Uplanders in Crawford and Washington counties are developing their skills in web development and associated technologies less than a year after a READI-funded expansion of the Code/IT Academy.
This year, the Mill was awarded READI funding for the Code/IT Academy to prepare adults for regionally relevant, high-demand careers in the Uplands. The free, cohort-based program provides skill development in IT administration, web development, and associated technologies. After ten weeks of training, participants earn industry-recognized certifications (e.g., CompTIA Security+ certification, LinkedIn IT certificates, and AWS Cloud Practitioner certification). In addition, they receive professional support to secure a new job or advance within their existing career.
Code/IT Academy is a partnership between The Mill, ROI, and Ivy Tech. The Mill leads program design and administration, facilitates recruitment and enrollment, and offers participant support such as soft-skills training, study groups, and job referrals. ROI contributes Uplands outreach, marketing, and technical support to the expansion. Ivy Tech delivers all course instruction and provides career coaching through its Ivy+ Career Link program.
In Washington County, 20 students signed up to be part of the Intro to Web Development cohort this summer, and another four students signed up in Crawford County. Washington County resident Bill Gleason said he enjoyed working as a team with his classmates and proctors in the summer cohort.
“Getting to produce a working website that had personal meaning to me and my family,” Gleason said about what he enjoyed most. “Lastly, the immediate gratification of seeing the result of something you coded.”
The Monroe County cohort this summer featured 30 students.“We did end up learning a lot about HTML and CSS. The final project allowed us to be creative and use the skills we had learned throughout the course,” said Monroe County cohort student Jed Junken. “I made a few friends, and we were able to help each other navigate the coursework.”
The Mill offers a new cohort each spring, summer, and fall. The fall AWS Cloud Practitioner cohort is currently underway in all three counties. Ten students are in the Washington County cohort, with an additional student in Crawford County and 30 in Monroe County.
Currently, in its ninth cohort in Bloomington, Code/IT Academy has seen a rapid increase in demand. Since summer 2022, around 30 students have been in each cohort in Monroe County. Using READI funding, Code/IT will be expanded to other eight Uplands counties over the next three years. Classes will take place in person at The Mill in Bloomington and live-stream to satellite locations with on-site facilitators.
Learn more about how you can get involved with the Code/IT Academy at https://codeitacademy.org/