Fort Wayne & NE Indiana News

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Call For Youth Coding Education Participants

Local nonprofit Start Fort Wayne is partnering with South Bend Code School to bring coding and computer programming education to young people to Fort Wayne.

The South Bend Code School // Fort Wayne will run a “Jumpstart Web Development” class for 13-18 year old students. The class is an entry level web development course where students learn up to three coding languages (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript). Students will build web apps, and have the opportunity to visit a major tech company to present their apps and network with tech professionals. No previous programming experience is required to register.

Classes begin September 5, 2017 and will run for 12 weeks, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The cost of the course is $750. Scholarships are available. Interested students may sign up at the South Bend Code School website at www.southbendcodeschool.com.

Founded in 2015, South Bend Code School helps students learn the fundamentals of web development and design, software craftsmanship and entrepreneurship. The curriculum grants students experience in conceptualizing, designing and building applications that work towards solving real-world problems.

“We are delighted to expand the reach of South Bend Code School to the Fort Wayne community,” says Alex Liggins, co-founder of South Bend Code School. “Through our curriculum, career mentorship and trips to major tech companies, the program gives students skills to help them in the job market and prepare them for higher education. It is very exciting for us to partner with the Start Fort Wayne team to bring a program we believe in to other parts of the state. We know that tech skills are in high demand in most regions. We are excited to grow and bring more opportunity to youth in other cities as well as South Bend.”

Since its inception, over 100 students in northern Indiana have completed the South Bend Code School’s formal program and over 600 students have been reached through its expanded outreach efforts. Over 120 websites have been built by students in South Bend Code School programs and students receiving education have been 47% female and 56% under-represented, minority students.

“No industry in our region is untouched by advances in technology. If northeast Indiana wants to compete over the next 50 years, we have to ensure that we are growing the talent to design, develop, and manage new technology. Software developers are in short supply, not just in Fort Wayne, but across the entire United States, and it will be difficult to attract all of the talent we will need. We look forward to this partnership with South Bend Code School to help us grow these future programmers and engineers right here at home.” says board president and founder Dave Sanders.

Start Fort Wayne began in 2015 with a vision is to be a hub for entrepreneurship by building programs and creating connections for entrepreneurs that drive startup culture and prepare leaders with skills required in the new economy. In doing this, Start Fort Wayne helps entrepreneurs realize their dreams.