I am pleased to announce our newest partner iCreate Institute! iCreate is not only invested in the success of their students, but they are equally focused on building a strong and vibrant economy in Jamaica! Given their mission and how well it aligns with ours, we are thrilled that iCreate is joining the Code Fellows family.
"We are excited to be partnering with Code Fellows here in Jamaica. The vision for iCreate is to aid in the development of our digital and creative economy sub-sectors. With the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of careers options and businesses have been disrupted. Now is the time to up-skill and re-skill and this partnership will enable Jamaica to come out of this pandemic on stronger footing. In addition to that, rolling out these Powered by Code Fellows courses will enable us to ensure that Jamaica is prepared to take on the opportunities that the 4th industrial revolution will bring around the world. We thank the Code Fellows team for trusting iCreate to rollout these courses locally and look forward to the impact that we will make together."
Founded in 2017, iCreate is located in the heart of Jamaica with a vision to inspire the next generation of Jamaicans to dream and live the dream. Armed with new skills, knowledge, and experience they have seen new growth opportunities for tech and creative talent beyond the borders of Jamaica. Their primary mission is to nurture creativity in students by developing a deep and abiding passion for entrepreneurship, technology, and design.
Strategic partnerships with organizations like iCreate are what enable us at Code Fellows to use our collective strengths and resources to bring about sustainable change. We believe that working together brings about the kind of change that transforms lives, transforms communities and builds thriving economies.
Through our proven curriculum, instructional methodologies, and industry-leading expertise, we are able to help emerging markets offer the same rewarding careers that are usually relegated to a privileged select few. We get the honor of coming alongside partners like iCreate Institute to give them the curriculum, training and support to change the lives of the people who make up their community. Partnerships like this allow us to leverage our strengths in instructional design and curriculum development, with their local market presence, investment, and commitment to produce lasting change.
At Code Fellows, we want to ensure every community around the globe can provide the kind of education that unlocks this potential in every member of their community. With more than 1,400 graduates, we’ve witnessed the difference that immersive, collaborative, supportive, career-focused education can make in the lives of the individuals who make up our community here in Seattle, and we want to ensure other organizations can bring the power of transformative education to their communities.
This is why we launched our curriculum licensing program, Powered by Code Fellows. Through this program, we find strategic partners in markets all around the globe who are looking to help individuals transform their lives through education. When we say, “We believe in you,” we’re not just talking about current Code Fellows students or the people right here in our city. We’re a global company focused on global needs so that more people can discover their potential in software development, begin high-paying careers in tech, and add diversity to the tech industry. A strong global tech industry needs the diversity of thought that comes from all of us working together to find better solutions to difficult problems. People with the potential to be world-class coders don’t just live in traditional tech hubs like San Francisco, New York, and Seattle; they’re all around the world.
How it works: an investment in the local market
In our industry, it’s not uncommon to see a VC-funded code school expand, but few (if any) of them have a focus on forging partnerships that improve the local community. Too often, these schools look for easy ways to grow their bottom line and miss the impact they can have through working with networks, resources, or teams on the ground that are already deeply invested in the local economy. They fall short of the financial goals they set out to accomplish, and when the numbers aren’t there, they close down, leaving students, and the local economy to pick up the pieces. To produce lasting change through tech education, it takes strong partnerships that are connected to—and invested in—their local communities; partners who are in it for the long haul, have “skin in the game,” and a vested desire to do what it takes to make a lasting impact.
This is why Code Fellows partners with amazing organizations like iCreate, to leverage our collective strengths to produce lasting impact and economic growth. These partnerships allow us to focus on what we do best: build a world-class curriculum and train instructors who produce world-class technologists. These individuals go on to create startups, join companies, and build strong and stable economies that benefit everyone. We’re invested in helping individuals and companies in every community around the globe build something that lasts—where everyone has a chance to succeed.
In order to do this, we look for six key criteria in our partners:
- A passion for providing access to meaningful education
- Strong local and global partnerships
- An established brand
- Focus on innovation
- Investment in the local community
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion.
For us, the most important sign of a prospective partner is reputation, not revenue—we’re invested for the long haul, and we’re looking for other organizations who are as well.