Coding Dojo and Oklahoma Governor Fallin Host Opening Ceremony for New Tulsa Coding School

Event includes ribbon cutting, and panel discussion about fast-growing tech growth in region and how to address Oklahoma's technology skills shortage


TULSA, OK--(Marketwired - Aug 16, 2017) - Coding Dojo, a premier coding school, today held a grand opening ceremony at its new Tulsa, Okla. campus. The festivities included a ribbon cutting ceremony with Coding Dojo COO and CFO Jay Patel and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin flanked by area leaders like the Executive Director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation Ken Levit and President & Chief Executive Office of the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce Michael Neal. Following the ribbon cutting was a networking event and technology-focused panel discussion with Patel, Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Technology Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, and Bank of Oklahoma President and CEO Steven Bradshaw. The event was held at 36 Degrees North, the location of Coding Dojo's Tulsa campus.

"The opening of a seventh Coding Dojo campus is a significant milestone for both our organization and the city of Tulsa," said Patel. "Coding Dojo aims to help fulfill the need for technology talent in the area and propel other technology professionals into promising careers. We are excited about this opportunity to help grow and legitimize Tulsa's tech landscape."

The panelists discussed the shortage of skilled tech workers in Oklahoma and the burgeoning undiscovered tech community in the state. The panel ignited further discussion about how companies and government agencies can collaborate to align the state's tech needs with the local workforce.

"Oklahoma needs to further increase a STEM-enabled workforce to ensure Oklahomans are prepared for today's jobs and the jobs of the future," said Fallin. "Tech skills, such as those learned in Coding Dojo classes, are needed to support our state's leading economic systems, including energy, manufacturing, agriculture, aerospace and defense, and financial services. This training will be central to student success as well as retaining businesses that provide good-paying jobs in our state."

Coding Dojo also announced today that regional businesses Cherokee Nation Businesses, ConsumerAffairs, Helmerich, Sequoyah Technologies and Switchgear Search will join Coding Dojo's employer network. By doing so, the companies commit to interviewing graduates from Coding Dojo's in-person bootcamps at its campuses nationwide and get access to the broader Coding Dojo graduate base to help fill their staffing voids.

"Coding Dojo graduates have gone on to impressive careers at Fortune 500 companies such as Expedia, Amazon and Apple," said ConsumerAffairs COO Eric Jenkins. "We're confident that the grit and expertise of Coding Dojo graduates matches the vision for our organization and will lead us to success."

The George Kaiser Family Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to providing equal opportunity for young children through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services, and civic enhancement, worked closely with Coding Dojo to help them build relationships in the Tulsa business community. The first Coding Dojo Tulsa cohort is scheduled to begin Sept. 18, 2017. For more details about and apply to attend Coding Dojo Tulsa, go to codingdojo.com/Tulsa.

About Coding Dojo
Coding Dojo, a premier coding school, believes anyone can learn to code with the right resources and motivation. Through more than ten years of curriculum refinement, it is the only coding bootcamp to teach three full technology stacks in a single 14-week program. Since 2012, thousands of Coding Dojo students from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels have been transformed into professional developers who go on to be hired by startups and world-class companies like Amazon, Apple, Disney, Google, JPMorgan Chase and Uber. Coding Dojo has campuses in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Silicon Valley and Washington D.C. It is one of the fastest growing startups with recognition in rankings like the GeekWire 200. Go to codingdojo.com to learn more.