This code spells success
In just five years, software coding program grows into something special
Back in 2016 when it was launched, AlbanyCanCode had aspirations to turn people in the Capital Region into software programmers — especially those who were out of work or had a hidden talent for coding and just had never found their professional calling.
After just five years, and one pandemic, AlbanyCanCode has become such a successful model — including outside the region to places downstate and even out of the state — that it had to change its name.
No longer constrained by geography, AlbanyCanCode is now known as CanCode Communities,
more of an umbrella organization for various programs launched both upstate and in New York City, as well as in the Berkshires.
There is also a coding training program for immigrants run in partnership with the state Office of New Americans.
Early on when the program was just starting, the people who got AlbanyCanCode off the ground quickly realized they were on to something special.
The program first started as a way to help local software and other companies fill an urgent need for software programmers, jobs that have historically been tough to fill in places like upstate New York where there is a shortage of trained coders.
The people that AlbanyCanCode targeted to become its first students, most of whom are eligible for tuition grants through the state due to their economic or job status, were almost immediately successful in getting new jobs that paid really well after taking one of AlbanyCanCode’s 12-week software courses, ranging from web page development to data analytics to app security testing.
Graduates of the program’s software programming classes were able to get jobs that paid them nearly $20,000 more a year than they had earned through their previous jobs.
And they were getting jobs with well-known companies such as Accenture, Goldman Sachs and MVP Healthcare, as well as with the state’s technology office.
Over the past five years, AlbanyCanCode has had 300 graduates. That may not sound like much — but every oak starts out as an acorn, and AlbanyCanCode — now CanCode Communities — is on its way to making that transformation, says founder Annmarie Lanesey, who also runs an East Greenbush soft
ware company called Greane Tree Technology Group.
Lanesey says the name change to CanCode Communities reflects the growing impact of the organization, which has launched new programs in Kingston, Herkimer, New York City, Saratoga County and the Berkshires.
And that doesn’t include its original programs that were held in Albany and Schenectady and the New Americans program. All these programs have partner organizations, mostly nonprofits and educational organizations, that help keep them sustainable on their own.
“We’re thrilled to extend our mission of empowering underserved and underemployed individuals with digital skills, creating new opportunities for exciting tech careers, filling the tech talent pipeline to meet the needs of employers, and enriching communities through partnership and collaboration,” Lanesey said about the name change as well as the launch of a new website.
Due to the pandemic, CanCode Communities has been holding its classes virtually. For instance, AlbanyCanCode and KingstonCanCode, which are now consider subsidiaries of CanCode Communities, are holding 12 weeks of night classes starting the week of Sept. 27, all done virtually.
A huge driver of CanCode Community’s growth has come from Facebook, which gave $50,000 to AlbanyCanCode in January 2020 to scale up and create new programs.
Within a few months of Facebook’s financial commitment, Lanesey launched KingstonCanCode and the New Americans program with the state was finalized that November. This year the other expansions to New York City, the Berkshires and other parts of upstate followed.
Lisa Harris, who oversees economic development on the state and local level for Facebook, said the social media company has a vested interest in developing a more diverse programmer workforce.
She said that CanCode Communities has been very successful in finding and training people who otherwise would never even dream of working in the technology sector. “CanCode Communities is expanding opportunity by ensuring the technology sector has a more diverse and talentfueled workforce,” Harris said.
And Facebook isn’t the only one to help. Saratoga National Bank also provided $10,000 to pay for CanCode Community’s rebranding.
“The expansion of this program aligns directly with our philanthropic efforts and will help provide economic stimulus to the communities we serve,” said Kate Otis, the bank’s community development officer.
Each CanCode organization has community and funding partners. For example, HerkimerCanCode’s funding partner is the Community Foundation for Herkimer and Oneida Counties as it works to develop its own programing with Herkimer College and local companies.
“Our partnership with CanCode Communities is the first step to what will transform the talent and employment opportunities available in our area,” said Alicia Dicks, CEO of the Community Foundation for Herkimer and Oneida Counties. “This whole concept gives us the ability to build relationships and connect with these local businesses, while also making careers in the technology sector attainable for all.”