Three Years after Launching the Coding Boot Camp Industry, Dev Bootcamp Celebrates with an Initiative to Increase Diversity in Tech
Dev Bootcamp, the industry leader and pioneer of the immersive coding “bootcamp,” celebrates three years of helping individuals reach career goals on March 12 with a renewed effort to encourage more women and underrepresented minorities to enter the tech sector. Having graduated more than 1,300 students since its inception, Dev Bootcamp has pledged:
“With non-technical skills training woven in seamlessly with the technical curriculum, Dev Bootcamp trains students to become not only good coders, but also exceptional team players capable of operating in dynamic technical environments with a diverse group of colleagues.”
- To award $425,000 in tuition scholarships for women and underrepresented minorities enrolling in its programs over the next year, and
- To improve awareness among diverse communities by partnering with organizations like #YesWeCode, which focuses on outreach to communities typically underrepresented in technology.
Anne Spalding, director of Dev Bootcamp’s San Francisco office, says, “We are proud of the progress we’ve made in opening doors and providing much needed skills training for those who previously knew nothing about coding. We recognize that we can make a greater impact in driving efforts to increase the representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the tech industry, and we are increasing our focus here.”
Dev Bootcamp is not only a leader among the coding schools, but also a leader in promoting racial and gender diversity within the tech industry,” says Van Jones, Co-Founder and Workforce Development Expert at #YesWeCode. “Our goal is to help companies find and develop the next generation of tech rock stars from communities that you wouldn’t expect them to come from, and Dev Bootcamp’s new scholarship program offers these would-be tech stars an immediate pathway.”
Since Dev Bootcamp created the first coding skills bootcamp in 2012, career prospects for software developers have continued to grow. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that hiring of software developers, who earned a median $90,000 in 2012, will grow at twice the rate as the average for all occupations through 2022, spurring demand for more bootcamp-style developer training programs.
The proliferation of such programs prompted Dev Bootcamp to lead an effort to launch a New Economy Skills Training Association (NESTA) with nine other bootcamps earlier this week, committing via a letter to President Obama to a set of industry standards for publishing completion and employment outcomes. The goal is to ensure that NESTA’s 10 charter members provide high-quality training that satisfies the expectations of students and the demands of companies looking for technical talent.
As the originator of the immersive coding school industry, Dev Bootcamp has graduated more than 1,300 students, making it one of the largest bootcamps of its kind. After graduation, Dev Bootcamp focuses on maintaining engagement with its graduates through its active alumni community, engaging many as coaches and mentors for new students and celebrating the new tech jobs its graduates have landed.
With three years under its belt, Dev Bootcamp’s curriculum and learning methodology have proven to be highly effective. Using input from past students, instructors and employer partners, Dev Bootcamp has continued to innovate on the program that effectively takes beginners to employable web developers in a matter of months. The 19-week program – 9 weeks remote plus 9 weeks on-site and 1-week career preparation – leverages multiple learning modalities such as lecture, pair programming, group projects, and individual challenges to optimize student engagement.
“Dev Bootcamp goes beyond just teaching people how to code. We teach our students how to practice empathy, communicate effectively, build strong relationships and adapt to feedback,” says Spalding. “With non-technical skills training woven in seamlessly with the technical curriculum, Dev Bootcamp trains students to become not only good coders, but also exceptional team players capable of operating in dynamic technical environments with a diverse group of colleagues.”
About Dev Bootcamp
Dev Bootcamp pioneered the short-term, immersive developer bootcamp, a model that transforms beginners into highly employable junior web developers in a matter of months. The 19-week curriculum teaches the technical skills people need to work as a web developer, but also the functional and emotional skills that are critical to working in dynamic, cross-functional engineering teams. With more than 1,300 graduates to date, and locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, Dev Bootcamp continues to lead the industry through innovation and expansion. Dev Bootcamp is owned by Kaplan, Inc. For more information, visit devbootcamp.com.
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