National Law Journal: “Small LSAT Spike Doesn’t Mean Law School Slump Is Over”
eCampus News: “How coding is connecting minorities to tech scholarships”
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538 Twitter: @KapTestNews, @DevBootcamp
San Francisco, CA (March 12, 2015) – Dev Bootcamp, the industry leader and pioneer of the immersive coding “bootcamp,” celebrates three years of helping individuals reach career goals on March 12 with a renewed effort to encourage more women and underrepresented minorities to enter the tech sector. Having graduated more than 1,300 students since its inception, Dev Bootcamp has pledged:
1. To award $425,000 in tuition scholarships for women and underrepresented minorities enrolling in its programs over the next year, and
2. To improve awareness among diverse communities by partnering with organizations like #YesWeCode, which focuses on outreach to communities typically underrepresented in technology.
Anne Spalding, director of Dev Bootcamp’s San Francisco office, says, “We are proud of the progress we’ve made in opening doors and providing much needed skills training for those who previously knew nothing about coding. We recognize that we can make a greater impact in driving efforts to increase the representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the tech industry, and we are increasing our focus here.”
“Dev Bootcamp is not only a leader among the coding schools, but also a leader in promoting racial and gender diversity within the tech industry,” says Van Jones, Workforce Development Expert for #YesWeCode. “Our goal is to help companies find and develop the next generation of tech rock stars from communities that you wouldn’t expect them to come from, and Dev Bootcamp’s new scholarship program offers these would-be tech stars an immediate pathway.”
Since Dev Bootcamp created the first coding skills bootcamp in 2012, career prospects for software developers have continued to grow. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that hiring of software developers, who earned a median $90,000 in 2012, will grow at twice the rate as the average for all occupations through 2022, spurring demand for more bootcamp-style developer training programs.
The proliferation of such programs prompted Dev Bootcamp to lead an effort to launch a New Economy Skills Training Association (NESTA) with nine other bootcamps earlier this week, committing via a letter to President Obama to a set of industry standards for publishing completion and employment outcomes. The goal is to ensure that NESTA’s 10 charter members provide high-quality training that satisfies the expectations of students and the demands of companies looking for technical talent.
As the originator of the immersive coding school industry, Dev Bootcamp has graduated more than 1,300 students, making it one of the largest bootcamps of its kind. After graduation, Dev Bootcamp focuses on maintaining engagement with its graduates through its active alumni community, engaging many as coaches and mentors for new students and celebrating the new tech jobs its graduates have landed.
With three years under its belt, Dev Bootcamp’s curriculum and learning methodology have proven to be highly effective. Using input from past students, instructors and employer partners, Dev Bootcamp has continued to innovate on the program that effectively takes beginners to employable web developers in a matter of months. The 19-week program – 9 weeks remote plus 9 weeks on-site and 1-week career preparation – leverages multiple learning modalities such as lecture, pair programming, group projects, and individual challenges to optimize student engagement.
“Dev Bootcamp goes beyond just teaching people how to code. We teach our students how to practice empathy, communicate effectively, build strong relationships and adapt to feedback,” says Spalding. “With non-technical skills training woven in seamlessly with the technical curriculum, Dev Bootcamp trains students to become not only good coders, but also exceptional team players capable of operating in dynamic technical environments with a diverse group of colleagues.”
About Dev Bootcamp
Dev Bootcamp pioneered the short-term, immersive developer bootcamp, a model that transforms beginners into highly employable junior web developers in a matter of months. The 19-week curriculum teaches the technical skills people need to work as a web developer, but also the functional and emotional skills that are critical to working in dynamic, cross-functional engineering teams. With more than 1,300 graduates to date, and locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, Dev Bootcamp continues to lead the industry through innovation and expansion. Dev Bootcamp is owned by Kaplan, Inc. For more information, visit devbootcamp.com.
# # #
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538 Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanLSATPrep
New York, NY (March 12, 2015) – According to a recent Kaplan Test Prep survey of over 900 prospective law school students, more than a third — 36% — plan to fund their entire legal education all on their own, while another 22% say they’ll shoulder more than half of their tuition — a hefty responsibility, as law school tuition and fees run up to about $40,000 a year. Only a lucky (or hopeful) 10% say they won’t pay for any of it.
