All 38 Graduates Under EO43 Funding are Hired or Actively Interviewing with Delaware Area Businesses
As the Governor’s Executive Order 43, Rapid Workforce Training and Redeployment Initiative comes to a close, Zip Code Wilmington, a nationally recognized nonprofit software developer training program, is reporting its success in getting more Delaware area residents trained and hired during the economic recession. Through Zip Code Wilmington’s participation in the EO43, referred to as Forward Delaware, the coding school trained 38 students with 35 (92 percent) hired into full-time positions with three graduates actively interviewing with local businesses. The graduates with jobs captured a combined $2.8 million in earned wages (a $1.5 million increase from their combined total earnings before attending Zip Code Wilmington). Their success will return an increased level of taxable income and investment back to the Delaware community.
“It is remarkable to see 38 students enter our coding cohorts with funding from the Governor’s EO43, reskill as software engineers within a mere 12 weeks, and then more than double their pre-Zip Code Wilmington salaries,” said Ben duPont, co-founder of Zip Code Wilmington and managing partner of Chartline Capital Partners. “This was an invaluable initiative created by Governor John Carney, and ably executed by Secretary of Labor Karryl Hubbard and Deputy Cabinet Secretary Rachel Turney. We could not be more grateful to them on behalf of our graduates and the Delaware business community, and we commend the Governor and his team for supporting workforce development during this uncertain time when so many people need new skills to reenter the workforce.”
Zip Code Wilmington graduates trained and hired through the EO43 funding are working for local companies, including CSC, CTDI, Epic Research, JPMorgan Chase, KSM Technologies, SEI, USLI, Vanguard, WSFS and more. These graduates come from diverse backgrounds – some were unemployed and others worked in distressed industries such as hospitality, retail and transportation. Of the graduates trained, 32 percent of the graduates identify as BIPOC and 37 percent are women – populations that are significantly underrepresented in technology. Prior to entering Zip Code Wilmington, the students’ annual salaries collectively averaged $32,200. The hired graduates are now earning an annual average salary of $79,700.
“We are grateful for the investment by the State of Delaware of $474,000 awarded to Zip Code Wilmington to pay for student tuition. With it, we were able to reskill and support the career placement of 38 women and men who needed a fighting chance to climb out of this pandemic,” commented Desa Burton, executive director of Zip Code Wilmington. “This is what Zip Code Wilmington does best – as a nonprofit, our mission is to support the economy of the region. We welcome the opportunity to work with the Delaware Department of Labor on any future initiatives that will support workforce development during the current state of economic recession.”
To learn more about Zip Code Wilmington, how to become a corporate partner and its next cohort, please visit www.zipcodewilmington.com.
About Zip Code Wilmington
Zip Code Wilmington is a 12-week coding bootcamp in Delaware that gives students the technical, interpersonal and leadership skills needed to secure a competitive software developer or data engineering career and increase their earning potential. Zip Code Wilmington’s program prepares its students to become highly qualified and trained technology talent, while connecting students with corporate partners throughout the program. Founded in 2015 by Benjamin duPont, Jim Stewart, and Porter Schutt (Co-founders), the program has 450 alumni to date. To learn more about Zip Code Wilmington, please visit www.zipcodewilmington.com.
