Vice-President Joe Biden and SuprTEK’s Senior Program Manager for the ADEV program, Dan Shaffer, recently visited the LaunchCode technical training center in St. Louis – just not on the same day. Vice-President Biden visited LaunchCode on September 9th to praise the non-traditional approach to software programming and IT training that LaunchCode very successfully provides. In August, SuprTEK’s Dan Shaffer was a panel member at a forum hosted by LaunchCode for an audience of potential employers of LaunchCode graduates.
Besides Mr. Shaffer from SuprTEK, other panel members invited to participate in the forum
included managers responsible for hiring technical staff from St. Louis companies Boeing, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Maritz, and MasterCard. All of the panel members shared success stories and positive experiences of LaunchCode graduates joining their staff as software engineers, testers, and business analysts. Frequently, LaunchCode grads enter into an apprenticeship program with an employer; 90% of these result in full-time employment.
LaunchCode is a non-profit organization that takes a very unique approach to providing technical education. Before being accepted into the program, there is an extensive evaluation process. Then, when a student enters the program their course work and course load is specifically tailored to meet their individual needs. They are also paired with a mentor to advise and guide them. This approach not only gives the participant the best opportunity to succeed and finish the program but also to receive the maximum educational benefit from th
e program.
The ADEV program has hired several graduates from LaunchCode to be part of the team and is currently interested in adding additional LaunchCode graduates. “I have been very impressed with the people we have hired from LaunchCode,” states Mr. Shaffer. “They are typically ready to contribute on day one, plus they are eager to learn as well as being very personable and professional.”
SuprTEK’s ADEV program is developing a suite of leading edge web applications for the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command.
Don Reed is a Senior Technical Writer with the ADEV program. His background includes engineering and programing, project management, quality and business improvement, and business-technical communication. Don has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a M.A. in Communication from Saint Louis University.