June 2025 Bootcamp News Roundup

Table of Contents

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• The Rise of Skills-Based Hiring & Alternative Credentials
• Federal Education Policy Shifts & Funding Changes
• AI Education Goes Mainstream
• Global Bootcamp Expansion & Industry Partnerships
• Diversity & Career Pathways in Tech
• New Schools & Program Updates
• Favorite Pieces on the Blog

The bootcamp industry continued its evolution throughout June, marked by significant shifts in federal education policy, the mainstream adoption of AI education, and growing momentum around skills-based hiring practices. From new accreditation models to global bootcamp expansion, this month highlighted how alternative education pathways are becoming increasingly central to workforce development. In this June 2025 news roundup, we're covering major policy changes, the integration of AI into K-12 education, and innovative partnerships bridging military experience with civilian tech careers.

Curious about what happened in bootcamps in May? Check out last month's roundup to review May’s biggest coding bootcamp news!

The Rise of Skills-Based Hiring & Alternative Credentials

• McKinsey reports that 42% of Americans express interest in upskilling, with particularly high interest among younger workers (63% of those aged 18-24) and historically underrepresented groups. The research revealed that workers face significant time and cost barriers to upskilling, with nearly half citing these as potential obstacles to completion.

• According to WorkShift, CredLens (a national data trust for non-degree credentials) is working to address the “black box” of credentials and licenses. State governments lack visibility into learning outcomes, so the initiative aims to match certification databases with student completion data, providing more precise quality metrics for alternative education pathways.

• Higher Ed Dive shares an American Student Assistance research report which found that teens' postsecondary plans are shifting dramatically, with only 45% of students in grades 7-12 seeing college as their most likely next step in 2024, down from 73% in 2018. Interest in nondegree education pathways like vocational schools, apprenticeships, and technical bootcamps more than tripled over the same period, rising from 12% to 38%.

• Programming Insider explores how the rise of AI and skills-first hiring is reshaping the value of college. With employers like Google and IBM dropping degree requirements in favor of certifications and hands-on experience, students are reconsidering the ROI of a traditional four-year degree. While college remains essential for regulated fields like medicine and law, bootcamps and online platforms offer faster, more affordable pathways into tech, design, and marketing careers.

• According to Solid Info Design, Solutions for Information Design, The Manufacturing Institute, and iDatafy announced a partnership creating a seamless, skills-first experience connecting transitioning service members and veterans with employers through digital credentialing and skills-based resumes.

Federal Education Policy Shifts & Funding Changes

• Inside Higher Ed reports that Governor Ron DeSantis announced six state university systems are forming a new accreditor, the Commission for Public Higher Education. Partners include Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M systems. The effort aims to reduce costs and boost student outcomes while moving away from what DeSantis called the "accreditation cartel."

• According to Career Bond, the 2025 Higher Education Reform Act proposal represents the most significant overhaul to federal aid policy in a generation, potentially holding institutions financially responsible for poor student loan outcomes and restricting federal funding based on post-graduation performance metrics.

• WBEZ explored some concerns around income share agreements as alternative funding mechanisms. Illinois lawmakers approved new regulations for these agreements, which could become more popular as federal loans and grants face potential cutbacks under the Trump administration.

AI Education Goes Mainstream

• According to CSforAll, over 250 CEOs signed an open letter urging every state to make computer science and AI education available for every student. The letter highlighted research showing that just one high school CS course increases lifetime wages by 8% and employment odds by 3%, with the biggest gains for young women and low-income students.

• Code.org and CSforALL announced they are combining forces to lead AI education efforts, with the White House Executive Order on AI directing federal agencies to prioritize grants for CS + AI teacher training and create a national AI-education task force.

• Antara News reports that in Indonesia, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education partnered with University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta to provide practical guidance to teachers on using AI and coding to optimize student learning, with AI guidance becoming a mandatory component for schools receiving performance-based operational assistance.

Global Bootcamp Expansion & Industry Partnerships

• According to Media OutReach, Octa announced a free coding bootcamp in Malaysia, partnering with charity Ideas International to offer the STATUS 200 bootcamp in Kuala Lumpur. The program covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node, React, SQL, and MySQL over two stages between June and August.

• The Business Desk reports that The Rigby Foundation's £600K funding to Generation UK helped over 100 young unemployed people from the West Midlands complete Skills Bootcamp programs. The initiative achieved a 65% job placement rate within six months, with average starting salaries around £25,000.

• Code Platoon has named Cecilian Partners as its 2025 Partner of the Year, recognizing the PropTech company's commitment to hiring veterans and military family members. Over the past two years, Cecilian has welcomed five Code Platoon alumni into its engineering team, including Navy Veteran James Kelsey who earned the company's 2024 MVP Award.

Diversity & Career Pathways in Tech

• Technical.ly profiled Yafiah Abdullah, a 22-year-old from Newark, Delaware, who transitioned from NBA intern to lead web administrator for New Castle County. Abdullah, who attended St. Georges Technical High School and majored in computer science at Central State University, is now looking to combine her tech experience with a law degree to become an intellectual property attorney within the tech space.

• This month also highlighted the ongoing challenges and opportunities for diversity in tech hiring. Global Village Space covered how AI-powered hiring systems can perpetuate existing biases, filtering out qualified candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, while emphasizing the importance of human oversight and inclusive workplace cultures in creating meaningful change.

New Schools & Program Updates

• According to Technical.ly, the University City Science Center announced its eighth cohort of the Capital Readiness program, bringing healthtech founders from across the country to Philadelphia for intensive training.

• Technical.ly reports that DiverseForce's Gamechangers program opened applications for its next cohort, focusing on teaching participants how to build their own AI agents.

And 1 New School Was Added to Course Report: Brightway Career Growth Studio

Favorite Pieces on the Blog

• We recapped insights from industry leaders at Amazon, Randstad, Relativity, and HarborVest during an online alumni conference hosted by Hack Reactor and Tech Elevator in our article 6 Leadership Lessons Every Bootcamp Student Should Know. The panelists shared practical advice for bootcamp grads on developing leadership skills early in their careers, finding mentors, and staying grounded through industry changes. Key takeaways included the importance of emotional intelligence, building networks, and understanding that leadership isn't about having all the answers – it's about creating conditions for others to succeed.

• Liz interviewed Georges Rousseau from Yellow Tail Tech for our June instructor spotlight. Georges graduated from the Lnx for Jobs program and became a Senior System Administrator at the National Institute of Health (NIH) before returning as an instructor. He shared insights on supporting students earning industry certifications like Security+ and RHCSA, emphasized the value of community learning over solo study, and explained why junior talent remains essential even as AI tools evolve in the workplace.