LaShana Lewis remembers going to her first CoderGirl meeting – an all-women’s programming meetup group.
“I think a lot of people of color get discouraged,” said the East St. Louis native. “That’s why I was so glad when I walked into CoderGirl, there were all sorts of people there. There was a whole myriad of ethnicities there.”
For years, Lewis felt like she kept getting stuck in customer service positions when she really wanted to land a position in coding, she said. CoderGirl is one of the most popular programs at LaunchCode, a St. Louis-based startup nonprofit dedicated to job placement and training.
Once she entered the LaunchCode apprenticeship, she said it changed her life. She now has a full-time position at MasterCard.
“I would describe LaunchCode as an opportunity to show yourself,” she said. “I feel like LaunchCode took a look at me and my skills and saw what I could do and took me to the next level.”
On October 29, LaunchCode celebrated the “lift off” of its new community tech education and skills training facility, located at 4811 Delmar Blvd.
The LaunchCode Mentor Center will host training programs and serve as the hub for collaborating with several other like-minded partners – including Washington University and The Roy Clay Sr. Tech Institute.
The center is significantly located on Delmar Boulevard – a street long considered a symbol of St. Louis’ socioeconomic divide, said LaunchCode’s Jamie Corley.
“The Mentor Center aims to bridge the social and digital divide through mentorship, resources, and education in technology,” Corley said.
The space will focus on bringing more women, youth, and minorities into the city’s tech community by providing them a pathway to “upwardly mobile tech jobs,” she said. And they pride themselves on having programs for learners of all backgrounds and skill levels, she said.
All of The Mentor Center’s education and skills training programs are offered for free or reduced cost.
“LaunchCode is building a bridge for members of the community to access next-generation tech training, and for growing businesses to access a pipeline of trained workers,” said Gov. Jay Nixon.
LaunchCode partners with educators and employers in 10 states to offer training, paid apprenticeships and job placement. Over 90 percent of LaunchCode apprentices are converted to permanent hires within 90 days. Earlier this year, President Obama recognized the St. Louis-based program as a national model for bridging the talent gap in high tech industries.
According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the demand for information technology occupations continues to grow with nearly nine in 10 industries in Missouri employ information technology workers.
The State of Missouri is partnering with LaunchCode, offering support through the Youth Opportunities Program ($250,000 tax credit), the Missouri Works Program ($354,600 in tax credits) for creating 20 new full-time jobs at the center, and the Community Development Block Grant program ($1 million) to help expand job placement programs. In addition to these programs administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the state’s Division of Workforce Development is also partnering with LaunchCode on providing entry-level tech training residents from the community.
“The LaunchCode Mentor Center illustrates what can be accomplished when we work together to improve our communities, our economy and our state,” Nixon said.
The Mentor Center will offer classes both during the day and in the evenings in order to accommodate learners from all backgrounds. Additional information on course schedules will be announced soon.
“The average salary increase for a LaunchCode apprentice is 235 percent. That’s a
life-changing number, and it’s more in reach than people may think,” said Corley. “The first step is signing up for computer programming classes. They’re free and we provide mentors and support to help you succeed.”
Registration is now open for the center’s upcoming skills training and education courses, including Hello World, a two-week introduction to the fundamentals of programming and CS50x, a free, online version of Harvard’s Introduction to Computer Science course.
Those still interested in registering for a limited number of spots can learn more at
