WilmU and Code Differently announced their partnership Tuesday.
A new partnership between Wilmington University and a national coding group will provide Delaware residents the opportunity to earn a big chunk of college credits in concentrations like computer science, cybersecurity and data analysis.
The university has partnered with Code Differently, which provides hands-on training and education through coding classes that gives participants the technical and cognitive skills they need to succeed in technology-driven workplaces.
The partnership, announced Tuesday, provides Code Differently participants up to 18 college credits at WilmU.
Since its establishment in 2018, 800 First State adults have received software development training from Code Differently, with an 89% completion rate and an 85% work-placement rate.
According to the organization, the most recent group of participants included 15 students who started the 20-week coding course in February.
“This collaboration with Code Differently speaks to our mission of providing opportunity and flexibility to students, and it also addresses our comprehensive focus on technology,” said LaVerne Harmon, WilmU president.
Harmon said the school understands the high demand for skilled information technology professionals, and she suspects that need will continue to grow.
“This partnership reflects an opportunity for innovation to meet accessibility in higher education,” she said.
Stephanie Eldridge, CEO and co-founder of Code Differently, said the organization wants to eliminate barriers to learning and success, and is committed to the advancement of all of its participants.
Lindsay Rice, the WilmU’s senior director of Academic Partnerships, said the partnership leverages what its participants have learned and provides an easy transfer to bachelor’s programs directly connecting to Code Differently programs.
As students embark on their educational journeys with WilmU, Rice said, they save time and money while earning a competitive degree.
“Upon completion of our 20-week full stack coding program, this agreement allows all of our participants, past, present and future, to earn 18 credits that can be applied directly to in-demand undergraduate computer science degree programs at WilmU,” Eldridge said. “Our partnership with WilmU opens the door for all participants who realize that higher education is the other key to their success.”
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
