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Calling all Birmingham techies, Innovate Birmingham’s summer enrollment ends April 19. Secure your spot today
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The Birmingham tech industry is growing… and fast. Tech start-ups like Mixtroz and Shipt are popping up all around the Magic City, so there’s surely no shortage in the jobs that follow. If you’re interested in finding an IT job, but don’t know where to start, Innovate Birmingham’s summer courses might just be the perfect way to get plugged in.
Who is Innovate Birmingham?
If you’re not familiar, Innovate Birmingham is a local workforce development program led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) that prepares young talent for IT jobs. They offer courses, free of charge, like Software Engineering and Data Analytics. Their goal is to not only train and prepare students for tech jobs, but also connect them to local employers and help them take the next steps towards acquiring a career in the tech industry.
More Than an Education
They’re not just providing education in software development and data analytics… They’re creating a community within their program, and showing students what it’s like to work on a team. According to Cameron Smith, a current student in the Software Engineering program, being surrounded by other students who you can look to for help, bounce new ideas off of or even just have as a support system made the program special.
“One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is having a group of fellow classmates to help and be helped by as needed. People catch on to different concepts at different times, and it helps to have others to lean on.”
Cameron Smith, Innovate Birmingham student
Another priority for Innovate Birmingham is job security for their graduates. Cameron is a current student in the software engineering boot camp, and he is already employed with BBVA Compass as a Junior UI Developer.
Everything You Need to Know About Their Summer Program
This summer Innovate Birmingham will offer two courses—Software Engineering and Data Analytics. The deadline to apply is April 19. Here’s what you need to know:
Minimum Eligibilities for the program:
- Jefferson County Resident
- Ages 17-29
- Must have a GED or High School Diploma
- Must NOT be enrolled in any other training program or higher-level institution
Software Engineering Bootcamp:
- 14 weeks
- Monday-Friday
- 9AM–5PM
- Learn industry-level software developments skills, and programs like Python, C#, JavaScript, Java, and SQL.
Data Analytics Bootcamp:
- 12 weeks
- Monday-Friday
- 9AM–5PM
- Learn entry-level data analysis, Microsoft Excel, Access, Power BI and Tableau.
Still on the Fence? Advice From a Current Student…
“I would say go for it. This experience has been life changing for me…A lot of times those of us that grow up in Birmingham feel like there’s no way out of situations we were put into or born into, but this program is free and an awesome first step into a great tech career.”
Cameron Smith
Interested in learning more about Innovate Birmingham? Check out their website to see reports on gaps in the Birmingham tech scene, or learn more about scholarship opportunities and their courses.
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