Cedar Rapids, IA, November 7, 2019 – DeltaV Code School wants to make it more accessible for adult career switchers to learn how to code. For those currently working a full-time job; however, switching to a full-time bootcamp can be a difficult decision to make.
A new nights and weekends program aims to change that.
For the first time since its launch nearly three years ago, DeltaV is offering the option to take its Code 201 program on a nights and weekends schedule rather than as a full-time Monday through Friday commitment. By doing so, a student could theoretically hold a full-time job with regular hours, then head to class in the evenings.
“We’ve had a number of potential students express strong interest, but their life situation doesn’t allow them to get through the 20-week program without income,” NewBoCo Software Architect and DeltaV Instructor Keith Dahlby said. “We’re introducing the nights and weekends courses to lower the risk for students to begin their coding journey without leaving their current job.”
The eight-week Code 201 class kicks off January 18, 2020. It runs for eight weeks, ending with final class projects and presentations on March 14, 2020.
The course guides students toward developing a well-rounded foundation of skills necessary for modern web development. Those skills include coding in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; utilizing Git workflow processes; project organization; designing with wireframing; and employing introductory Agile development methods.
“Long term, I hope we grow student demand to the point where we can offer the full 201-401 program with a night and weekend option,” NewBoCo Chief Operating Officer Aaron Horn said.
DeltaV Code School was created to address the lack of available tech talent in Iowa. There are more than 2900 open computing jobs in Iowa, but Iowa’s universities only had 459 computer science graduates in 2017. To fill the open computing jobs in Iowa alone, at least 10 percent of unemployed Iowans would need to be trained today. To date, 100 percent of DeltaV reporting graduates have found a job in software development with an average starting salary of $58,600.
“Iowa has a very real tech talent supply problem and it is something that affects all industries across our state,” Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend said. “As we have long recognized with Future Ready Iowa, closing the skills gap will take multiple approaches. We are fortunate to have a resource like DeltaV Code School as part of the solution to help ensure Iowans have an additional pathway for IT training that can get them into high demand careers like software development.”
DeltaV Code School has new financing options in place, including being a GI Bill® approved school, having a Quality Pre-Apprenticeship Program and an established US Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship, and is increasing its diversity tuition awards. DeltaV is also developing an entirely new program for Iowa using income share agreements as an alternative financing option.
The diversity tuition award fund was set up last year to make it easier for women, low income, people with disabilities, and populations underrepresented in technology (African American, Hispanic, and Native American, including Alaskan and Hawaiian, and people with disabilities) to start a new career in coding. DeltaV Code School encourages anyone in these groups to apply for tuition assistance. Traditional student loans will continue to be available in 2020 as well.
DeltaV Code 101 courses are available for students of any experience level to learn more about building a website, what software development careers are like, and whether DeltaV Code 201-401 would be a good fit for them. Classes are held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and prospective students can view the upcoming schedule and enroll at www.deltavcodeschool.com/course-catalog. The full schedule for the new nights and weekends program can be viewed there as well.
“The hope for nights and weekends is, quite simply, that we are able to get more and more people to give coding a try as their next career,” Dahlby said.
About DeltaV Code School
DeltaV, Iowa’s premier adult code school, believes in life improvement through technical education and is addressing the lack of software developers in Iowa. At DeltaV Code School, adults take classes to become full stack JavaScript developers in 20 weeks. DeltaV Code School is powered by NewBoCo and Code Fellows.
About NewBoCo
The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative, Inc. (NewBoCo) is a 501(c)(3) organization located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. NewBoCo’s programming supports entrepreneurship, innovation, and tech education to help Iowans become more resilient and thrive in a changing economy.
Media contact: Jessalyn Holdcraft, Director of Marketing
jessalyn@newbo.co
