINE

• June is Pride Month – check out our roundup of LGBTQ+ bootcamp scholarships! Plus, our favorite diversity in tech scholarships.

• 2U announced a $3M Scholarship Fund this month aimed at expanding access to tech bootcamps for historically underrepresented candidates experiencing job loss or financial hardship. The fund will be broken down into individual scholarships of $2,500 and available to Black, Latino, Indigenous learners, and women. 

• Grand Rapids Business Journal wrote about a full scholarship for women and gender minorities for Grand Circus’s July and October 2020 cohorts. Grand Circus has partnered with the National Center for Women and Information Technology for this scholarship.

• Codeworks has partnered with GirlCode to offer 50 scholarships to help close the gender gap in tech. For women who want to break into tech, these scholarships can be used towards the tuition of a Codeworks bootcamp. 

• Jeff Mazur, Executive Director of LaunchCode, wrote a guest post for Entrepreneur about how there is not really so much a tech skills gap, but rather an opportunity gap.

• DigitalTrends reports that Black Girls Code CEO Kimberly Bryant called on tech CEOs to stand up and create change within the tech industry. 

• TechCrunch reported on a Bay Area initiative, Black Tech for Black Lives, which incorporates a pledge designed to elevate Bay Area community leaders working in tech’s epicenter on specific policy goals and by hiring and supporting more Black talent in tech. 

• In an interview with Fox17, Pivot Technology School owner Joshua Mundy reminds Nashville how important it is to support Black-owned businesses in the area. Pivot Technology School offers web development and data analytics bootcamps, with a focus on diversifying the tech pipeline by giving more people of color opportunities.  

• The Next Web’s Tristian Greene wrote about how to make STEM and tech a safer place for trans and non-binary people.

• BBC News reports that Github is changing its terminology in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

BOOTCAMP ACQUISITIONS & FUNDRAISES

• The New York Times wrote a piece about how the renewed interest in online learning could signal a resurgence for MOOCs.

• EdSurge reports that Degreed, which provides online corporate education for employees, has raised $32 million in a Series C extension round led by Owl Ventures.

• Acumen Latam Capital Partners (ALCP) was the leading investor in a follow-on investment in Crehana, an online learning platform tied to Latin America. 

• EdSurge reports that Noodle Partners has raised $16 Million to help colleges build online programs.

COLLEGE VS. CODING BOOTCAMP

• Vox highlights a few studies that show high school graduates from lower income backgrounds are more likely to delay their college enrollment. 

• Forbes included a quote from Jeremy Shaki, CEO of Lighthouse Labs who believes we are in for a huge 'gap year' where many people will choose to wait and see rather than attend college.

• Dice highlighted the results of a new Stack Overflow survey that breaks down today’s developers’ education background.

UPSKILLING/RESKILLING A WORKFORCE

• TechSF and Galvanize are now offering a Data Analyst Apprenticeship program. For each employee that participates in Galvanize’s free Data Analyst Apprenticeship program, employers can earn $2,500 for each registered apprentice.

• Turing School of Software & Design launched a three-month, full-time paid fellowship to improve job placement. 

• According to Infosecurity Magazine, Fullstack Academy is offering free intro cybersecurity training courses to all American citizens.

• Newsweek dove into the question “Could this be the perfect time for you to learn to code online?” Check out our guide to the Best Bootcamp Prep Programs, many of which are free and online!

• According to WMC Action News, CodeCrew partnered with Memphis Bioworks to offer full tuition assistance for custodial parents, called the Strengthening Working Families grant. Apply by June 30th!

PROS & CONS: INCOME SHARE AGREEMENTS

• The Kitchen Table Economist published a straightforward list of the pros and cons of ISAs. 

• Business Insider talked to former Holberton School students who cite issues with the peer-driven, course structure and the ISA terms.

• To address the down economy, Galvanize and Hack Reactor are now offering a new student-friendly Income Share Agreement structure to increase access to a tech education.

• In EdSurge, Kenzie Academy CEO Chok Ooi points out that the $100 Million raised in 2019 with Community Investment Management (CIM) for student financing is ensuring Kenzie Academy can still offer student financing in today’s uncertain economy.

YOUR JOB SEARCH... IN A PANDEMIC

• With a shortage of tech talent and tech skills in high demand right now, Sifted News quotes Le Wagon co-founder Romain Paillard, “Coding skills are a job-market safe haven.”

• A Crunchbase report found that 6 tech sectors are booming despite COVID-19. 

• NBC shared the 5 skills that experts say workers should master right now. 

• Ryan Craig wrote for Forbes about how apprenticeship training is important in the data world. 

• BuiltIn rounded up 18 free data sets that are perfect for data science bootcampers to use!

• Dice shared an interesting roundup of the average data scientist salaries in the U.S. right now. 

• BuiltIn highlighted tips from Emily Doyle of Flatiron School on how to live your best life as a remote employee. 

• The Next Web highlighted three personal growth tips from CircleCI Chief Architect Patrick Shields. 

• Forbes listed the companies who are leading the work-from-home revolution, including Lambda School, who announced a permanent “work from anywhere” policy.

BOOTCAMPERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

• Forbes 30 Under 30 Alumni came together to create a platform called VolunTier that connects small businesses in Detroit with coding students who are looking for more real world experience. 

• If you’re looking to volunteer for a similar initiative, check out the Out in Tech Digital Corps, which builds websites for LGBTQ+ activists around the world!

• Hack Reactor interviewed Jeff Ellington, Chief Operating Office of Runbeck Election Services about how software engineers can save this year’s election. 

NEW BOOTCAMPS + CAMPUSES

• WISH.TV reports that Indianapolis-based coding bootcamp Eleven Fifty Academy has partnered with Vectren and Elevate Ventures to create a coding bootcamp to southwestern Indiana. The three partners are providing $160K in tuition to support a Progressive Income Share Agreement. 

• CryptoBriefing shared that blockchain educator B9Labs is now offering a 6-month Professional Blockchain Engineer Program.

• Pitman Training in the UK is partnering with US-based education platform LaunchLife to offer web development bootcamps. 

• Coding Dojo is collaborating with MIT bootcamps to launch the Coding and Innovation Bootcamp. 

• Virginia Tech is partnering with Fullstack Academy to offer live, online coding and cybersecurity bootcamps.

NEW TO COURSE REPORT IN JUNE

In June, we added these 6 new bootcamps to the Course Report directory:

• University of South Florida Coding Bootcamp (powered by Revature)

• JobEasy

• School of IT

• Praxis 

• XR Terra

• Cornerstone International Community College of Canada

FAVORITE PIECES ON THE BLOG

Jess’s favorite piece was her interview with Momentum alumni Mo who is now a Systems Programmer at Duke University. Mo’s background is in Fine Arts and after years as an art consultant, she switched into software development for a new challenge. 

Liz’s favorite piece was her interview with designer Anderson who won a scholarship to Shillington School. You can submit an application for this scholarship by July 13, 2020 to receive 50% off tuition!