This summer the NTC is host to a number of youth camps to encourage students’ participation in technology learning. Two camps we host, The Engage IT Camp and Summer Youth Technology Camp in partnership with the Metro Action Commission, we take on field trips to local tech companies to show the students what it’s like to work in the technology industry.
This week, we took students to Pilgrim Consulting and Iron Yard.
Pilgrim Consulting
This week, students of the eight week coding program at NTC visited Pilgrim Consulting to gain valuable information on what it takes to create software and how to be successful in the software development industry. The students had the opportunity to ask questions and were presented with examples of applications that the company has created.
Mark McGarrity, CEO of Pilgrim Consulting, discussed recent developments in the tech world such as the launch of a new IoT application called Road Ready. Students also gained knowledge on what goes into the creativity side of software development. Kevin Robinson, VP of creative services, exposed the students to a design project he was working on for a local healthcare company. The students were shown how to pick design colors, incorporate links, and how to make the design of the application user friendly.
Pilgrim Consulting opened the eyes of the students to see how software development plays a major role in technology. They also learned UX concept that software is designed to make the lives and jobs of people easier, not more complicated.
Iron Yard
The next stop for the students was the Iron Yard. The Iron Yard is a 13 week coding program for individuals who are interested in learning how to code or who want to shift their careers into the world of tech. The students heard from a panel of six instructors who teach the program who discussed how they began their journey at the Iron Yard and what it holds for their future.
The students were also given a hands on opportunity to participate in coding. They used a software called Flexbox Froggy to learn how to style HTML in CSS. The students were active during the process and grasped the concepts quickly. They also learned about the relationship between JavaScript, HTML,CSS, and software development in general.
Bethany Wynns, campus direction at Iron Yard, showed the students quick and easy ways to practice coding and how easily accessible it is. It also gave the students a chance to discover how coding works in the real world of technology.
More about Field Trips
Thank you to Pilgrim Consulting and Iron Yard for welcoming students into your offices last week. You’ve made an impact on these students and influenced their future careers. For the remainder of the summer, students will be taking weekly trips to visit more local technology related organizations. We’re always looking for organizations to talk about tech opportunities. If you’d like to volunteer your organization for a Traveling Tech Day, please contact Erin Whitaker here.
About the Camps
The Engage IT camp seeks to provide an educator/employer-driven collaborative approach to address the challenge of job candidate “skills gap” by mentoring students pursuing IT certifications and promoting an awareness of the IT careers available if they are successful. This camp provides students with a broad base of technology skills and experience, which includes software, hardware, and routing aspects. Campers will also have soft skill training that includes communication skills, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, and interview skills. The Nashville Technology Council has leveraged its industry partners to provide guest speakers throughout the camp and will also draw upon its board and other members to provide on-site field trips to expose campers to technology workplace environments and cultures, as well as technology professionals.
The Summer Youth Technology Camp is a partnership with the Metro Action Commission. The camp targets youth ages 15-17 who are older siblings of Head Start children. The camp runs for 8 weeks at Rocketown near downtown Nashville. Nashville Technology Council provides the technology instructors and curriculum. The students began the summer learning how computers and the internet work, then moved into basic web development, cyber security, networking, cabling, robotics, and Raspberry Pi. The students travel to 16 workplaces for on-site field trips that expose campers to technology workplace environments and cultures, as well as technology professionals.