Publication: Coding Bootcamps: Building Future-Proof Skills through Rapid Skills Training
Date
2017-08-01
ISSN
Published
2017-08-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
This report studies coding bootcamps. A
new kind of rapid skills training program for the digital
age. Coding bootcamps are typically short-term (three to six
months), intensive and applied training courses provided by
a third party that crowdsources the demand for low-skills
tech talent. Coding bootcamps aim at low-entry level tech
employability (for example, junior developer), providing a
new tool for entry into the new world of digital jobs. This
report studies the characteristics, methodologies, business
models and impact of five coding bootcamps operating
directly or through partners in developing countries. High
employability and employment rates in low-entry tech
positions (for example, junior developer, freelancer, and so
on) reported by coding bootcamps suggest an untapped
potential of this form of rapid tech skills training. From
the case studies, there are two factors that seem to exert a
major influence over employment outcomes: 1. selection
criteria, and 2. extent of links with the local tech
ecosystem. However, there is also criticism around bootcamp
programs, which have been grounded in three key arguments:
quality of programming skills, employability, and
"short termism." Early evidence, which is based on
a limited number of sources and mostly based on the data
from bootcamp providers themselves, calls for additional,
more representative, and holistic research.
Citation
“World Bank. 2017. Coding Bootcamps: Building Future-Proof Skills through Rapid Skills Training. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28218 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”