2021 was a year for the books. We grew, we adapted - and we evolved. More importantly, we launched a series of blog posts intended to shine the spotlight on industry-leading, and positively disruptive education companies and institutions.
These are companies that innovate - they create an impact, and they uplift communities, empowering their students through education on a global scale. These are the companies that make us proud to be a part of this industry. Almost everyone agrees that the traditional approach to education is outdated. So at Pink Orange, we aim to help forward-looking institutions grow because these are the ones who are helping to educate and empower a new generation of purpose-driven leaders.
If you’re an education company, institution, or school - and you believe that you’re a pioneer, a changemaker, or a disruptor, then we want to feature you! Submit your contributions here to feature in one of our next articles.
As a follow-up to our article celebrating female-founded education companies, we’re excited to introduce you to the world of Bootcamp education. Here we feature industry leaders, Codeworks, Re:Coded, Academy, and last, but certainly not least - Assembler Institute of Technology.
In a world that is fundamentally selfish, and driven by foolish desires - there are a few who stand out from the crowd and make it their mission to empower the lives of others. Their goal is to create a pathway into employment - through disruptive, and future-forward education. This is where Coding Bootcamp institutions take the lead.
These companies provide concentrated learning opportunities that teach essential skills while facilitating a collaborative environment that encourages real-world learning. In today’s digital age, companies are looking for tech-savvy, skilled employees to make their businesses more effective - and this is exactly what Coding Bootcamps provide.
Let’s get started.
Codeworks - Where intensity breeds results
A digital world requires a digital solution. Where intensity and empowerment meet, you’ll find Codeworks, a bootcamp that offers immersive learning experiences that teach their students to master Software Engineering.
Codeworks believes that technology is a force for good - and when utilized correctly, it’s the solution to overcoming educational barriers and challenges. At Codeworks, creative talent is nurtured - and students are empowered to leverage their intelligence to reach their full potential. The team at Codeworks focuses on advancing learning paradigms while making high-quality education more accessible, enjoyable - and rewarding.
The key to a successful learning environment lies with its instructors, which is why Codeworks recruits instructors that are both highly skilled in their fields, and passionate about mentoring, coaching - and advancing the next generation of technological leaders. Ranked as one of the best coding academies in the world, it provides both remote and on-site programs. Their 8 and 12-week courses give their students solid Software Engineering foundations, a professional understanding of the latest full-stack JavaScript technologies, and hands-on experience with a portfolio of apps that they build. Codeworks isn’t only an institution of greatness, it's a community. Once their students successfully graduate, they’re given access to a prestigious network of mentors that aim to provide lifelong career support.
Codeworks believes that every student deserves the opportunity to master the art of Software Engineering, regardless of their educational, or vocational background - which is why they offer a free Introduction to Javascript course, that equips students with the knowledge and skills required to enter the Codeworks program.
Known for their intensity - Codeworks is often chosen for their accelerated courses, their structure includes a 12-hour per day, 6-days per week, a 3-month learning program that has been designed to yield optimal results for students while also preparing them for the demands of the real world. Codeworks graduates average well above market standard salaries while taking on average - 44 days to find employment.
Since its inception, Codeworks has seen over 600 Graduates benefiting from their programs, with alumni to be found employed at some of the most distinguished tech companies in the world. Offering both Software, and Web Development programs, Codeworks strives to make high-quality learning accessible, by facilitating both online and onsite courses.
If intensity is what you’re after - then Codeworks is the perfect place for you! You can find out more about their programs here.
Re:Coded - Empowering the next generation of tech leaders
The digital economy is thriving, it’s evolving - and there are institutions that are making an entry point more accessible to all! Everyone deserves an opportunity to learn, regardless of their background or circumstance. Where the focus is on developing under-represented talent - Re:Coded takes the lead by investing in a strategy that supports access to (market-driven) education, while reducing inequality - and driving economic growth.
Ali and Marcello, Re:Coded Co-Founders chose to create an institution that truly supports the growth of opportunity, and the nurturing of talent. Re:Coded was born from the notion that talent is universal - but opportunity is not. They chose this industry because they wanted to give talent that lived in untapped communities the opportunity to access the digital economy.
Re:Coded not only teaches skills and the crucial mindset to thrive in the job market but also encourages fellows to become life-long learners and leaders. Where they are empowered, so too are their families, their communities - and the tech industry by extension. The world is in the midst of a technological revolution - and traditional education is failing to adequately prepare the next generation for employment. Nowhere is this more evident than in those countries that are already affected by conflict, in addition - the accelerated effects of Covid-19 pushes already at-risk youth further into the margins of the digital economy, where they risk entering a less-than-desirable cyclical relationship between economic disenfranchisement and instability. Ali and Marcello believe that if left unaddressed, this problem will only intensify, as the digital revolution transforms society, economies, jobs, and people’s personal lives in an environment of unparalleled global connectivity and demographic change. That is unless we can ensure that youth have the skills, resources, and networks required to thrive.
Re:Coded offers its community immersive bootcamps in coding and UX/UI design where they teach the students the skills necessary to launch a successful and sustainable career as Web Developer or Designer in a course that spans 14-20 weeks. Currently, they offer bootcamps in Front-end, Back-end, and React Development as well as a UX/UI Design bootcamp.
Their immersive bootcamps are highly sought after and with only 25 students per program, they have an admission rate of around 4%. This means that a lot of aspiring young Developers and Designers are getting rejected. To combat this, Re:Coded is currently piloting a new series of short, self-paced, entry-level courses designed to get students started on building their skills and career in the tech industry. Focusing on both coding and career-related content, these courses will be rolled out in 2022 and will be open to much larger cohorts.
