EcoTech Visions Digital Citizens Urban Coding Bootcamp

We works to close the digital divide between those of varying socioeconomic status by skills-training and job creation in IT. 

The EcoTech Visions Digital Citizen Bootcamp extends this effort by offering a comprehensive 8-week intensive course in the practical use of a wide range of web-based tools and applications necessary for the Digital Economy. Digital Citizen participates complete the program prepared for technology employment in tech and advanced manufacturing industry.  At EcoTech we also exposed students to the start up ecosystem which increases the awareness of the employment market place.

The Digital Citizens BootCamp is an eight week cohorts of 25 coders trained in a minimum of three coding languages. Each program includes an orientation, cohort mixer with employers and previous class participates, Graduation ceremonies, and 3 industry certification.  Student complete the course with a completed portfolio project (usually a responsive site).  Each final project is graded by a public pitch competition judged and hosted by industry leaders.  Cohort final pitches have been hosted by Facebook in their Miami headquarters, Miami Dade County Transit, CIC and Venture Café.  

Engineering, data science and tech jobs are the fastest growing sectors for job creation and economic development.  Moreover, these jobs typically come with live wage salaries that American families can thrive on.  What’s more, as manufacturing moves to advance manufacturing nationally, coding technology will be needing to insure that our current low skilled work force retained employment.  The good news is that young Miamians are posed to pick up this mantel and pursue this work.  

According to The National Tech Hire Initiative to which ETV participates, ‘there are more ways than ever before to learn new tech skills. That means more people, from all walks of life, are pursuing training with the hopes of a great career in technology waiting for them on the other side. Two big problems stand in their way access to training and connecting with employers.’ At EcoTech we also exposed students to the start up ecosystem which increases the awareness of the employment while growing their skills.   

 We will:

Increase access to coding, tech, and entrepreneurial skills in a key underserved community in Miami.

Increase number of residents from Liberty City, Unincorporated Dade County and Miami Gardens engaged in Miami’s Start up community.

Introduce career paths in engineering, data service, cyber security and entrepreneurship to residents in the aforementioned districts.

Digital Citizen participates complete the program prepared for technology employment in tech and advanced manufacturing industry. 

The goal is to:

 Expand the program nationally and to some global locations.

Create a new, clear starting point to learn marketable tech skills and ultimately gain full time coding employment for a broader segment of the population.

Expanded opportunity and additional living wage jobs and entrepreneurs in low-income neighborhoods across Miami.

Digital Citizen participates complete the program prepared for technology employment in tech and advanced manufacturing industry.  At EcoTech we also exposed students to the start up ecosystem which increases the awareness of the employment market place.  Each final project is graded by a public pitch competition judged and hosted by industry leaders.  Cohort final pitches have been hosted by Facebook in their Miami headquarters, Miami Dade County Transit, CIC and Venture Café. 

The Digital Citizens BootCamp cohorts of 25 coders are trained in a minimum of three coding languages.  Since we begin in October 2016 we have trained over 200 coders. Each program includes an orientation, cohort mixer with employers and previous class participates, Graduation ceremonies, and 3 industry certification.  Student complete the course with a completed portfolio project (usually a responsive site).     

Similar programs in Miami charge 10k per students through direct payment or student loans. Young adults from underserved communities can not afford to pay for this training though they are just as deserving.   With this Grant of 250K EcoTech Visions will be able to train 125 more coders to join the digital economy.  EcoTechs Digital Citizen Bootcamp is 1/5 the per student cost of our competitors yet employers are equally as eager to work with our graduates due to our quality curriculum and the massive employee shortage in this field.  

Our team has over 60 years of combined experience.  We have launched, lead and scaled several successful enterprises .  We have provide business development, strategic direction and investment expertise from the banking work, foundation industry and academic community.  We have trained at Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Claremont Peter Drucker School of Management.

Our revenue model is grants and direct payments for courses from Cities and not for profit educational organization like the YWCA. 250K will cover 5 cohort of 25 coders a total of 125 newly train technologist at the end of the grant year.  We sell director to communities that have economic development funding or seek philanthropic dollars to cover the gaps in underserved communities.

 Partnership opportunities are the biggest opportunity.  I live by a principle my father instilled in me-- “hit the ground listening”.  I believe one must here all constituents before forming opinions.   It is this foundation that caused me to apply for Solve because becoming a part of a larger community to address shared mission of creating jobs, sustaining communities and protecting will only strengthen our work . 

My experiences have afforded me a great understanding of how forces (i.e., media representation, political climate, and economics) affect Americans of all ages colors and creeds, both directly and indirectly.  I have learned the importance of incentivizing continued learning and on the job training, joined with community connections, and a diverse staff.  Technology is a gateway for economic development and the more minds we have focused on solutions the better.