Vancouver co-working company launching free tech skills learning program

Underemployed or unemployed individuals in need of work will benefit from a new tech skills learning program being launched by The Network Hub (TNH).

West Coast Technology Foundation, the not-for-profit division of the Vancouver-based The Network Hub co-working office company, is partnering with CodeCast and ComIT.org to deliver a new tech-focused job training opportunity for youth, students, and career changers.

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According to a release, the free program will start as a pilot program for up to 25 people at TNH’s locations in downtown Vancouver and Nanaimo.

ComIT.org is a national charity that offers free IT training to underemployed or unemployed individuals, while CodeCast is a streaming and recording platform for developer education.

“Technology is the way of the future, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to be technology literate, especially with regards to career choices,” said Minna Van, executive director of West Coast Technology Foundation and operator of TNH.

“We know there is untapped talent all across Canada, and we are proud to partner with renowned technology education players such as CodeCast and ComIT.org on creating this new initiative and having it launch in British Columbia. Our collective vision for our ‘Tech-Training Hub’ ‘is to show measurable impact in the communities we serve — by providing training, then connecting trained individuals to hiring partners, and providing work space and a community of likeminded people to help ensure their sustained success.”

The pilot program running from January to April 2020, with mostly evening training sessions held three times a week, offers lessons on the language and basics of using Javascript, peer-to-peer support, and drop-in or dedicated work space for trainees to work or study from between training sessions.

At the end of the training, a hiring event will connect new trainees with companies like Google and Microsoft looking to hire local and remote talent.

When successfully employed, the trainees will have opportunities to continue working from TNH’s co-working office locations.

“As the partner managing and delivering the training, we are very excited for the possibilities of this tech-training initiative,” said Pablo Listingart, executive director of ComIT.org. “We are ready to manage this pilot project, and when we can supply evidence of trainee employment and well-being, we will be also be ready to scale and expand the project again and again to create a growing number of tech-enabled communities.”

Individuals interested in the program need to apply at Comit.Org’s website.