Summer program trains teens for tech careers

Technology careers are in demand and computer coding is the ticket. This summer, 20 high school students enrolled in a new pilot program are on theirway.

The Broward County Public School students are participating in an eightweek course. The teens are gaining knowhowand hands on experience that they can use in tech careers and the 21st-centuryworkforce.

“This program affords our students an incredible opportunity to expand their skills in computer coding as they explore the many potential career pathways available in this growing industry,” saidDan Gohl, Broward Schools chief academic officer.

The pilot program is a partnership with Innovation Florida, Wyncode Academy and The South Florida Accelerator. Broward College donated the use of its downtown facility.

Industries are going through a “digital transformation” in order to stay competitive, said Thomas Buchar, co-founder of The South Florida Accelerator and Innovation Florida. “It’s either innovate or die,” which creates a demand for skilled — Dan Gohl, Broward Schools chief academic

workers.

“Only 2.2 percent of Florida college graduates graduate with computer science degrees. We need to get that number up to more like 8 percent,” Buchar said. “Ifwe don’t start indoctrinating young studentswe’ll be operating at a deficiency for the entire state.”

Students learn the basics in the public schools. The pilot program partners provide the application, Gohl said.

“It’s not just technical. They achieve a confidence in their future life and in being sustaining adults,” Gohl said.

The unique coding course is geared toward introducing and teaching prominent coding languages, includingHTML/ CSS and JavaScript.

Duringweeks one through four, students useHTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript to createweb pages using industry best officer

practices for front-endweb development.

Inweeks five through eight, students dive into back-end technologies using the Ruby on Rails programming language, turning their front-end creations into dynamicweb apps.

At the end of the program, they’ll earn a certificate of completion fromWyncode Academy validating their proficiency in theseweb technologies. And they’ll have a dynamic app that they can showcase.

Students in the course are enthusiastic and often arrive early to prepare for the day’s lessons. After just oneweek, a couple of the teens standout.

“We’ve identified some studentswe’d hire ourselves,” Buchar said. “That’s a testament to it all.”

hwolt@sun-sentinel.com