Episode 28: April 2018 Bootcamp News

In our April 2018 technology bootcamp news roundup we saw four overarching trends – bootcamp acquisitions, employers putting their own employees through bootcamp, a continued debate between college vs bootcamp, and efforts to expand accessibility to coding education for underrepresented groups in tech. We also look at apprenticeships, the evolution of bootcamp curricula, life after bootcamp, and new bootcamps! Read the roundup below or listen to the podcast!

Acquisitions + Fundraising

• Online bootcamp Thinkful acquired another online bootcamp, Bloc. This was covered by EdSurge and ELearningInside.
• General Assembly coding bootcamp (which has campuses around the world) was acquired for $413 million by Adecco, which is the world’s largest recruitment and staffing firm, based in Zurich, Switzerland. Forbes interviewed CEO Jake Schwartz about the deal, and this was also covered by TechCrunch, Technically DC, etc.
• CrunchBase released a roundup of other coding bootcamps which have been acquired over the years. Course Report also has a Guide to Coding Bootcamp Acquisitions.
• EdSurge and TechCrunch reported that Holberton School raised $8.2 Million in funding to expand it’s San Francisco-based coding school. The Series A Investors included daphni, Trinity Ventures, and Omidyar Network.
   

Companies Training Workers

• To fill the overwhelming need for AI talent, companies like Google, Amazon & Microsoft are offering part-consulting services/part-bootcamps that last 4 weeks to several months, where whole teams from client companies can acquire machine-learning skills and build customized systems alongside Google engineers.
• According to TechRepublic, Google has also launched a free learn-to-code mobile app for JavaScript, called Grasshopper, inspired by the programming pioneer Grace Hopper who coined the term “bug” and “debug” in programming.
• TechCrunch reports that Microsoft launched a set of 13 online courses for entry-level software developers which cover topics like Python, JavaScript, Artificial Intelligence, and machine learning.
• CNBC’s Jim Cramer looks at how Home Depot is hiring 1000 technical professionals as part of an $11 billion strategic investment plan to protect its lead over Amazon, and how they also train existing employees in 12-week tech bootcamps.
• In Minneapolis, a professional technology services firm called Genesis10 is putting 12 candidates through a 9-week coding bootcamp where students learn Java, REST API, and Spring framework; all skills that Genesis 10’s clients need.
• Meg Conlan of Biz tech magazine looks at 3 tactics that can help banks and financial institutions gain the IT talent they need, including alternative training like coding bootcamps to recruit new hires and upskill current employees.
• A guest post in VentureBeat by Jeff Mazur, the Executive Director of LaunchCode, looks at the difficulties in talent recruiting in the Midwest and elsewhere, how LaunchCode partners with local employers to build a custom curriculum, and encourages employers to “rethink how they source and develop talent.”
• Forbes contributor Steve Cadigan looks at different ways to fill the talent gap in tech with a focus on custom corporate training. He gives Miami-based bootcamp Wyncode, which works directly with companies to prepare candidates to fill current job openings, as an example.
• The Miami Herald also highlights Wyncode’s corporate training program, and mentions Wyncode client Liquid Consulting, which is putting eight students through a nine-week course with Wyncode, after which they are guaranteed jobs with Liquid.
• Shirin Ghaffary of ReCode looked at how important corporate training was for General Assembly in their success and sale.
   

College vs Bootcamp

• The Wall Street Journal profiles Mission U and other longer coding bootcamps which aim to replace college, have innovative tuition options, and are creating a pipeline to well-paying jobs.
• Sydney Johnson of EdSurge talks to a Stanford computer science professor about the popularity of CS majors, what he thinks of coding bootcamps, and why he sees fewer women in CS programs.
• Dan Patterson of TechRepublic interviewed the Vice Provost at the Continuum College at the University of Washington about the differences between a certificate program at a university, a coding bootcamp, and a MOOC (massive online open courses).
   

Apprenticeships

• In response to the need for people to retrain in tech skills, Bloomberg Businessweek editors looked at how government spending towards colleges is not helping, and suggests that apprenticeships and training programs like coding bootcamps should be expanded.
• Conservative columnist Peter Morici writes in the Washington Times about how America is overinvesting in traditional higher education, how more apprenticeship programs are needed, mentions that the Trump administration has doubled the DOL budget for cultivating apprenticeships, and mentions coding bootcamps as alternatives to higher ed.
• KMVT has more information about the Code-to-Career apprenticeship program in Idaho and how to apply. After the six months of on-the-job training, students will receive a credential from the U.S. Department of Labor. Interested candidates can call 208-861-9207 for more information.
   

Expanding Accessibility

• Texas Public Radio and Biz Journals covered the news of a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to Alamo Colleges District to offer scholarships for unemployed or underemployed San Antonio, Texas residents to attend Codeup, an 18-week coding bootcamp.
• KALW profiled Hola Code, a 5-month coding bootcamp in Mexico City which aims to teach deported migrants how to code. Students receive a stipend and pay back their tuition once they get a job.
• Peru Reports profiles a Peruvian startup called Laboratoria, which teaches Latina women how to code. The article looks at why Laboratoria focuses on teaching women only, and their plans to expand across South America.
• Lin Taylor of Reuters profiles Code Your Future, a free coding bootcamp for asylum seekers and refugees in London run by volunteer mentors, and how the team is working to reboot lives.
• Progrss.com profiles AlMakinah which offers a 13-week, full-time immersive software engineering bootcamp in Egypt, as well as an all women’s introductory program to encourage more women to learn to code.
• Trinidad and Tobago Newsday highlights a woman named Sherezz who is crowdfunding to go to Codeworks 3-month immersive full-stack software engineering bootcamp in Barcelona. Check out her fundraising page.
• TechRepublic interviewed Johanna Mikkola, the CEO of Miami-based coding bootcamp Wyncode about why having more women in tech management is good for businesses, and how Wyncode is trying to help close the gap.
   

