AIM's Youth in Tech Expansion program teaches full stack development to Omaha South High School seniors. Help us find them tech internships after graduation.
In partnership with Mutual of Omaha , AIM is excited to announce the new afterschool coding class at Omaha South High School, part of our Youth in Tech Expansion program. Seniors enrolled in Computer Science classes who have expressed an interest in a tech career will learn the foundations of web development this semester. In two-hour classes twice a week, students will build the necessary skills to become the in-demand developers employers need.

Mutual of Omaha will join us in May and host an app development challenge. At a graduation ceremony following completion of the course, students will use their newly acquired coding skills to publicly demonstrate what they have built. AIM is thrilled to play such an important role in filling our regional tech talent shortage while helping our youth chart an economically bright future for themselves.

We're looking for partner employers to hire students for tech internships after graduation. Will you help us spread the word? If your company has an internship program, or is willing to start one, please consider giving our talented students the opportunity to put their IT skills to use and gain real-world work experience. An internship at the right time in one's life can lay the foundation for lifelong success. Perhaps you benefitted from being an intern at some point in your development and would like to pay it forward. Please contact Itzel Lopez at ilopez@aiminstitute.org if you can help find these students an internship or other IT employment opportunity—or if you know someone who can.

As we face 2020 and beyond, AIM remains focused on our mission to grow, connect, and inspire the tech talent community through our career development and educational programs. As a nonprofit, this requires community-wide effort. The rewards are immense: a stronger, more diverse tech ecosystem that attracts and retains business investment and helps thousands of children and young adults improve their lives.

Your contribution will support our youth education programs, prepare some of our most vulnerable community members to thrive in a world driven by technology, and strengthen our workforce for years to come.

By meeting the needs of thousands of youth and young adults, we can create the tech community we need for the future we want.

Thank you for helping AIM provide vital tech education and career development services to our cities. Make a donation today and help us continue changing people's lives.

Sincerely,
Dr. Kandace R. Miller
AIM Institute President and CEO
AIM's IT Emerging Leaders Program has helped IT professionals at various stages of their professional lives upskill themselves into higher level positions.

Professionals like Ryan Markus and Brian Cary of TEAM Software (pictured) credit the Emerging Leaders Program for helping them develop the leadership skills they knew they needed to advance in their careers. In fact, Brian was recently promoted from Senior Developer to Software Development Manager. (Check out the story of their journeys on Silicon Prairie News, Leadership Development for Smarties: from the Source Code to the Boardroom.)

Unlike other leadership development programs, the Emerging Leaders Program is specifically designed to serve tech professionals. Everything you learn is directly applicable to the unique challenges of technology leadership.

The 2020 Spring Session starts April 23 and takes place over 8 weeks with 1 - 5 p.m. sessions held every other Thursday at various locations around Omaha. The final 2 sessions will be conducted together with a full-day session on June 20. 

Our curriculum includes presentations by high-performing, experienced IT managers, peer discussions, and focuses on the following key areas of leadership development:

  • Career Development/Personal Growth/Self Management
  • Influence/Negotiation/Communication Skills
  • Coaching
  • Relationship Building
  • Resource Optimization/Performance Improvement
  • A Day In the Life scenarios 

If you know someone who would benefit from IT leadership development, please forward them this email, or have them visit the Emerging Leaders Program website . Don't wait. The early bird registration discount runs until March 1 .

Questions? Contact Monika Philp at monika@aiminstitute.org .
Jordi Becerril didn’t see a lot of Latinx people working in technology when he was growing up. An avid gamer, the South Omaha native enjoyed taking apart XBoxes and Playstations to study how they worked⁠—and to see if he could put them back together again. 

But, because he never noticed any programmers he could really identify with, he assumed that an IT career path was simply off-limits.
It wasn’t until a representative from AIM Code School visited his class at Omaha South High School that a revelation hit him.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from,” he said. “Just put the work in. That’s one of the things that propels you forward.” 
We're also pleased to announce that AIM Code School has expanded our service area to Lincoln. Starting in February, we will be offering our Foundations of Web Development course on Tuesdays and Thursdays (Feb. 25 to April 30) at Turbine Flats, a co-working space featuring a coffee shop, startup incubator, lending library, and a multitude of networking opportunities.

Located at 2124 Y St in a beautifully repurposed manufacturing building built in 1907, Turbine Flats has become a cornerstone of the Lincoln startup and tech communities. If you or someone you know is thinking about making the switch to a tech career, have them get in touch with us today at hello@aimcodeschool.org .

Grant funding and scholarships are available!
AIM Code School Partners with Heartland Workforce Solutions and Urban League of Nebraska to offer tech training
A huge thank you goes out to Urban League of Nebraska and Heartland Workforce Solutions for partnering with us to address the local IT talent shortage. AIM Code School will offer tech training to individuals who are unemployed or underemployed, taking them from potentially zero knowledge of tech to fully qualified graduates of our Foundations of Web Development course.

As part of our partnership, Urban League of Nebraska will provide the Career Bootcamp, helping students refine the soft skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.

Once participants have developed the mix of hard and soft skills required of a web developer, Heartland Workforce Solutions will help them find meaningful employment in a higher-paying tech job.
There is no cost to join the program. Registration opens February 10. Info sessions will be held at the following times and locations:

  • Monday, February 3 @ Heartland Workforce Solutions; 2 pm - 3:30 pm (5752 Ames Ave)
  • Saturday, February 8 @ AIM Brain Exchange; 10 am - 11:30 am (1902 Howard St)
  • Wednesday, February @ Urban League of Nebraska; 5:30 pm - 7 pm (3040 Lake St)

Space is still available. If you or someone you know would benefit from this program, check out urbanleagueneb.org/careerbootcamp or call 402.453.9730 .
Begins February 25, 2020

March 1, 2020

April 17, 2020

Begins April 20, 2020 (M/W)

Begins April 21, 2020 (T/Th)

Begins April 23, 2020