The Arkansas Coding Academy (ArCA) at the University of Central Arkansas will hold its Virtual Demo Day on Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 2-4 p.m. via Wonder.me at the following link: https://www.wonder.me/r?id=qigu88-tlve1. Graduates of the most recent part-time class will present their final projects before entering the information technology workforce as computer programmers.
Demo Day is an event that allows recent ArCA graduates to showcase their work to the community and potential employers. It serves as an opportunity for students to discuss their projects and network with the community as they prepare to enter the career field. The students are taught a wide range of software development tools that allow them to create a “full stack” web application. These tools include popular languages like Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Java and Structured Query Language (SQL).
The students’ final projects showcase the skills they learned in class and allow them to demonstrate their abilities in a way aimed at intriguing potential employers. It also gives community members insight into what the program does for its students. Students select projects based on their interests, hobbies and prior work experience.
ArCA provides training and mentorship to students interested in information technology industries in Arkansas. It equips students with the skills needed to gain employment as entry-level coders and quickly become productive team members.
“At the Arkansas Coding Academy, our mission is to produce great, technical talent for tech companies around the state. Our most recent class is just that. They’ve just completed an intense curriculum in Java, SQL and HTML,” said Alison Wish, director of the Arkansas Coding Academy. “Demo Day serves as their final exam where they demonstrate their skills. Hiring managers around the state have the opportunity to not only see the technical skills of the students, they’re able to assess communication and presentation skills as well. Technical professionals are in high demand in Arkansas, and ArCA is excited to do our part to meet that demand.”
Some of the companies employing graduates include Merkle Inc., Southwest Power Pool, J.B. Hunt Transportation Services Inc., Acxiom, Metova Inc., Euronet, Ensono, USAble Life, SEAS Education, Team SI, DXC Technology and many others.
This event is open to current and future students, employers and the community. There is no fee to attend. For more information about Demo Day, email Wish at arcoding@uca.edu or call (501) 450-5276.
Established in 2016, the Arkansas Coding Academy (ArCA) strives to create a talent pipeline from the classroom to the workforce for individuals seeking careers in programming, information technology or software development.
ArCA is part of the Division of Outreach and Community Engagement at UCA and has partnerships with various organizations such as Acxiom, Merkle, Southwest Power Pool, the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, Innovate Arkansas and a host of other companies across the state.
For ArCA enrollment information, visit uca.edu/arcoding or email arcoding@uca.edu.
