Boca Code’s diversity scholarship program grows through partnership with Microsoft, Miami EdTech

Boca Raton-based coding academy Boca Code has just announced a partnership with Microsoft and nonprofit tech education organization Miami EdTech to fund Boca Code’s Diversity in Tech Scholarship.
The $10,000 in scholarships aim to broaden access to Boca Code’s upcoming Software Engineering Career Course, which will take place over 10 weeks this summer. The funds will be divided into five scholarships of $2,000 each – a significant portion of the full tuition cost of $10,500.
This new scholarship will work in conjunction with Boca Code’s in-house diversity scholarship, which provides 20% off tuition to all classes, not just the full-time career course. Todd Albert, founder and Lead Instructor of Boca Code, told Refresh Miami that they are part of the school’s mission “not just to educate the next generation of software engineers, but to provide opportunities for a diverse set of individuals.”

In a statement, Andres Urrutia, senior cloud architect and one of the leaders of the South Florida Council at Microsoft, said that “More diversity will allow us to fulfill our mission of empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Education is the best way to do this, and partnering with a boot camp allows people to learn and get jobs in tech in a relatively short period of time.”
Carlos Vazquez, founder of Miami EdTech, said that “it’s important that we have a workforce that is prepared to transition into a digital environment” and this scholarship will help fulfill Miami EdTech’s goal of empowering students, especially from underrepresented backgrounds, to launch a career in the tech industry.
Since teaching its first class (online) in June 2020, Boca Code has graduated upwards of 100 students. Boca Code’s classes are now in person and offerings include both short, part-time courses as well as full-time 10-week bootcamp-style courses that prepare students for employment in the tech industry.
“We’re a bit different than your average coding school,” Albert explained. He highlighted the win-win nature of Boca Code for both students and local businesses: “Our students can work on real projects for local companies. That lets us provide affordable, high-quality development services to the community.”
Unlike many coding schools, Boca Code does not charge a placement fee when companies hire their students. “Instead,” said Albert, “we ask them to consider donating a scholarship.”
Albert is aiming for the funding from Microsoft to live on for years to come. “We hope that, once they have settled into high-paying jobs, students who receive these scholarships will eventually pay it forward and donate a scholarship to a future student.”
Boca Code is working to play a central role in the Boca tech scene. “Tech isn’t new to Boca. Tech has been here for over 45 years,” Albert said, noting IBM’s storied past in the city. “We have one of the highest number of tech startups of any city in the US: over 400 in Boca Raton.”
Interested in applying? Find more information here, and be sure to apply before the June 9th deadline.