October 2021 Coding Bootcamp News

Table of Contents

• $244M IN CODING BOOTCAMP FUNDRAISES
• ISAs + PELL GRANTS FOR SHORT-TERM PROGRAMS
• “THE GREAT RESIGNATION”
• WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: “BUILD BACK BETTER” 
• BRIDGING THE DIVERSITY GAP IN TECH
• 14 NEW BOOTCAMPS ON COURSE REPORT
• JESS & LIZ’S FAVORITE SEPTEMBER BLOG POSTS

Amidst “The Great Resignation,” 13% of workers say they want to land a new job in tech – we’re covering the latest on what it means to make a career change in October. A few coding bootcamps saw major fundraises over $100M(!), and in the news, we saw that the current administration continues to support apprenticeships. There was more talk about what it would take to extend Pell Grants to short-term programs, and how women are faring after the “she-session” of 2020. Plus, find out which 14 new bootcamps we added to the Course Report directory this month!

In Course Report news, we released our 2021-2022 Best Coding Bootcamps list this month! After sifting through thousands of alumni reviews, we’ve done the legwork to determine the 54 best coding bootcamps out there now!

Curious about what happened in September 2021? Check out last month’s episode with the biggest bootcamp news from September.

$244M IN CODING BOOTCAMP FUNDRAISES

• According to TechCrunch, Multiverse, the tech apprenticeship startup, closed $130M in Series C funding, which now brings the valuation of the company to $875M. 
• According to TechCrunch, Entity Academy has raised $100 million through Leif.
• StartupDaily reports that Academy Xi raised $14M this month.
• Business Insider reports that Molly Graham has stepped down as COO of Lambda School. 

ISAs + PELL GRANTS FOR SHORT-TERM PROGRAMS

• Business Insider spoke with bootcamp graduates from App Academy and General Assembly about what they wished they knew about ISAs before signing up.
• HigherEdDive dove into the proposed safeguards needed to protect students who may someday be using Pell grants towards short-term programs.
• EdSurge sat down with edX CEO & co-founder Anant Agarwal and 2U CEO & co-founder Chip Paucek for an interview about what it means for the nonprofit edX to become a part of for-profit organization, 2U.

“THE GREAT RESIGNATION”

• A Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report shows that 4 million workers quit their jobs in what is now the 5th month in a row of record job exits. Organizational psychologist, Anthony Katz has dubbed it “The Great Resignation.”
• According to CompTIA data via CIO Dive, 13% of job seekers are thinking about pivoting to IT.
• According to HR Dive, CompTIA Apprenticeships for Tech has joined with SNS Technologies to expand and diversify the information technology workforce. The apprenticeship program is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor as part of its $40 million commitment toward apprenticeships that prioritize diversity initiatives. 
• Business Insider broke down how career changers can find the right coding bootcamp for them. 
• Technial.ly highlighted how coding bootcamps have needed to change their focus as everything moved online due to the pandemic, but when the world more fully reopens, will locally-focused bootcamps like Zip Code Wilmington zero back in on their regional community and businesses or continue growing their network online?
• Technical.ly highlighted the career change journeys of bootcamp alumni from Flatiron School.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: “BUILD BACK BETTER” 

• U.S. Congress has been working on its workforce development plan, Build Back Better, which focuses on creating millions of jobs. A recent WorkShift article highlights the reskilling needs of those unemployed due to Covid as many of those people were working low-paying jobs. 
• According to NPR, a new study from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce finds a growing number of people without a bachelor's degree are now out-earning those with one.
• Bangor Daily News reports that Maine has launched a $60M workforce development push to help its workforce reskill and find employment.
• WFMZ reports that New Horizons South Florida is helping prepare southern Florida residents for tech roles in the Miami area.

BRIDGING THE DIVERSITY GAP IN TECH

• According to a report from Coursera via HR Dive, more women are pursuing online education this year.
• Wired highlighted new research from Michigan State University and the universities of Iowa and Minnesota about how first generation college grads face more hurdles in the job market. 
• Forbes reports that Coding Dojo has paired up with The Prison Scholar Fund to launch a new bootcamp program focused on helping formerly incarcerated individuals find a career in tech. 

14 NEW BOOTCAMPS ON COURSE REPORT

• Tech Elevator announced that it’s opening a new campus in Wilmington, Delaware in January 2022. 
• Fullstack Academy now has partnerships with Utah State University and UT Dallas to launch new online bootcamp programs.
• University World News reports that HyperionDev has partnered with University of South Africa to launch an online computer science bootcamp. 
• According to Inside Indiana Business, Eleven Fifty Academy will be offering a coding bootcamp to residents of Gary, Indiana. 

We added 14 new bootcamps to the Course Report directory:

• Columbia Business School Bootcamps (powered by Emeritus) 
• Imperial Business College Bootcamps (powered by Emeritus)
• Community College of Vermont Bootcamp (powered by Upright)
• Technosoft Academy
• CodeAcademy
• TechProEducation
• Board Infinity
• Codeable
• Sparka Academy
• RookieUp
• Mento Design Academy
• Optilistic
• ENTITY Academy
• CyberNow Labs

JESS & LIZ’S FAVORITE SEPTEMBER BLOG POSTS

Jess was inspired by the career journey of Eleven Fifty Academy bootcamp alum Thomas. Thomas is a single dad of three kids who completed Eleven Fifty’s part-time Cybersecurity bootcamp and then landed his first IT role. He used Indiana’s Workforce Ready Grant to fund his online bootcamp experience, and he has great tips for juggling parenting, working full-time, and studying for a part-time bootcamp. 

Liz got to speak with four bootcamp alumni from Codesmith who took different career paths after they graduated. These grads are all Software Engineers, but two went to huge established companies and two went to startups. They share great tips on how they conducted their job searches during COVID-19, and their advice for bootcampers who are thinking about their first jobs now.