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University of Missouri-St. Louis to Train Java Developers

The training program from the university and nonprofit Generation USA will provide students with tuition-free online courses that teach in-demand IT skills such as coding to fill tech job vacancies.

Generation Jacksonville
Students take a Generation IT course in 2019 in Jacksonville, Fla.
(Casey Brooke Lawson/Casey Brooke Photography)
The workforce development nonprofit Generation USA and the University of Missouri-St. Louis have launched a new tuition-free tech boot camp program to provide IT career training in the St. Louis area, an announcement this week said.

According to a news release, the new Junior Full Stack Developer Program will provide free online training for skills such as coding, with a focus on upskilling workers who are unemployed, underemployed and facing job displacement due to automation. The program will welcome its first cohort on May 18.

The announcement said the boot camp was made possible by telecommunications company Verizon’s Skill Forward initiative, a workforce development program designed in partnership with Generation USA.

"We are excited to announce that the University of Missouri-St. Louis is entering a new partnership with Verizon and Generation USA to serve the St. Louis community and beyond by providing accessible opportunities for training while opening a nontraditional pathway into the IT field," said Natissia Small, the university's vice provost for access, academic support and workforce integration, in a public statement.

The program comes as higher-ed institutions and job training programs across the country are launching their own coding boot camps and fast-track training programs to quickly prepare students for IT professions.

According to the announcement, the Junior Full Stack Java Developer program will teach students everything from technical knowledge to soft skills needed for jobs in the IT industry, where employers have struggled to find qualified applicants for vacant tech positions.

"With the rapid growth in technology, and more on the horizon, employers and governments are looking for innovative ways to increase the technology workforce," said UMSL professor and Department of Computer Science chair Cezary Janikow in a public statement.

"Partnerships between education and business are the trending solutions, already in existence in some other countries," he added. "At UMSL, Computer Science is standing up to the challenge to participate in the new workforce development. We are also revising our curricula to provide more and better opportunities to integrate such training with work and further education opportunities."

In addition to the Junior Full Stack Developer program, the news release said, Generation USA offers several online reskilling programs that provide trainees with free resources and access to full-time employment opportunities in high-demand tech sectors.

"These programs will not only provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for jobs in the digital world but, through mentorship and social support services, they'll have the opportunity to learn from others who have been in their shoes before,” Richard Clemmons, Generation USA COO, said in a statement.