The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, MO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are excited to be partnering to bring LaunchCode to the Kansas City region! Launchcode is a nonprofit organization from St. Louis, Mo., changing how local communities develop talent, create pathways to upward mobility, and build a 21st century workforce. The program trains people from economically disadvantaged communities in coding skills through a paid apprenticeship program. This nonprofit could be a great solution to Kansas City’s demand for talented coders, as well as a fantastic opportunity for underprivileged individuals to start a career in technology.
As part of the TechHire initiative in St Louis, LaunchCode has partnered with over 300 companies to place aspiring developers from nontraditional backgrounds into paid apprenticeships, 90% of which lead to full-time positions. Through a variety of educational partnerships, LaunchCode provides candidates with the technical skills and professional support they need to enter the workforce and support companies ranging from innovative startups to national corporations. To date, LaunchCode has placed over 250 candidates into apprenticeships.
Founded in 2013, LaunchCode was first located inSt. Louis before expanding to Miami through the help of a $1.25M grant from the Knight Foundation. Although they are still actively seeking more funders from the KC area, their expansion to Kansas City was made possible through a $250,000 Missouri Building Entrepreneurial Capacity Program award from the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) and is part of a plan to eventually have a national presence. The expansion plans come less than a month after President Obama cited LaunchCode as a model for the TechHire initiative.
The below video shows President Obama recognizing LaShana Lewis at the National League of Cities Conference.
LaunchCode has so far secured commitments to match MTC’s support, but plans to source an additional $700,000 to fully realize its Kansas City hub, and to explore expansion opportunities to other cities in the state of Missouri. LaunchCode will participate in TechWeek Kansas City with a keynote presentation by co-founder Jim McKelvey on Thursday, September 17 at 5:25 pm and a panel with executive director Brendan Lind on Friday, September 18 at 1:30 pm. LaunchCode will also have a booth at the conference expo where company relations staff will be present to promote LaunchCode Kansas City.
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Sources:
LaunchCode,
KCSourceLink,
Kansas City Business Journal