Tech Elevator’s new partnership means free career skills courses for Delawareans

If you live in Delaware and bootcamp tuition is your biggest barrier to getting certified as a software developer, it’s worth looking into Tech Elevator.

In January 2022, the Cleveland, Ohio-based coding bootcamp opened its first location in Delaware, one of several in the Mid-Atlantic region. That location, on Market Street in Wilmington, remains Tech Elevator’s base in Delaware, while the 14-week full-time courses are now fully virtual and have interactive cohorts of about 22 students each.

Full tuition for the full-time course without any financial aid or scholarships is $16,500. But now, Tech Impact, a regional nonprofit focused on social impact through technology that is best known for its IT Works program and the Data Innovation Lab, has partnered with Tech Elevator to make the course tuition-free for Delaware residents.

While it doesn’t guarantee placement, the organization has hundreds of hiring partners and can arrange “matchmaking” sessions and other resources after graduation.

“We support [graduates] for up to a year in their job search process,” Lisa Sydney, Tech Elevator’s Philadelphia campus director, told Technical.ly. “The career development portion is a huge part, just as important as the technical work.”

What to expect from the application process

To get started, potential students need to first apply through Tech Impact’s Tech Hire Delaware portal. You must meet the following criteria:

• Resident of Delaware
• 18 or over
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Are eligible to work in the US

There are no income requirements, though Tech Impact focuses on people who are underemployed and underrepresented, including veterans, returning citizens and people with disabilities.

If you are accepted by Tech Impact, the next step is to take an aptitude test, which can be accessed on Tech Elevator’s website.

“This will just [ask] a little bit about you, what inspired you to pursue a career in technology, what interests you about this field,” said Sydney.

From there, potential students will fill out a formal application and take a longer 90-minute aptitude test. You don’t have to have coding or a lot of technology skills, since the test assesses critical thinking and problem-solving aptitude.

Finally, there is a virtual interview.

What to expect from the program

The full-time course is an intensive 14 weeks. Since the cohorts are small and the course is collaborative, classes meet live and attendance is required.

“They usually start at 9 in the morning and they’ll have a short break, and they’ll go ‘til lunchtime,” Sydney said. “And then after that, there is ‘in-person [style] remote instruction, which is very similar to our [in-person] instruction if you were actually on campus in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or Columbus or Cleveland.”

Students often work in pairs or groups on projects like creating an app, and collaborate in small group discussions and breakouts.

According to Tech Elevator’s 2023 Annual Alumni Status Report (representing alumni nationwide), the average starting salary at graduation is $65,000 a year, with annual salaries hitting around $100,000 within five years. 44% of alumni work fully remotely while 44% work hybrid or flex schedules and 8% work fully in person. The majority work in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

“Our big thing is — I know it’s a cheesy sort of tagline thing, but we really want to help elevate people and communities,” Sydney said. “We really think this can be generationally wealth-changing for people who are making $13 an hour and then get this training.”