The Department of Labor projects that there will be 1.4 million new information technology jobs by 2020, and there simply may not be enough adequate training programs to prepare Americans for these jobs.
Traditional workforce training programs are stepping up—expanding their IT programs and working with industry to develop curricula that better prepare Americans for today’s jobs. As part of his review of America’s training programs, the Vice President has highlighted innovative new examples of those programs in his report to the President.
The Administration is particularly committed to supporting a new accelerated model of intensive training, often called “coding bootcamps,” which has emerged in several cities around the country. Coding bootcamps teach participants with minimal to no IT backgrounds how to write computer code on an accelerated time frame (usually between 9 and 12 weeks) and regularly result in high paying jobs (frequently around $70,000).
Recognizing the opportunity these accelerated learning programs present to quickly upskill workers, the Vice President has called on local leaders, federal agencies, non-profits, and industry to support more of these non-traditional training models. Today, in response to that call, Kansas City, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, together with the Wadhwani Foundation, have worked to create new public-private partnerships, collaborating with local IT employers and city leaders to help drive the expansion of coding bootcamps in their communities.
These efforts build on the Vice President’s announcement yesterday that the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking key steps to support accelerated learning, including allocating $10 million through the VA Center to support coding bootcamps as well as issuing a letter to help existing coding bootcamps and accelerated programs understand how to qualify for funding under the GI Bill.
More Information on City Commitments:
In addition to these efforts, under the leadership of Vice President Biden, the Administration has implemented key executive actions to make federal employment and training programs and policies more effective and responsive to employer needs. By supporting skills training such as IT boot camps, these efforts can help further economic growth across the country.
Lynn Overmann is Senior Advisor to the United States Chief Technology Officer and Marc Aidinoff is Assistant Director for Policy in the Office of the Vice President