Anyone Can Learn To Code Filling The Talent Gap

by Giselle Gonzalez
April 9, 2015

Since last June, Anyone Can Learn To Code (ACLTC) has been doing its part to address the drought of available developer talent. Students of this 1871 based web development training program arrive as coding neophytes, and emerge fifteen weeks later ready to join the ranks of skilled programmers, and have already landed positions at a variety of tech companies. From more established companies like DialogTech and Leapfrog Online to nimble startups such as CancerIQ and HealthEngine, ACLTC graduates are making their dent in the Chicago development community.

ACLTC’s success is manifest in its growth. While it started with a handful of students, its upcoming class will be completely full with fifteen students. In addition to its rapid growth in Chicago, ACLTC is now announcing their expansion to other cities nationwide, beginning with its first course in San Francisco this Fall.

On April 16th, ACLTC’s third and largest cohort yet is celebrating its graduation with The Showcase, a free lunch event in the 1871 auditorium where all employers and the tech community at large are invited to network with each of the graduates, and receive a personal walkthrough of a web application that each graduate individually created. It’s a unique event that has been described in the past as a hybrid of a job networking event and science fair, with free lunch and beer.

 

In addition to celebrating the students’ success at The Showcase, ACLTC will be presenting its first Strategic Partnership Award to 1871 recognizing the latter’s role in helping ACLTC get its start. “While 1871 is the ideal location for ACLTC due to its prominence and accessibility for the Chicago tech community, it’s really a lot more than that,” says Jay Wengrow, ACLTC’s founder and CEO. “1871 supports us in so many other ways, from helping us connect to key people within the community, to promoting our events, to hosting our meetups, plus more.”

"We are thrilled to see the success of Anyone Can Learn to Code and are excited about helping the program grow at 1871," said Howard A. Tullman, 1871 CEO. "ACLTC is a wonderful element of our ecosystem and fits nicely with the overall offerings and organization of 1871. Some of their graduates have even found high-paying jobs with our companies. We are very excited for the future of ACLTC."

The ACLTC Showcase is free and open to the entire community. To attend, once can RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-anyone-can-learn-to-code-showcase-tickets-16381663998


To learn more about ACLTC, you can visit its website at http://anyonecanlearntocode.com or email them directly at [email protected].

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