For Immediate Release
WILMINGTON – Delaware State Sen. Bryan Townsend toured Zip Code Wilmington’s headquarters this month for an in-depth look at workforce development and technology in the new economy.
Townsend visited the coding boot camp and met with Executive Director Desa Burton, students and staff to better understand the nonprofit’s operations and leadership in Delaware education.
Students were preparing for one of Zip Code Wilmington’s Demo Days, an opportunity to highlight student-developed business concepts with local employers. Townsend met with several students and learned about their journey into tech careers. He received an update on Zip Code Wilmington’s adult training programs; B1ue N0te™ high school training program; Zip Code Prep™ free part-time community software training program; and Zip Care™ adult healthcare career training program, which will begin in 2024.
“I applaud Zip Code Wilmington’s tremendous efforts and success in providing critical training to Delawareans and helping them open doors to rewarding careers. Zip Code’s focus on developing hard skills and soft skills across an expanding range of content areas and age groups will promote dynamism and preparedness in the Delaware workforce, strengthen the Delaware economy, and lift families for generations,” said Townsend, Senate majority leader, chair of the Labor Committee and an 11th District Democrat.
Burton welcomed the senator, saying she appreciated his interest in Zip Code Wilmington.
“We were pleased to host Senator Townsend for a deep discussion on how Zip Code Wilmington provides a full continuum of transformational programs, from our Zip Code Prep initiative to our Java Software and data engineering courses and other programs we offer to serve our community,” said Burton. “Our students gain marketable skills, hands-on experience and practical knowledge that help them capture good-paying jobs.”
Zip Code Wilmington was awarded $4.5 million from the state to underwrite the Break Into Tech scholarship to provide a tuition-free education and bi-weekly stipends for about 200 qualified low- to moderate-income Delaware residents admitted to the program.
Founded in 2015, Zip Code Wilmington has a strong record of changing lives and creating careers in software development and data engineering, Burton said. She noted that the average graduate’s salary increased by more than $40,000 after the program and landing a job with local employers.
Zip Code Wilmington’s 12-week software coding training courses are accepting applications. The deadline to apply for February 2024 cohorts is Dec. 3, 2023. Apply online at https://zipcodewilmington.com/apply/.
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