NEW BUSINESS  8.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

HISTORY:

At the October 19, 2016 Commission meeting, Commissioner Aleman introduced the concept of providing a free technology boot camp for low to middle income residents, as well as business owners, interested in improving their technology skills.   The suggested concept would model a program currently available to the Liberty City community providing technical expertise, coding, and professional support to those interested in careers in technology industries. 

The two proposed Miami Beach Digital Citizens Bootcamp were made available to residents throughout Miami Beach, with classes held over a period of eight weeks in a computer lab at North Shore Park and Youth Center and the City hall IT training room beginning in late January 2018 and ending in May 2018.  Each boot camp was limited to twenty-five (25) participants due to space limitations in each computer lab (Flyer Attached).

Participants learned in demand tech skills including the following:

• Programming – introduction to various programming languages and how each are used

• Social Media – leverage different social media channels to increase brand awareness

• Marketing – learn about inbound and outbound marketing and how to achieve results

• Presentation – practice a pitch and learn how to woo potential investors and audience

The below link provides information directly from participants of the North Beach session and provides information on skills learned:

https://youtu.be/Ou8hNKxSpH8

ANALYSIS:

Should the City opt to continue the Digital Citizens Coding Bootcamp, other potential providers may be considered.  Miami Beach Adult and Community Education Center has provided a proposal (see attached) for consideration.   The proposed Coding Boot Camp would include, but not be limited, the below:

CODING BOOT CAMP:

• Introduction to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

• Creating web pages using HTML

• Design web page elements using cascading style sheets (CSS)

• Introduction to JAVA Script

• Creating a Wordpress Website

• Creating an E-Commerce Website

• How to make a Blog

The class will be offered as follows:

• First Class: October 09, 2018 - December 20, 2018 - 20 Classes Total – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00pm-9:00pm.

• Second Class: January 08, 2019-April 11, 2019 - 26 Classes Total – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00pm-9:00pm.

• Third Class: April 16, 2019-July 02, 2019 - 23 Classes Total – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00pm-9:00pm..

The below chart reflects the projected number of students, class sessions, and total fees anticipated per session at $4,500 each.

CONCLUSION:
Staff is seeking direction on the continued offering of a Digital Citizens Coding Bootcamp for residents and business owners. If recommended for continuation an enhancement request would be submitted as part of the FY 2018/19 budget development process.