South Bronx computer training school hosts teen coding fellowship
A tech training school in the South Bronx is searching for teens and young adults who are curious to learn a thing or two about coding and programming skills.
The Knowledge House, located in the Mott Haven section of the borough, is hosting its annual Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship (KKCF), which is a 12-month program that includes a paid summer virtual tech-intensive training, college access workshops, tech workshops and more.
The KKCF fellowship is for teens and young adults ages 16-21. It's free, and participants receive a stipend during summer instruction.
The Knowledge House was created in 2014 with a mission to provide high-tech training to thousands of students from underserved communities across the country. Outside New York, the organization serves in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Newark and Washington D.C.
The Knowledge House also has separate programs to mentor high school students about programing and coding.
"Every job is a tech job"
DREAM Charter High School students Amiyah Forte and Ethan Cavedo have learned about the importance of coding in one of Knowledge House's after-school programs.
"I feel like people just see coding and video games as something that's honestly, I would say, like something that's not relevant," said Cavedo. "Smart appliances are made of code. The phones and computers they use are made of code."
With tech jobs and artificial intelligence on the rise, there are more than 531,000 new technology jobs nationwide, with a projected 11% growth over the next decade, according to the Knowledge House.
Jessye Herrell, the director of youth and community development programs at Knowledge House, shared that because of the growth in those types of jobs, it's important to expose the youth to these skills.
"We still have a lot of disparities in tech access. So we know that we've come a great, great distance in the last, you know, 10-15 years. But we also still know that there are, again, differences between different schools or districts, in terms of the amount of resources that they have. So for us, it's about making sure that all types of learners can be engaged," said Herrell.
That's part of the reason why they're hoping many teens will sign up for this year's KKCF coding fellowship, exposing them to new skills and possibilities.
"We've entered this space, and it's not even something that's happened extremely recently, where every job is a tech job, right? Every opportunity is going to require you to have some level of tech efficacy," shared Herrell.
Enrollment is open now for the Knowledge House's Karim Kharbouch Coding Fellowship. You can enroll and find out more information about other programs offered by the Knowledge House by clicking here.
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