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Code Louisville, which provides training to help people quickly enter the technology field, has helped more than 250 people start or advance their careers in technology, Mayor Greg Fischer announced.“It is critical for our economy and our community’s future to have as many people as possible gaining the skills to embrace the technologies of today and tomorrow,” Mayor Fischer said. “So, it’s exciting that a homegrown initiative like Code Louisville has become a national model for developing tech talent – and our goal is to take that to an even higher level.”
There have been 821 graduates of the 12-week training course, ranging in age from 18 to 71. Graduates have landed jobs at more than 150 local companies, with an average starting salary of about $48,000.
The free training has been a game-changer for many participants, including Tina Maddox, who was a stay-at-home mom when she started Code Louisville. Now, she is a Junior DevOps Engineer at Louisville-based El Toro Internet Marketing.
“I wouldn’t have the job I have today without this training, it’s changed my life,” Maddox said. “It was very hard work but I’m proof that it absolutely can be done, even without any type of tech background.”
Maddox is one of 12 Code Louisville graduates hired by El Toro, helping the company keep pace with its recent growth of more than 12,000 percent.
“This program has been great for Louisville and for El Toro,” said Stacy Griggs, president & CEO of El Toro. “As we have scaled from a half dozen employees to over 100 team members in the last four years, it’s been vitally important to have a strong pipeline of software development talent. Code Louisville has been an important factor in increasing the amount of tech talent available in Louisville.”
Other local companies that have hired multiple graduates include Appris, GE Appliances, Humana, Interapt, QSR Automations and Zirmed.
Code Louisville is designed specifically to help people prepare for software development jobs. During the online training provided through Treehouse, participants are supported by volunteer mentors, many of whom are themselves Code Louisville graduates. The program has had more than 130 mentors involved.
“This training is truly changing lives while also providing a quick pipeline of fresh talent that is helping meet the evolving demands of our existing employers and also companies that are eyeing Louisville for relocation or expansion,” said Michael Gritton, executive director of KentuckianaWorks which operates Code Louisville. “The diversity of participants is amazing: people of all ages and backgrounds, with GEDs to Ph.Ds, and from plumber assistants to math teachers and professionals from other countries.”
The program launched with federal funding in 2014, but interest and participation exploded in April 2015 when President Barack Obama visited and cited Code Louisville as a model for the national TechHire initiative, which had just started.
As a testament to the program’s need and popularity, there are currently more than 1,000 people on a waiting list. Admission is prioritized for those in greatest need, including individuals who are unemployed, from lower income families and veterans.
Code Louisville is funded through a Workforce Innovation Fund grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The program is based just west of the city’s NuLu neighborhood. More information is available at codelouisville.org.
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.
