The University of Connecticut School of Engineering announced Tuesday the launch of its first computer-coding “boot camp,” a program focused on working professionals that it would run with workforce-development firm Trilogy Education.
Aimed at increasing the area’s supply of technology specialists, the UConn Coding Boot Camp would teach the skills needed to become a proficient “full-stack” developer, according to UConn and Trilogy officials. The 24-week, part-time program begins July 30, comprising two three-hour evening classes on weekdays and four-hour classes on Saturdays, at the university’s downtown building, at 1 University Place.
“Our computer-science graduates get jobs, but it’s hard for industry to get the numbers they need just from those who are graduating,” said Kylene Perras, the UConn Engineering School’s director of strategic initiatives and professional education. “This is another way for us to educate the workforce and fulfill the need for tech talent that we have right now.”
The program’s curriculum would cover the basics of coding, algorithms and data structure and include training in the website-development fundamentals of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
In addition to classroom instruction, students would spend a minimum of 20 hours each week on outside projects, homework and “experiential learning” activities. They would also produce professional project portfolios and receive career-planning services.
After completing the program, students would receive a certificate in full-stack web development from the School of Engineering.
No previous training or experience is required before entering the boot camp.
“We’re able to give folks from all backgrounds and experience levels a pathway into the tech industry,” Perras said. “We recognize there may be a variety of experience levels among students coming into the program.”
Manhattan-based Trilogy, which was founded in 2015, focuses on tackling a shortage of professionals with advanced digital skills. By next year, “there will be millions more technology jobs than applicants who can fill them,” according to its website.
The firm has partnered with 46 universities. Its coding boot camps’ average student age is 32, with a minimum age of 18.
In UConn Engineering, it has teamed up with a school that enrolled about 3,600 students and approximately 830 graduate students in the past school year. In Stamford, there are about 100 students who are enrolled in engineering or exploring the program, according to the university.
“Together, Trilogy and UConn designed this boot camp for anyone with the drive to learn a set of skills that will help them future-proof their careers,” Trilogy CEO and Founder Dan Sommer said in a statement. “Every step of the way, students will have supportive instructors, tutors, and career coaches to guide them, along with a curriculum tailored to the needs of Connecticut employers.”
Elsewhere in Stamford, technology-training firm General Assembly launched a center in March in the Comradity co-working complex, at 845 Canal St., in the city’s South End.
The opening followed General Assembly’s announcement last December that it would start running full-time courses in web development and data science at a site within walking distance of the main Metro-North train station in Stamford. Comradity operates about 1 mile from the downtown transportation center.
