Cleveland Coding Bootcamp Financing
We Can Code IT Partners with City of Cleveland to Offer Tech Training Grants for Low-Income Residents
Three of the top five most in-demand occupations are in software development and computer programming – yet some low-income residents in Cleveland may not have the skills needed for the booming tech industry. A new collaboration between We Can Code IT and the City of Cleveland aims to change that by offering affordable training for residents who want to enter the lucrative tech field.
“This partnership is a natural fit for the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “It allows us to offer training for Cleveland residents and is another tool for individuals in NTI target areas.”
As part of Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), the City of Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development department secured a $200,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation. The grant will fund half of the cost of tuition for accelerated adult training courses at We Can Code IT, a Cleveland coding bootcamp with a mission to improve inclusion and diversity in the tech industry.
The new partnership program is focused on reaching low-to-middle income Cleveland residents or anyone residing in the Glenville, Buckeye-Shaker, Clark-Metro, and E. 79th-Kinsman/Central neighborhoods. For 30 adult students who pass We Can Code IT’s admission requirements, the grant will fund almost half of the $13,900 tuition cost. We Can Code IT offers numerous financing and scholarship options to cover the remaining $6,450. The grant also covers the $125 registration fee for those 30 students.
We Can Code IT was founded on a commitment to helping people feel comfortable with learning computer technology and software development. We Can Code IT’s innovative teaching methods combine in-class, hands-on and remote learning. Their mission is to include all populations in the tech community, with a goal to increase diversity in the tech industry by 10 percent in the next ten years.
“It’s important to get people from all our Cleveland neighborhoods trained for the high-demand, lucrative careers in the tech field,” says Mel McGee, CEO and founder of We Can Code IT. “We provide training as well as mentors who can show families and community members that it is possible. When kids see their parents or other adults they know working in fields like software development, they say ‘I can do this, too!’ The training at We Can Code IT not only helps Cleveland residents provide for their families – it will impact generations to come and create lifelong role models.”
Speak with an Admissions Representative to see if you qualify for the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative!
