Jefferson Community & Technical College, Code Louisville Partner To Help Students Gain Technology Jobs

Building upon their own successes, two of the city’s major players in Louisville’s IT education marketplace have cracked the code of how to strengthen their students’ work-ready skills.

Jefferson Community & Technical College and Code Louisville announced today a collaboration that provides Jefferson students credits for courses completed through the Code Louisville web development program.

“Web development is one of our high-growth, high-demand sectors, providing jobs with a future that you can support a family on,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “In an increasingly competitive job market, this partnership gives Louisville students more accessibility to securing a career in software development.”

The courses Jefferson offers align perfectly with Code Louisville’s classes and will provide a seamless transition to completing a credential.

Each 12-week Code Louisville course is worth three credit hours towards a Jefferson certificate or degree in Computer and Information Technology. This means a student can take one course at Jefferson plus three Code Louisville courses and earn a Programming Certificate or be well on their way to completing the Software Development Specialization sequence as part of an associate’s degree.

“As the community’s college, it is up to us to ensure our community’s employers have the workforce they need to grow their business, and, in turn, grow Louisville’s economy,” said Jefferson president Dr. Ty Handy. “Jefferson is expanding its Computer and Information Technology programs to keep up with the demand and we are eager to break ground on a new IT facility that will foster an exponential increase in developers.”

Jefferson’s plan for a new Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology Center was recently approved by the governor’s Work Ready Skills Committee. The group appropriated more than $15 million for construction and the college is looking to raise several million more. It could open as soon as Spring of 2019.

Code Louisville, a free training program of KentuckianaWorks, was launched in late 2013 to expand the pool of web developers in the region. Students learn web development using the latest technology and practices. Aided by expert mentors and online software, students complete coding projects and build portfolios of their work. More than 500 students have graduated Code Louisville with a quarter of those now in new jobs or advancing with their current employer.

“Virtually every business is now a ‘technology company’ and Code Louisville is designed to quickly provide people the skills that employers are demanding,” said Michael Gritton, executive director of KentuckianaWorks. “Partnering with Jefferson will help individuals launch strong technology careers and help our region’s employers keep pace with their rapidly growing and changing technology needs.”

For more information about Code Louisville, including applying for courses, hiring graduates or mentoring students, visit codelouisville.org. For more information about the IT classes offered at Jefferson, visit www.jefferson.kctcs.edu/academics/programs_of_study/cit.