Businesses in Central Florida are so impressed with UCF’s new Coding Boot Camps that 31 have stepped forward to pledge their support for the program.

The Coding Boot Camps launched late last month, and they are proving to be popular for students who want the latest web-development skills and employers who want tailor-made employees.

The businesses have signed letters of intent with the program, which means they help shape the curriculum to ensure the program meets current local market demands, said Todd Freece, director of Continuing Education. The businesses provide feedback and real-life problems for the students to work on, he added.

Business partners also have preferred access to boot camp students and can engage them throughout the course by participating in guest lectures, student demonstration days or hiring events. 

In the program, students learn web development and computer-language skills necessary to create interesting and responsive web pages able to efficiently exchange information to help them with customer databases, inventory systems, payment processing and tracking and shipping of goods.

”We’ve experienced overwhelming response to our first class, which was full over a month before starting,” Freece said. 

To meet the strong demand, the coding boot camp will be offered again at two UCF Regional Campus locations beginning in June: Seminole State College at Sanford/Lake Mary and Valencia College West.

Although a college degree is not required to attend the 24-week boot camps, Freece said most of the students enrolled have at least a bachelor’s and some have graduate degrees; all are meeting a shortage of programmers in the local market, he said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 27 percent  growth in demand for web developers between 2014 and 2024, Freece said. 

And according to a study of similar coding camps nationwide, 89 percent  of graduates are placed into web development jobs with 120 days of completing their program.

Students come from varied industries and backgrounds but most are seeking greater employment and compensation opportunities, he said. The program works with students to simultaneously develop their e-portfolios, resumes and interview skills.

“Most students are job changers who have an interest or passion for computer coding,” he said. “The UCF Coding Boot Camp provides them a unique opportunity to reach for the stars.”

One such student is Bibek Subedi, a recent University of Florida graduate in mechanical engineering from West Palm Beach. His chosen field was not exciting him, he said, and the job prospects seemed more interesting in the web development world.

“I wanted to try something new, and I knew from friends and family who are in computer science that I would like that kind of work,” he said. “In this field, you are always learning, always seeing a new challenge.”

He thinks the UCF camp is good for him.

“The help we’re getting is great. It’s not spoon-fed to us. You have to work on your own, motivate yourself to ask more questions and apply the work to your particular situation, but this is a foundation for the future.”

For more information on the coding boot camp, visit https://bootcamp.ce.ucf.edu/coding/ or call 407-454-9823.