A four-month training course called Tech Academy is being launched out of a partnership between Atlanta Metropolitan State College and the Center for Sustainable Communities, aimed at equipping 10 Southwest Atlanta residents with a basic technology and programming education for the job market.
The Tech Academy application closes on Monday, Sept. 16, with the program set to launch Sept. 24. The four-month program purchases ten Codecademy courses for the participants and equips them with a laptop. Tutors work with them over the course of the four months, providing two-hour weekly office hour sessions, towards the participants’ completing the course and obtaining a professional certificate.
Hannah Searles, an intern with the Center for Sustainable Communities and one of the people behind the idea for Tech Academy, said the program is aimed at bolstering technical knowledge in the community.
“The program was one of my projects this summer; it was sort of developed last summer with [previous interns]…” Searles said. “The idea was a program for Atlanta adults — mostly Southwest adults, who don’t otherwise have access to computer programming education — to provide them with the resources and knowledge to get involved in tech.”
Tech Academy started as a branch of the Center for Sustainable Communities for app development and environmental justice mapping, said Searles, saying she worked with another intern to help transform it into what it is today.
The idea for having participants use an existing course gives the facilitators of tech Academy more time to tutor participants and guide their tech journey.
“We’re providing support as they take this course, but it’s a course that’s already established,” said Searles, adding that they believe this helps use resources strategically and earn recognition from established courses.
Searles worked previously with AgLanta, a division in the City of Atlanta focused on bolstering urban agriculture capacity. While this internship is quite different from her previous one, she said at the end of the day it all comes down to serving her community.
Ultimately, the aim is to help the participants find work in the industry — which is why they are providing the participants with lists of viable job opportunities after completing their course, along with building soft skills and resume reviews.
“We’re trying to get people involved in careers; folks who didn’t have access due to those original barriers to entry, we’re trying to create that bridge,” Searles said. “Already we have way more applicants than I expected.”
Searles added that if this program is a success — and if the number of applications already are indicative of how much there is a desire for this — the program can be repeated and expanded in the future.
“This is definitely a program that we’re going to try to do yearly, if not twice a year,” Searles said.
Tech Academy facilitators will measure success by looking at if participants stay on track and hit their goals for the course, as well as if they attend the office hour sessions and look engaged. Additionally, they will evaluate themselves and see if the program is actually helping people land their next role.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 11, the program had 38 interested participants apply, with five days remaining to apply — no prior knowledge is necessary. The sign up form can be found here.
Author’s note: Mark Lannaman and Hannah Searles previously worked together as interns for AgLanta.
