Apps are now open for Philly’s latest tech bootcamp offering

Offering free digital skills training and job placement to its participants, St. Louis-based nonprofit LaunchCode opened applications for its new Philadelphia program on Monday.

LaunchCode joins Resilient Coders and Tech Elevator as new-to-Philly tech bootcamps with similar goals of supporting diversity in the tech sector. The org’s self-guided Discovery course teaches the basics of computer programming within two months, and its LC101 course starts with JavaScript.

The cornerstone LC101 program is a part-time opportunity free to participants. No prior technical experience is required and people of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The first LaunchCode LC101 cohort will be taught remotely due to the pandemic. These first classes launch in June and will take place over 25 weeks, instead of LaunchCode’s usual 20. Classes will take place on Monday and Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m.

Keighan Gunther, AVP of LaunchCode Philadelphia, said LaunchCode is well positioned to help local professionals build skills for the future.

“What LaunchCode brings to the Philadelphia market is a proven model of tech workforce development that connects employers with the talent they need,” he said in a statement this week. “Our model teaches coding languages and skills in demand by employers, which we know will lead to success for Philadelphians. As a Philadelphian, I am proud to be leading the expansion to our market and seeing the impact LaunchCode will have on our region’s workforce and our community’s future.”

Philadelphia Alliance for Capital & Technologies (PACT) will also support LaunchCode’s expansion via financial support through its foundation and via connections to potential employers. PACT President and CEO Dean Miller said that his organization’s goals in improving the tech diversity of the local job market are in alignment with those of LaunchCode.

Local tech jobs can be lucrative, with the role of a mid-level full-stack software developer having an average starting salary of $74,449. Professionals in less resilient industries affected by the pandemic have also used bootcamps as entry points to new careers in tech.

Those interested in LC101 can apply by April 30. Companies that want to bring LaunchCode participants onto their teams can email Gunther at keighan@launchcode.org. Two info sessions about the LC101 course will be held Thursday, March 25, and Thursday, April 1, at 6 p.m. Register here.

And check out our roundup of local learn-to-code resources.

Michael Butler is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.