1871 announced today its participation in Everyone Can Code (ECC), a coding education initiative that brings together Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, One Summer Chicago, the Mayor’s Office, and a number of Chicagoland businesses and nonprofits. The initiative aims to make coding and technology careers more accessible to students from all backgrounds.
The ECC program includes a range of free resources, most notably the App Development with Swift curriculum which gives students the critical skills they need to quality for technically demanding careers. The program also provides opportunities for local organizations to volunteer their time, resources, and knowledge for the benefit of the students participating in the program.
“Coding careers must be accessible to any young person in Chicago. It is our responsibility -- as educators and leaders in the tech space -- to continue exploring new and better ways to give the next generation not only information and hard skills, but the encouragement and ongoing mentorship that will help them realize their potential. The mission of ECC -- to build a pipeline of diverse talent across the community -- falls perfectly in line with the core values of 1871, and we are extremely excited to offer our support and resources.” —Howard A. Tullman, CEO, 1871
As a participating organization, 1871 will help source individuals from its member community to volunteer in varying capacities, including providing feedback on student projects, speaking on coding or app development topics, and evaluating student projects for the ECC student app showcase. Member companies will also have the opportunity to provide internships to ECC students with the goal of providing real-world client projects on which the students can work, as well as helping students develop skills in leadership, collaboration, communication, and responsibility.
“Coding is not just a critical skill in today’s economy, it is another outlet for students to expand their horizons and explore their creativity. We are proud to expand on our partnership with 1871 to help provide students with the guidance, mentorship and skill set necessary to compete and win in the 21st century.” —Mayor Rahm Emanuel
The ECC initiative is the most recent in a growing list of efforts spearheaded or supported by 1871 to address the pipeline challenge in Chicago and includes the facilitation of on-site technical training with organizations like The Difference Engine, Girls Who Code, Green Apple Campus, CoderSpace, ReveAcademy, Genesys Works, and UST Global, the development and launch of 1871.Live, 1871’s digital education platform made available to a number of community center partners, and 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman’s Eagle Entrepreneurship Class, which is taught at the Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts.
ECC will not be 1871’s first collaboration with Apple. Just last month, 1871 and Apple completed a month-long partnered event series called “Accelerate Your Startup Idea,” which was taught by 1871 community members including 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman at the recently opened Apple Michigan Avenue store. Furthermore, Apple holds semi-regular office hours at 1871 in order to provide technical assistance to members and help them understand how Apple products can help them accomplish their personal and professional goals.
To learn more about Everyone Can Code, visit apple.com/everyone-can-code.
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