https://centerforjustice.columbia.edu/justicethroughcode
Application Link: JTC The Foundation Application - Part 1
During The Foundation, participants develop the skills necessary for jobs in the 21st-century workforce. Through 7 weeks and 135 hours of content, participants develop the foundation to begin the next steps in their journey from job to career. Course topics include building habits, organization, communication, understanding and working with data, mastering office productivity tools, and the foundations of programming.
Are you interested in building professional and technical skills for the 21st-century workforce and learning coding fundamentals for free in an Ivy League program? Then apply today to join the first cohort of The Foundation at Justice Through Code at Columbia University.
What content will The Foundation include? Over the course of 7 weeks through 135 hours of classes and
individual project time and assignments, you will build the foundation of skills necessary for your journey from job to career. Topics will include:
●building habits • understanding and working with data
●organization • mastering office productivity tools
●business communication • the foundations of programming
What are the benefits: Not only will you develop the skills necessary to kickstart and succeed in your career, but you’ll also be contributing to a more just and diverse workforce. Our program is specifically designed to educate and nurture talent with conviction histories, interrupting the cycle of poverty and recidivism.
Who are the target students? Applicants should have rudimentary or limited computer navigation skills and should be open to learning professional development skills for admission to the program. Access to a computer or laptop and reliable WiFi are required for participation.
How to get started: Individuals interested in applying to The Foundation can apply by clicking this application link.
Anyone interested can also visit the JTC website to learn more about the program.
Timing: JTC’s The Foundation will start on June 12th and runs for 7 weeks, ending on July 27th. Classes meet 3 times a week remotely on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, EST.
●Participants are required to dedicate 22.5 hours per week to the program to receive a certificate of
completion from Columbia Business School. This includes:
○At least 15 hours of independent study
○7.5 hours of remote classes per week with a live instructor
What happened to Justice Through Code’s other program and will I be able to attend in the future? Justice Through Code has expanded into 3 programs to support participants from the first steps in their journey from job to career, and through to their first jobs as software engineers or data analysts. Together the 3 programs take a total of 9 months to complete. The Foundation is the first of these 3 programs and is followed by Exploring Tech Career Pathways and The Flagship.
Applicants interested in enrolling in Exploring Tech Career Pathways or The Flagship without participating in The Foundation are required to take an assessment to determine their readiness to participate in either program.
Applications for Exploring Tech Career Pathways and The Flagship will be available online in mid to late summer 2023. All applications must be completed by individuals interested in the program. To be notified when applications open for all of our programs and to stay up to date, please join our mailing list.
More questions? Please contact our team at justicethroughcode@columbia.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the age requirement for an individual to apply to JTC?
Justice Through Code (JTC) is jointly offered by Columbia University’s Center for Justice and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School. JTC entails college-level intensive work, therefore applicants must be 18 years and older to apply.
Can currently incarcerated individuals apply to JTC?
●JTC is passionate about supporting individuals who have been affected by the crisis of mass incarceration and are eager to explore a tech career.
●For individuals who are anticipating their release date and are eager to get started on developing
professional skills and beginning on a coding journey, we strongly encourage a member of your support
network to visit our website and join our mailing list to stay up to date on the program application cycle.
●Once you have returned home we offer free access to self-paced online courses through our learning
partner Coursera which can be accessed outside of the semester-based JTC program schedule.
Can individuals who are currently on probation or parole apply to JTC?
Yes! We encourage individuals to apply to our program, regardless of where they are in their reentry process.
JTC is also happy to provide a letter of enrollment to applicants selected to participate in the program, so they can make probation/parole aware of their educational responsibilities.
Am I still eligible for the program if my conviction has been expunged, overturned, sentence suspended or the case otherwise discarded?
Yes, legal involvement often includes various factors that can disrupt one’s life or career prospects. JTC understands this and encourages individuals to reach out if they have any questions about eligibility.
I only returned home recently, I don’t know if I can afford the materials that I will need to participate in the
course. Should I still apply?
JTC will support qualified candidates in obtaining the materials they need to participate in the course.
What technical skills do I need to apply?
No technical skills are necessary for The Foundation.
How is The Foundation different from The Flagship?
The Foundation focuses on fundamental professional and technical skills needed to succeed in the 21st-century
workforce, as well as introductory coding.
The Flagship focuses on building professional development and interpersonal skills and teaching the programming languages of Python, HTML, CSS, SQL, and the Django web application development framework.
How many programs does JTC offer? JTC currently offers 4 programs: The Foundation, Exploring Tech Career Pathways, and 2 pathways within The Flagship–software engineering and data analytics.
More questions? Please contact our team at justicethroughcode@columbia.edu