We’ve accomplished so much in 365 days… and we’re just getting started.
2017 has been a wild ride for Zip Code Wilmington. As the year closes and we embark on 2018 we decided to reflect on some of the great things that Zip Code has accomplished over the last year.
1. We guess you can call 2017, our year of growth because the organization has expanded in more ways than one – the most obvious being our location. In September, we made the big move to the co-working space, The Mill. We not only increased our square footage but we gained access to a host of local businessses and entrepreneurs that our students can learn from and be inspired by.
On October 12th, we unveiled our new space and launched our ribbon cutting ceremony with over 100 guests including alumni, community partners, employers and goverment officials. Gov. John Carney and U.S. Sen. Chris Coons both spoke of Zip Code’s impact on the community and the overall success of the program thus far. Since inception, we’ve graduated over 100 students from six cohorts and partnered with 15 employers that mentor and hire our graduates.
2. With the larger space will come bigger classes. It only makes sense to add more staff and instructors as we continue to grow our 12-week program. Last year we welcomed a new marketing manager, business development director, new instructors and a project manager to help with a few of the upcoming organization partnerships.
3. We’ve partnered with Liberty USO and YearUp to provide technical training for military service men and women and the underserved communities in the tri-state area. Towards the end of the year, we announced our partnership with Wilmington University, now making Zip Code graduates eligible to receive 16 credits towards a degree in technology.
4. Our work and mission has been recognized nationally and regionally. Many were excited to see names from Delaware, strewn across the Sunday pages of the Wall Street Journal as they highlighted Zip Code Wilmington in an article title, “A New Kind of Jobs Program for Middle America.” We are also honored to be named, “Innovation Delaware Company to Watch” by Delaware Business Times and voted, “Tech Mission Org of the Year” at Delaware Innovation Week. Check out the full articles on our website.
5. We hosted, “Ignite! Empowering Women to Take Action Through Technology” at The Grand, which is part of an initiative to diversify the growing tech industry to include women and underrepresented minorities. Ignite! was a great event that brought together women in tech to encourage more women to join the field and use their talents to advance in the industry.
6. Zip Code Wilmington made Course Report’s “Top 49 Best Coding Bootcamps” list!
In all honesty, this list is just a sampling of the growth and headway we’ve made this year. The true highlights have been the faces of successful alumni that have graced our hallways and events sharing their experiences.
As the new year gets started, there are already new initiatives on the horizon and nothing but great things in store for Zip Code Wilmington.
Thanks for being a part of our 2017. Stay tuned… the best is yet to come!
