The University of North Florida’s Division of Continuing Education is launching a program designed to fill the need for information technology workers.
UNF Coding Bootcamp, a partnership with Fullstack Academy, will offer training in computer programming skills in a part-time setting. The six-month, 500-hour program doesn’t require participants to be UNF students or have coding knowledge.
Participants will learn the fundamentals of HTML, JavaScript, Redux and SQL, among other programming languages.
By the end of the program, students will have a portfolio of work and a certificate from UNF and Fullstack Academy. During and after the program, students will meet with UNF’s career development office to help them find jobs.
Applications are open until Sept. 30 and classes begin Oct. 14. To apply, students fill out an application, complete a 45-minute assessment and meet with an adviser to determine if the applicant is a good fit.
Classes meet 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Participants also should expect 10 hours a week of independent coursework.
Tuition is $12,000. A $2,000 scholarship is available for UNF students, alumni, employer-sponsored applicants and those in the Jacksonville tech community. There's also an application process to receive a private loan.
In the future, Fullstack hopes to bring a cybersecurity program to UNF.
Edythe Abdullah, dean of UNF’s Division of Continuing Education, said the university recognized the need to develop the local IT workforce and wanted to provide a solution. She said nearly 50% of new positions in Jacksonville require some form of coding knowledge.
According to the Brookings Institution, there’s projected to be 1 million unfilled tech openings in 2020.
“No matter where we look, whether it’s in the health care industry, finance, companies like Amazon or Google, startup companies, they all have a need for individuals who can code and create applications for their business operations,” Abdullah said.
The UNF program is Fullstack’s third offered through a university. California Polytechnic State University and the University of San Diego began programs this year. Fullstack also offers programming bootcamps in New York and Chicago at its own facilities.
“We specifically saw that there were thousands of openings in information technology and software engineering in the Jacksonville area,” said Fullstack co-founder and co-CEO Nimit Maru. “We like to go to places where the education we offer can really help people get those kinds of jobs in tech. We saw the demand in Jacksonville and we saw a place where we could add a lot of value.” (904) 356-2466