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August 25, 2013 | Tom Ballard

Biz Foundry expanding Code Academy statewide

Biz Foundry(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following release was provided by The Biz Foundry.)

The Tennessee Code Academy is widening its reach beyond Cookeville, Tenn. The computer programming education initiative will be conducting their academies and camps throughout Tennessee. The initiative will offer various programmatic options to partnering organizations, including code camps, front-end developer academies, and an entrepreneurial-focused coding academy called “The Merovingian Project.”

Tennessee Code Academy’s initial camp will take place at The Biz Foundry in Cookeville, Oct. 14-18. This camp will be open to those ages 13 to 18 in the Upper Cumberland region. Students will learn HTML, PHP, design fundamentals, web application, gaming and more.

As one of the academy’s programs, the code camp will also be launched statewide with camps being offered this fall and next spring in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Jackson. The Chattanooga camp will be done in partnership with WTCI, the local PBS affiliate, and will take place in the fall. Chattanooga residents can register on Tennessee Code Academy’s website.

Tennessee Code Academy will offer two front-end developer academies next year. The academy will specifically offer a veteran-focused front-end developer program in Chattanooga. This academy will be focused on teaching veterans a vital skill in today’s workforce while also creating proficient employees and entrepreneurs. The second front-end academy will take place in another location in the state during the fall of next year. Tennessee Code Academy will work with employers and companies across the state for job placement for their academy students.

Tennessee Code Academy is also offering an academy focused on both programming and entrepreneurship. This distinctive program, named the “Merovingian Project,” will create four teams working on real-world projects for companies and entrepreneurs. The project will have 32 total slots available: eight for front-end engineering, eight for design, eight for back-end engineering and eight for infrastructure. These groups will be trained and housed together next summer in Cookeville. The Merovingian Project will begin May 19 and conclude Aug. 8, 2014. Registration for the academy is currently open and will conclude on Dec. 31, 2013.

“We created Tennessee Code Academy to increase the amount of tech talent in the region,” said Jeff Brown, director of The Biz Foundry. “Entrepreneurship throughout Tennessee is increasing, and those companies need developers. We expect our graduates to find jobs with startups and corporations and contribute to the startup scene in the state. Ideally we want to develop individuals to be high-tech entrepreneurs.”

The Tennessee Code Academy is a program of The Biz Foundry, a Launch Tennessee business accelerator. The program’s overall goal is to build a talent pool of coders and programmers, not only in the Upper Cumberland region, but also throughout Tennessee. Additional information about these programs can be found at http://tncodeacademy.com or you may contact Sammy Lowdermilk, who oversees the Tennessee Code Academy program, at 931-372-1039.


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