Web Developer Training and Employment Program Debuts in Boston

Tech Bootcamps announced today an 8-week Web Developer training program to teach individuals how to become Drupal Web Developers. The 8-week training venue culminates with a Career Day event where graduates can show their individual and team projects to prospective employers from around the country.

Although not a requirement, students who take an employment offer from one of Tech Bootcamps’ employer-partners will be eligible to have all or most of their tuition reimbursed through the company’s unique tuition reimbursement program. Tuition for the 8-week boot camps is $5900, which includes a MacBook Pro or PC equivalent that the student keeps. If the student has his or her own laptop, the tuition is discounted by $1500 to $4400. The company also offers $500 scholarships for military, veterans, and women, as well as for minorities who are underrepresented in the software engineering field. With these scholarships, the tuition for many of the students will be $3900.

The company links to over 17,000 Drupal Developer positions on its website, and takes in a constant feed from search engines that pull current Drupal positions in from all over the world. The company said that the average annual Drupal Developer salary in most major cities is in the mid $90,000’s range according to Indeed.com, with starting salaries in the $50,000 to $60,000-plus range. As a result, this particular software engineering specialty is becoming a very high-demand field, even though it is not taught in US colleges and universities.

Taking input from the company’s Advisory Board, Mr. DiDonato stated that in recent polls, 53% of college graduates are unable to find work within four months of graduation. He said that this statistic is coupled with the fact that the average private tuition is over $121,000. He went on to say that these compound a young person’s problems by having to take on a very large debt with no means to pay the monthly premiums. The Board feels that this venue will offer a very compelling alternative to help fill some of the 600,000 current high-tech jobs that have gone unfilled in the United States because of lack of requisite job skills.

"We think that we provide a unique approach for people interested in transitioning to the web developer career field," says Joe DiDonato, the founder of Tech Bootcamps. “Our mission is to make that transition affordable and quick; and we will go the extra mile to help them find jobs.” He added that according to a 2012 Gallop poll of college freshmen, 75% said their top reason for going to college was to earn more money, and 88% said to get a good job.

Mr. DiDonato went on to say that the start-up’s training program utilizes a "flipped classroom" approach, where lecture materials are taken out of the classroom and studied individually by students during non-classroom times. To accomplish the ‘flip,’ the company uses an extensive video lecture collection that currently has 1080 training tutorials available to the students.

During the class day, students collaborate and discuss the Drupal technology with their cohorts, instructors, and facilitators as well as develop their individual and team websites for their personal portfolios. Joe DiDonato added that this training approach provides students with a forum to ask questions about their previous night’s studies, as well as get personal guidance from their instructors. The company also uses Telepresence to bring in experts on various topics to give the students a more rounded approach to web development and working in teams.

The company says that most of its students will be 2-year college graduates, 4-year degree students who want to change their career emphasis to web development, and returning military veterans looking to transition to the workforce. The company said that there is no age requirement to attend these courses, nor is any formal college degree necessary. The company says that these programs operate like apprenticeships, and a Master Drupal Developer certificate for their resumes is awarded to successful students at the end of each boot camp.

If you would like to find out more about this Drupal Developer training program, including tuition and student requirements, you can visit their website at http://www.TECHBootcamps.com.

About Tech Bootcamps

Tech Bootcamps provide 8-week programs that prepare students for their first job as a web developer in the Drupal CMS. Tech Bootcamps uses a team of facilitators and experts in the Drupal content management system (CMS). These experts act as instructor, coach, and mentor - all combined into one. Tech Bootcamps offers a tuition reimbursement program if a student takes a job with one of their contracted employers, and assists students with obtaining loans and scholarships. For more details about this start-up, including both student and employer inquiries, please visit: TechBootcamps.