Flatiron Pre-College Academy at 1871 extends coding programs to high school students; Scholarships available for students to receive training in web and mobile development
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY (December 19, 2014)— 1871 and The Flatiron School, New York City's premier school for web and mobile development, announced today a partnership that will offer coding courses to high school students in Chicago. Flatiron School’s Pre-College Academy at 1871 will be the first instance where a Flatiron program has operated in Chicago, and aims to give local students fluency with technology and inspire them to explore their own passions with code.
“Through our expanding set of educational opportunities and programs targeted specifically at young students, 1871 is constantly investing in the next generation of technology talent,” said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. “1871’s partnership with The Flatiron School adds another important resource to our effort to create a direct pipeline to careers in high-tech entrepreneurship for students in all of Chicago’s neighborhoods. We are committed to showing students from all areas of the city that they have the ability to play an important role in the technology community.”
Students enrolled in Flatiron Pre-College Academy will learn to use the same tools as professional developers. The curriculum is based on Flatiron School’s rigorous Web Development Immersive—known for helping its adult graduates launch careers at companies like The New York Times, Etsy, and Kickstarter. Flatiron School graduates are now employed as software engineers at notable companies including Makerbot, the Wall Street Journal, JCrew and more with an average starting salary of $74,000. Like Flatiron School’s adult students, the Pre-College Academy students will work together to build and launch web applications using tools like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ruby.
“1871 is the hub of the startup ecosystem in Chicago and was our ideal partner from the beginning,” said Adam Enbar, the CEO of the Flatiron School. “The Flatiron Pre-College Academy courses provide local students with critical skills for working in the technology industry, and we can’t wait to work with 1871 to help educate the next generation of tech leaders in Chicago.”
Students in Flatiron Pre-College Academy at 1871 will have the option of joining up to four full-time sessions beginning in June 2015. All sessions are two weeks long and run Monday through Friday from 9:00am until 3:00pm. Scholarships will be available to support students from underrepresented groups in the technology community or with demonstrated financial need. To register for the program visit: https://precollege.flatironschool.com/summer-2015/Chicago.
The Flatiron Pre-College Academy is the latest addition to 1871’s ongoing initiative to create a direct pipeline to careers in technology and entrepreneurship for students across Chicago. Earlier this year, 1871 sponsored the ComEd Icebox Derby, a science and technology program created to empower girls to explore STEM subjects by designing, building, and racing cars crafted from recycled refrigerators. Additionally, 1871 recently partnered with the Chicago Urban League to create a next-generation “tech toolkit” to be distributed to neighborhood schools, which will help students understand the basics of entrepreneurship and technology development.
About Flatiron
Over the past two years, The Flatiron School has prepared nearly 350 adults to build web and mobile applications in just twelve weeks. Most students began the program with little technical background and quickly became market-ready developers. Flatiron Pre-College Academy is designed to show motivated high school students that programming is more than the mechanics of writing code. It is a collaborative, creative endeavor that can help them do whatever it is they love. For more information about Flatiron School please visit: www.FlatironSchool.com.
