December 2023 Coding Bootcamp News

Table of Contents

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• FEDERAL INITIATIVES: APPRENTICESHIPS, PELL GRANTS, WIAO
• THE LATEST ON SKILLS-BASED HIRING
• UPSKILLING WITH AI COURSES 
• 1 NEW SCHOOL

December was busy with news of the federal government announcing a new bipartisan Pell Grant bill, and releasing new initiatives to modernize the National Apprenticeships System and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Newly released studies capture the popularity of skills-based hiring among employers, and the demand for even non-tech employees to have AI skills. Plus, find out which 4 coding bootcamps we added to the Course Report school directory this month.    

Ready to look back at the biggest coding bootcamp news from all of 2023? Check out our End of the Year roundup!

Curious about what happened in November? Check out last month’s episode to hear our November coding bootcamp news roundup!

FEDERAL INITIATIVES: APPRENTICESHIPS, PELL GRANTS, WIAO

• According to the Whiteboard Advisors, there is a new Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act in the House, and as of right now, it will include for-profit programs and online programs. 
• The House of Representatives has renewed its interest in reauthorizing and updating WIOA through a bipartisan bill that would require states to spend more of their WIOA funds. (Workshift’s Elyse Ashburn does a great breakdown of this!)
• HR Dive reports that the Department of Labor proposed new rulemaking to enhance the National Apprenticeship System by modernizing its regulations for registered apprenticeships. 

THE LATEST ON SKILLS-BASED HIRING

• Higher Ed Dive pointed to a new survey from the American Association of Colleges and Universities where employers believe college students, while mostly prepared for entry-level roles, are lacking skills like critical thinking and complex problem-solving. 
• A November 2023 study from Intelligent.com that surveyed 800 U.S. employers found that 55% of employers dropped their degree requirements in 2023, and 45% of companies plan to eliminate degree requirements in 2024. 70% of those employers who moved to a skills-based hiring model this year did so to increase diversity in their workforce. 
• SkillsFWD, a new initiative focused on promoting equitable skills-based hiring, is awarding 6 grants to organizations across the country with the intention of creating and adopting a better system of learning and employment records.
• Lighthouse Labs announced a new partnership with Upskill Canada, aimed at helping organizations reskill employees with an interest in cybersecurity into cybersecurity professionals. 

UPSKILLING WITH AI COURSES 

• A recent report from Dynatrace reveals that nearly 9 in 10 tech leaders expect AI to expand data analytics access to non-tech employees via natural language queries.
• CNBC dove into the increasing number of AI courses out there now, ranging from university courses to online short courses through Udemy. 
• We closed out the year by hosting an awesome Live Q&A with four bootcamp alumni  from Coding Temple, Springboard, General Assembly, and NYC Data Science Academy now working with AI on the job. 

1 NEW SCHOOL

• The University of Pittsburgh is offering a new data science Master’s degree program through Coursera.

4 NEW SCHOOLS ADDED TO COURSE REPORT

• re:WORK TRAINING 
• ASK Training
• Founder/Hacker
• XDi