Gordon State College Launches UX/UI Design Boot Camps

Gordon State College has partnered with the workforce development company Upright Education to offer Upright’s software development and UX/UI design courses to students looking to gain skills needed for IT careers, a recent announcement said.

According to a news release, the tech boot camp courses will be offered to over 3,000 students at the college. It said the courses boast a 92 percent job placement rate and 39 percent average wage increase.

“Working adults want to learn new skills that allow them to jump into a new career, but they don’t want to spend years getting there. By partnering with Gordon State College, we are providing thousands of learners the opportunity to start a new career in as little as 12 to 24 weeks,” Upright CEO Benny Boas said in a statement.

According to data cited in the release, growth in Georgia’s tech workforce is trending above the national average, with just under 9,000 new tech jobs expected by the end of 2022. About 6,000 of these jobs will be based in Atlanta, where many of Gordon State College’s students live.

The launch of the new boot camp comes as other colleges and universities across the country continue to establish similar accelerated training programs designed to quickly train students for IT jobs, and as employers struggle to fill vacant roles.

“These technology boot camps are truly game-changing and will give us a chance to continue living in our rural communities while having access to high-demand and high-paying careers,” said Simonia Ridley Blassingame, director of continuing and professional education at Gordon State College, in a public statement. “The world has changed, and it is now possible for people in our communities to stay close to home and work remotely for a large network of employers.”