The survey finds that loans are the go-to funding source for 78% of future law school students, while parents are the second most popular option — with nearly seven in 10 students (68%) saying they will rely on a parent or guardian for at least some of their tuition. A lesser percentage — 61% — plan to fund their legal education with yet-to-be secured merit-based scholarships. Still more than half (54%) say they plan to work while in law school to help pay for it, while 50% say they plan to dig into their personal savings. 42% say they will rely on needs-based scholarships.
But beyond going to mom and dad, future lawyers are far less likely to tap into others in their personal networks for tuition support: only 9% say they plan to hit up another relative, while even fewer (6%) say they will seek help from their significant other.
“One thing that’s notable about our survey is that more than six in 10 respondents plan on securing merit-based aid to pay for law school, which may be wishful thinking. The reality is that even in the present market, law schools offer limited merit-based aid relative to the number of students they accept — it’s predominantly based upon outstanding GPAs and LSAT scores,” said Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “While pursuing a legal education and career in law is a longer-term investment, we strongly encourage pre-law students to maximize their return on that investment with smart planning around how they pay for it. All too often the first move of matriculated law school students is to try to secure loans, which are often accompanied by burdensome interest rates that will challenge them for years to come as they begin their careers. Our advice is to actively seek other options first including scholarships, both needs-based and merit-based. We also advise students that as soon as they know they plan to attend law school, start putting some money aside, if possible.”
According to recent numbers from the New America Foundation’s Education Policy Program, the median debt for law school graduates in 2012 was $140,616. In 2004, that number was “only” $88,634.
For more information about Kaplan’s survey, contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.
*The e-survey included responses from 901 Kaplan Test Prep students who took the September 2014 administration of the LSAT®.
LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council, which is not affiliated with Kaplan.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services. Additionally, Kaplan operates new economy skills training (NEST) bootcamps designed to provide immersive training in skills that are in high demand in today’s job market and prepare participants for hire.
# # #
Wired: “Obama has a $100M Plan to Fill the Tech Talent Shortage
Fast Company: “Obama Announces New Initiative for Fast-Tracking”
InformationWeek: “White House TechHire Initiative: Calling All Coders”
Computerworld: “The White House $100M, H-1B funded tech job plan comes under fire”
eCampus News: “Obama launches new national tech-ed initiative”
Coding schools collaborate to improve access and accountability.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
Press Contact: Hilary Wells, hilary@devbootcamp.com, 415.218.5381,
Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @DevBootCamp, @KapTestNews
San Francisco, CA (March 9, 2015) – The following statement is from Jon Stowe, President of Dev Bootcamp, regarding the TechHire initiative announced today by President Obama. TechHire is a bold public-private initiative to empower Americans with the skills they need, through universities and community colleges but also nontraditional approaches like coding schools, and high-quality online courses that can rapidly train workers for a well-paying job, often in just a few months.
“TechHire will broaden the foundation of coding literacy in this country. The inclusion of schools like Dev Bootcamp in this initiative is recognition of our ability to create a bridge between motivated learners and well-paying technical jobs in the new economy. Our goal is to create greater diversity in the tech field, and specifically to open more access for women and people of color. Our work in this area, which is supported by the TechHire initiative, is an important step toward creating representative population in the field.”
“Since it launched in 2012, Dev Bootcamp has created a pathway for motivated people to gain the coding skills they need to land well-paying jobs in software development. We want that path to be even wider and we are proud to be a part of the collaborative effort to enable more people to develop these skills and find employment in companies of all sizes.”
“In a measure of support for the TechHire initiative and a collective commitment to student outcomes, Dev Bootcamp spearheaded the founding of the New Economy Skills Training Association, a coalition of 10 coding schools, which will launch a standard for publishing completion and employment outcomes.”
About Dev Bootcamp
Dev Bootcamp pioneered the short-term, immersive developer boot camp, a model that transforms beginners into highly employable junior web developers in a matter of months. The 19-week curriculum teaches the technical skills people need to work as a web developer, but also the functional and emotional skills that are critical to working in dynamic, cross-functional engineering teams. With more than 1,300 graduates to date, and locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, Dev Bootcamp continues to lead the industry through innovation and expansion. For more information, visit devbootcamp.com or contact: Hilary Wells at Hilary@devbootcamp.com.
# # #