Bootcamp Curriculum

• Fast Company looked at how practical skills will become more important than having a degree in future. The article profiles a Flatiron School NYC Tech Talent Pipeline grad, and quotes CEOs from IBM and LinkedIn who say that skills are the most relevant thing these days.
• Fullstack Academy CEO David Yang wrote a guest post in EdSurge about the evolution of the coding bootcamp model from 1.0 to 2.0, how more bootcamps are including add-ons to create a “whole product” for students (like financing, credentials, alumni networks, housing), and predicts new methods of content delivery like partnerships with universities and government.
• Emily Johnson of Information Week looked at how important soft skills are for working in tech, how they are actually really hard to master, yet they're proving to be the attributes that give candidates an edge when looking for new roles and leadership positions.
   

Life After Bootcamp

• An opinion piece by Tina Rosenberg in the NY Times looks at how web development bootcamps like C4Q’s Access Code and GA’s Per Scholas initiative can lead to high-paying jobs for people from underserved backgrounds, and talks to Blue Apron founder Ilia Papas who said “it takes months to hire a software engineer in New York City”.
• Forbes profiles C4Q founder Jukay Hsu who was a classmate of Mark Zuckerberg’s at Harvard, joined the military after college, and after meeting people with such different backgrounds, realized that, “talent is universal but opportunity is not,” so he founded C4Q in Queens for people earning less than $40,000.
• AL.com profiled a graduate of Innovate Birmingham, a 14-week bootcamp aiming to help retrain Birmingham's native-born talent, and highlights Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin who is encouraging grads to become entrepreneurs.
• Irish Tech News profiles Code Institute grad Andres Correa who was a former pastry chef in Dublin and is now working as a full stack developer.
• Hypepotamus profiles a Georgia Tech coding bootcamp grad and veteran who wants to use his skills to solve social services challenges.
• GCU Today profiled graduates of Grand Canyon University’s 15-week Java bootcamp in Phoenix, Arizona, who built Java apps for local nonprofits.
• According to the Northern California Record, App Academy is alleging that a student who found a job in 2013 has failed to pay back their deferred tuition. App Academy alleges that the student breached their contract and owes them $15,000 because they found a job within a year of graduating.
• Jacobin Mag looks at a unionization saga involving a group of Hackbright Academy alumnae, one of whom was fired from her role. The article looks at how a tech company called Lanetix fired all its software engineers after they tried to unionize with NewsGuild - Communications Workers of America.
   

New Bootcamps/Bootcamp updates

• Fast Company and Houston Chronicle announced that NYC-based Flatiron School is expanding to Houston, TX and offering a scholarship in partnership with Facebook.
• Flatiron School is also launching in London and Karlie Kloss joined Flatiron co-founder Avi Flombaum for a panel discussion about that forthcoming launch at a London WeWork.
• Provalus, a 9-week intensive training program to teach software development, has launched in Brewton, Alabama. Five cohorts have now graduated, with 40 people already hired in software developer jobs at Fortune 2000 companies.
• WRAL Tech Wire profiles Momentum Learning, a Durham-based learning organization created by former employees from The Iron Yard to fill the demand for developers, and increase the tech talent pipeline.
   

New Coding bootcamps on Course Report

• Coding Experiences, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
• Microverse, online
• Kickstart Coding, Oakland, California
• IC Bootcamp, Lahore, Pakistan and online
• Innovate Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
• Hola Code, Mexico City
• Code Partners, Bethesda, Maryland
• Cook Systems Fast Track'D, Memphis, Tennessee
• Per Scholas, various cities like Dallas, TX, New York City, Atlanta, GA

Favorite Pieces on the Blog

Imogen Crispe

• Imogen enjoyed profiling Tech Elevator’s new Pittsburgh campus, and discovering how Pittsburgh is such a burgeoning tech hub, with thousands of open tech jobs, and companies like Google, Amazon, and Uber have offices there. She spoke to Tech Elevator campus director Justin Driscoll, who worked with the Pittsburgh technology council, and raved about the varied neighborhoods, and the low cost of housing compared with NYC and SF.
   

Liz Eggleston

• Liz interviewed an IT Manager who worked with Software Guild to retrain his team of developers; he saw inconsistencies between teams and the way they wrote code in Java, so they put everyone through the same course to get the team on the same page. This employer said it was totally worth it, but here’s his advice for other employers:
  • “It’s wise for a company to sit down, calculate the cost of training, and determine the return on that investment. It doesn't take very long to see that there's a positive ROI on the cost of training. When you eliminate your technical debt, the return comes back pretty quickly.”
     

Lauren Stewart

• Lauren had a great conversation with a Holberton School alum, Max Johnson. Max was living paycheck-to-paycheck and jumping between jobs as a mental health therapist, delivery driver, and physical trainer. He wasn’t satisfied his current career trajectory and he wanted a more viable career path. So he took a risk and drove across the country from New Jersey to San Francisco to attend Holberton School.
   

FURTHER READING/LISTENING

• March 2018 Coding Bootcamp News Roundup and Podcast
• February 2018 Coding Bootcamp News Roundup and Podcast
• Podcast: All Women's Coding Bootcamps

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About The Author

Imogen is a writer and content producer who loves writing about technology and education. Her background is in journalism, writing for newspapers and news websites. She grew up in England, Dubai and New Zealand, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.