Kara Kavensky
This week, Edna Martin Christian Center, Him by Her Collegiate School for the Arts, New Beginnings, New Discovery, and Tabernacle Baptist Church joined Martin University, Eastern Star Church, Goodwill Industries, InnoPower, The Indianapolis Recorder, and Eleven Fifty Academy (there will be a quiz later) to expand the collaboration of advance technology in the 46218 community.
Their efforts are part of the Enhancing Opportunity in Indianapolis grant from Lilly Endowment, branded as AT46218, and consisting of collaborative strategies and programs focused on helping Indianapolis residents living in or near poverty make progress toward achieving lasting economic self-sufficiency.
Each organization is offering a cohort on their campuses, which are located within the 46218 area, to provide a strong workforce option for individuals to skill up rapidly into a sustainable career in tech while feeling a solid sense of support. The strong sense of community that each organization has established is critical to the success of individuals going through the Eleven Fifty Academy courses.
“We are thrilled to be offering these pivotal courses from Eleven Fifty Academy at 37 Place at Edna Martin Christian Center,” says Immanuel Ivey, Senior Director of Workforce Development and Entrepreneurship. “Guiding individuals along a path to financial independence and generational wealth building is what we are all about and Eleven Fifty’s courses have the potential to accelerate this process.”
InnoPower is performing a critical role in facilitating the collaboration of multiple organizations achieving the goal of transforming the community.
“Generational wealth building is a significant factor, as graduates of Eleven Fifty Academy go on to earn $1M over a decade after graduating, as jobs in tech are high-paying and are in-demand,” says Emil Ekiyor, founder of InnoPower. “Accelerating into a career via one of Eleven Fifty Academy’s courses has transformative power for an individual, their family, and community. Engaging as many players as possible focused on the outcomes of individuals transforming their lives helps to strengthen the community as a whole. It takes a village, and we are working hard to provide opportunities to anyone who wishes to skill up into a sustainable career in tech.”
Each of these organizations are collaborating to implement promising strategies designed to improve the livelihoods of individuals and families facing complex and varied challenges associated with poverty and financial insecurity. Facilitating a successful path into the tech workforce is one of their strategies.
“Each of these organizations: Edna Martin Christian Center, Him by Her Collegiate School for the Arts, New Beginnings Fellowship Church, New Direction Church, Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, are all critical components in the overall efforts happening in 46218,” says Scott A. Jones, President and founder of Eleven Fifty Academy. “We must leverage tech as an equalizer for our community’s most vulnerable populations to truly making a difference in the lives of people. We are honored to partner with each of them.”
Eleven Fifty is dedicated to skilling up individuals from diverse backgrounds, reducing barriers to entry for technology careers in web development, cybersecurity, application development, and UX/UI. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts a job growth rate of 22% for software developers between 2019 and 2029, compared with 4% for other occupations.
Funding through grants and the Career Accelerator Fund covers the costs of Eleven Fifty Academy’s comprehensive education and training. These opportunities provide graduates a financial onramp to enter the workforce of high-paying careers 16x faster than via a traditional 4-year college degree, at substantially less cost, with similar placement and salary outcomes. The Academy is approved to accept the GI Bill for all of its courses and funding mechanisms may cover up to 100% tuition for any student who is underemployed or unemployed. Payback to the Career Accelerator Fund occurs only after receiving a high paying job and payments are capped at 5% for the zero-interest financial vehicle.
Eleven Fifty Academy has consistently been named by CourseReport as one of the Best Coding Bootcamps in the nation. Eleven Fifty has a graduation rate of over 80% depending on the cohort, and approx. 70% placement rate into jobs paying entry-level compensation averaging over $55,000 to start. The nonprofit Academy, now in its 8th year, has skilled up over one thousand entry-level developers through their immersive learning experience.