At the end of each bootcamp, Re:Coded Graduates are welcome to apply for a 6-month, free-of-charge Career Service program, where Graduates are further upskilled and mentored with the goal of employment. Their bootcamps include extensive future-forward training that includes learning how to build an online presence through a recruiter-friendly LinkedIn profile, building a resume, as well as a personal portfolio on GitHub. This process and its outcomes are peer-reviewed by Re:Coded global mentors. But it’s after graduation, Career Services really kick off with mock interviews and speed interview events with their network of hiring partners and companies searching for new talent.
The critical point that Re:Coded aims to teach is that learning is a personal process, and the journey differs from student to student. Unlike in school or at university, their classes are not focused on instruction. In a traditional education system, teachers will tell their students what theory to remember for an upcoming test but not necessarily how to apply this knowledge in practice. Re:Coded focuses on practical application, ensuring their Graduates are well prepared to enter the workforce.
Boasting an employment rate of 95%, Re:Coded believes that through a combination of collaboration, integrity, emotional investment, and excellence - success becomes more than just a dream, it becomes an opportunity. Their human-first approach ensures that each student can learn in an environment that is safe, and aware of their needs. Their culture is created upon the pillars of transparent and conscious leadership.
If you’d like to learn more about Re:Coded, or join their community - visit them here.
Academy - An ecosystem for outlier talent, deaders, and companies
Where diversity and acceleration are present - you’ll find Academy.
The world is rife with opportunity - unfortunately for most Graduates, a degree, and talent is no longer enough to guarantee employment. Academy breaks through that barrier, by attracting, training, and developing elite and diverse tech talent. Through their program, they transform Scholars from a high-potential, up-and-coming talent into high-performance Software Engineers, and future leaders.
Academy takes a somewhat radical approach to tech, talent, and leadership - using a proven $7bn blueprint to partner with ambitious companies and deliver industry-leading diversity.
Academy’s talent model was pioneered at the heart of a hyper-growth company. Academy’s founder and CEO, Ashley Ramrachia, rapidly built a digital workforce of 5,000 as THG’s Chief People Officer - powering the company’s $7bn valuation in its 2020 stock market flotation, the UK’s largest technology IPO at the time.
There were two key insights. Firstly, there is untapped tech talent - those with no tech experience but high potential. After internal training, performance reviews showed that converted technologists outperformed Computer Science graduates. Secondly, outlier talent could be swiftly unlocked through focused, ongoing development. Within just a few years, Graduate hires were leading teams, functions, and divisions worth millions.
Using this blueprint, Academy is now powering the tech and people growth of ambitious companies across the world, by dramatically accelerating high-potential talent from underserved backgrounds - known as Academy Scholars.
Radically expanding opportunity sits at the core of Academy’s mission. All of their training programs are fully funded, tuition-free, and remote-first - reaching Europe, the US, and Africa. For the core 15-week program, all Scholars receive a £3.7k grant from Academy to fund their training, and further work acceleration programs are sponsored by the Scholars’ employers once they are on the job.
It’s an investment in setting top talent onto tech leadership trajectories - giving Academy Scholars access to tech skills in engineering, data, and product, as well as nurturing leadership skills through sessions normally reserved for executives in their mid-to-late careers.
The rigors of the program mean that Academy has to be extraordinarily selective - only the top 0.5% of applicants are accepted - but the process has delivered some incredible results. The focus on industry relevance helps Academy Scholars out-earn typical Computer Science Graduates.
Most impressively, Academy delivers all of these outcomes without compromising on diversity. Average salaries are highest amongst Black, minority ethnic, and female Scholar groups - with the respective representation of 30%, 70%, and 55% amongst the cohort.
Applications for the next cohort close on the 22nd of May 2022 - if you’re interested in signing up, head here!
Assembler Institute of Technology - Where change is driven by innovation
Traditional education is under construction. It’s no longer enough to guarantee success, and it’s being revolutionized. Many will agree that innovation and collaboration are crucial to the success of the future generation of tech leaders.
Enter Assembler Institute of Technology, an institution that aims to break the barriers created by traditional education, by offering a high-level alignment between skills training and development, and real-world demands. Their mission, driven by their method and approach to Bootcamp education, is to ignite the vision and passion of their students while empowering them with the skills that they need to launch their professional careers.
With a global presence, Assembler Institute is the first of its kind in Spain - earning the title of “ Best Technology Training School In Spain”, at the Educational Excellence Awards in 2020. Their focus is on the real world, and the training required to succeed once their students enter the job market. Their project-based curriculum is built on the foundational support of various tech companies, including Google, IBM, and Kaspersky - where students are presented with simulations of real-world problems and taught how to effectively and preemptively solve them.
Their hands-on approach is laser-focused on developing the skills that are required to ensure employment - and their programs cover everything from Executive DevOps and remote Software Development to the onsite Master in Software Development. To date, Assembler School has helped more than 150 students launch their careers - with a 100% hiring rate.
Assembler Institute prides itself on creating a community of future leaders, who are given the opportunity to learn in a collaborative, remote environment - simulating the real world, all while receiving the much-needed support and guidance from professional and well-versed industry mentors.
Founded by Christian Fondevila and Kasia Adamowicz after identifying a significant gap in the market, Assembler Institute addresses the missing link in traditional education streams, that is - a lack of qualified developers, with the soft skills required to add value to their industry. After an exhaustive analysis of various proposals from both private and public training institutions, bootcamps, and universities, Assembler chose to pursue their own method of training found on the pillars of collaborative learning and continuous evaluation, in a real-world environment. Assembler Institute is the perfect mix between a University, and a Coding Bootcamp. We hope to see Assembler expand in 2022 - taking their expertise and offerings to multiple international students.
To find out more, or to book your space at the Assembler Institute of Technology - visit them here.