DeltaV Code School has announced a new nights and weekends program, in an effort to make its program more accessible to those who want to learn how to code.
For the first time since launching nearly three years ago, DeltaV will now offer the option to take its Code 201 program on a nights and weekends schedule.
“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.
“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.
“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.
ISU Innovation Prize happening this weekend
The fourth annual ISU Innovation Prize competition at Iowa State University will take place this weekend.
The competition theme for the fourth annual event is “Innovation at Iowa State.” There will be three focus areas for participants to solve—AgTech, EdTech and Global Impact.
The winning team of each focus area will take home a $1,500 prize.
Over the course of the competition, participants will form in small groups, based on their interests and abilities, then choose one of the three focus areas to work on.
The free event is open to the community, and we invite students, faculty and staff, and community members to participate. Brian Hemesath will serve as the facilitator throughout the competition.
More details and a full schedule of the event can be found here.
Facebook opens applications for Community Action Grants program
Facebook has announced the new cycle of its Community Action Grants program.
The annual grant program addresses local needs by making grants available to non-profit organizations and schools for projects that do one or more of the following:
- Address critical community needs by putting the power of technology to use for community benefit;
- Connect people online or off;
- Improve local Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education.
Applications are being accepted now through December 3, 2019. Recipients will be announced by the end of March 2020.