We Can Code IT Launches StartMart Location for Adult Coding Bootcamps

FlashStart’s 2015 startup team We Can Code IT, which was featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business this past weekend, announced a formal partnership with Cleveland entrepreneurial hub StartMart. We Can Code IT, which provides IT education and job placement to women and minorities, will be launching a second location for its adult coding bootcamps in StartMart. The partnership will match graduates of the coding bootcamp with StartMart startups in need of development talent.

More details of the partnership are in the press release below.

We Can Code IT Launches StartMart Location for Adult Coding Bootcamps

StartMart and We Can Code IT Partner to Connect Program Graduates with StartMart Members

CLEVELAND, Aug. 18, 2015 – We Can Code IT announced today the opening of a second location for its adult coding bootcamps at StartMart, an entrepreneurship hub in downtown Cleveland. The partnership will connect graduates of the We Can Code IT program with startups at StartMart that are in need of software developers.

Founded by CEO Mel McGee in 2013, We Can Code IT provides education, mentoring and job placement to people who are underrepresented in computer science and engineering, including women, African Americans and Hispanic Americans.

“Women and people of color are severely underrepresented in computer science, yet they earn 30% more in the field than their counterparts in other industries,” said McGee. “We offer these students the opportunity to not only learn computer programming and web development, but to do so in an unintimidating, collaborative atmosphere.”

We Can Code IT offers adult coding bootcamps and computer and engineering workshops for children and teenagers at the Shaker LaunchHouse. The startup will maintain its current curriculum at LaunchHouse, but will move its corporate headquarters to StartMart.

“Part of our success is that we offer job placement after the coding bootcamp,” said McGee. “Many of our students happen to be un- or underemployed, so opening this second location at StartMart gives us the most unique opportunity to offer our graduates challenging and rewarding jobs at startups.”