The Mill and gener8tor Partner To Bring Code School to Bloomington

Local entrepreneurship and coworking center The Mill and nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor announced today a partnership to launch a free program to help individuals  get new digital skills critical for in-demand jobs in the digital economy called The Mill Code School, a gener8tor program. This partnership builds on Microsoft’s recently announced global skills initiative that seeks to help 25 million people worldwide who have lost their job due to COVID-19 reskill around jobs that are available in their community. 

Funded in part through a $100,000 investment by the City of Bloomington, the Mill Code School will launch its first cohort in Bloomington, Indiana on Oct. 5 and is currently accepting applications. The program is focused on quickly getting people into jobs in the digital economy, and is tailored to individuals seeking to develop new skills or become proficient in a variety of in-demand technologies and programs associated with software development. Program participants do not need any prior experience or degrees. gener8tor team members will guide participants through the Software Developer learning modules that are available at no cost via the LinkedIn Learning platform. The deadline to apply is Sept. 20.

The modules associated with the Software Developer programming provide a broad perspective on core technologies for web development, software development, and databases. Additionally, participants will engage with programming around diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

This 10-week, cohort-based program will include:

• Self-paced virtual curriculum from Microsoft, LinkedIn, and GitHub to learn skills for positions such as Software Developer and, earn industry-recognized certifications;
• One-on-one concierge support from the gener8tor team on the skills content, plus coaching on resume and cover letter writing and interviewing;
• Virtual access to a network of peers for support and community;
• And interviews with companies ready to hire candidates with these skills.

“‘As part of our larger push to Recover Forward from the current economic downturn, the City is investing in the Code School to expand opportunity to those un- and underemployed or traditionally underrepresented in the digital economy, get skills and help to move into tech careers,” said Mayor John Hamilton. “When more residents have more relevant skills, we can move more closely toward our shared vision of a stronger, more just, and more resilient Bloomington. I look forward to meeting the participants of the program and hearing about their journey through the program.”
 
“This program has transformative potential for struggling individuals, families, and Monroe County’s economy,” said Pat East, Executive Director of The Mill. “We can leverage the momentum of our COVID recovery effort to help people making less than Bloomington’s living wage of $27,000 get trained for new, high-paying jobs in high demand. Increasing and diversifying access to jobs in the digital economy is imperative to our community lifting itself out of economic uncertainty. The Mill is committed to supporting a sustainable, equitable future for Bloomington.”

“gener8tor is focused on helping communities invest in themselves in projects just like this,” said Joe Kirgues, Co-Founder and Partner of gener8tor. “gener8tor’s Upskilling team is excited to use the Microsoft global skills initiative through The Mill Code School to support the challenge of Mayor Hamilton to ‘Recover Forward’ and get those interested in digital job training the skills and experience they need to get interviews and succeed in digital jobs with local employers.”

Through this partnership, participants will have the ability to leverage the resources of these organizations to find a living-wage job in our community. The final week of the program includes an “interview swarm” where participants will use their new technical and job-seeking skills to impress hiring corporations during a speed-dating-style facilitated meet-up.

Those interested in learning more can visit gener8torupskilling.com/mill-code-school. The deadline to apply for the program is Sept. 20.