The Futures Fund Adult Boot Camp received $26,000 from Capital One in November, expanding Future Fund’s reach to the Baton Rouge community through career development in the Information Technology industry. The next cohort for the adult boot camp is expected to start on January 7, 2021.
As Louisiana's economy readjusts to life with COVID-19, The Walls Project has responded by expanding its successful Futures Fund Tech Academy program to help position unemployed low-to-moderate income adults, military veterans, and out-of-school youth for high demand and highly desirable technology jobs.
Investment from Capital One will help The Walls Project increase the training’s accessibility. This would involve adding more training sites and administering FF’s “Coding for the Web” course virtually. Also, the Capital One funding will help The Walls Project strengthen students’ resumes, connect them to potential employers, and increase access to higher education.
The grant will assist in serving 100 students in the adult training portion and 400 students in the whole Futures Fund program. Adults who enroll in the course will undergo 120 hours of training in computer programming skills such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, as well as web development, project management, client relations.
In 2014, FF began its mission of breaking the cycle of economic despair plaguing low-income teens and young adults in Baton Rouge. FF has since served thousands of students by providing workforce development and tech-based programming. The Futures Fund Tech Academy delivered technology and skills development courses for middle and high school students. Many of these students would otherwise not have access to these learning opportunities.
Designed to effectively engage with targeted populations, FF programming fosters a culture of youth empowerment, social justice, and individual voice. To date, FF student populations have been 89% African American, 98% low-to-moderate-income, and 58% female, which are underrepresented populations in the technology field.
The Future Fund is one of several programs under The Walls Project programming umbrella that works to tear down the societal walls that prevent people from living safe, healthy, and prosperous lives. Walls pursues areas of need in the Baton Rouge community and has contributed over $2 million in economic growth to Louisiana’s capital region.