Program Details

i.c.stars Milwaukee
http://www.icstars.org/portfolio-items/milwaukee/
i.c.stars Milwaukee
04/16/2018
i.c.stars provides Milwaukee s low-income young adults with the skills and connections to attain promising careers in technology and become community leaders. In Milwaukee, the decline of manufacturing has led to chronic unemployment, growing concentrated poverty and racial segregation. i.c.stars bridges disconnected young adults with the high growth tech sector. i.c.stars begins with a four-month immersion, where participants respond to an RFP from a corporate employer partner, with employer needs complementing the coding skills - HTML, CSS, JQuery, JavaScript, Python, and SQL - and methodologies like agile and scrum. Participants develop employer-facing skills and soft skills through leadership workshops, and after the bootcamp receive 20-months of career assistance, higher education support, and case management. Indiana Wesleyan University recognizes i.c.stars for 24 prior learning credit hours, and we are exploring a similar partnership with Milwaukee Area Technical College. Show More

In addition to having a high school diploma or GED, program participants must be at least 18 years of age, have 6 months or more of full-time previous work experience, be available to attend the program 8AM–8PM, Monday–Friday for 16 weeks, and agree to a strict "On Time, No Absence" policy.

This program is offered

The next cohort in Milwaukee, Cycle 6, will begin in July, 2020. The deadline to apply is May 2020.

Document 1

Participants work with a corporate employer partner, responding to an RFP, with employer needs complementing the coding skills - HTML, CSS, JQuery, JavaScript, Python and SQL - and methodologies like agile and scrum. We have undergone a cyber curriculum program integration to align the cyber cohort with the CSSLP designation of CISSP because of its overlap with the core software development lifecycle (SDLC) we cover. Through a partnership with Microsoft, participants have received badges/certifications in such areas as Querying Data with Transact-SQL; Introduction to Design Thinking; and UiPath Fundamentals. Graduates secure roles including Quality Assurance, Data Analyst, Software Developer, and Help Desk Assistant. Indiana Wesleyan University recognizes i.c.stars’ bootcamp for 24 prior learning credit hours. i.c.stars is working with Milwaukee Area Technical College on curriculum mapping to determine credits earned towards Computer Science and English/Communications.
Through project sponsorship, i.c.stars engages corporate partners, who inform the training by supplying a business challenge to be solved through a web-based app or game, built by participants. The client receives innovative thinking from diverse perspectives as well as a talent pipeline, recognition as a supporter of tech talent, and a strong retention tool for their team. i.c.stars is driven by employer demand and supported by a robust ecosystem of IT and technology organizations. Its employer network includes technology departments of organizations such as Northwestern Mutual, Wisconsin Children's Hospital, CBRE Group, von Briesen & Roper, Kohl's, Accenture LLP, Aon, and Central States Funds. This year, i.c.stars is building capacity and infrastructure including performance quality and learning management systems and new financial software. This work is supported by the Dohmen Company, i.c.stars’ largest investor, and a private life sciences company turned Benefit Corporation.
The aim of i.c.stars is to provide a market-facing technology, business, and leadership training program for underserved young adults and to place them in high growth technology roles, dramatically increasing their lifetime earnings and improving their quality of life. During the last month of the training program, Career Month, participants take part in career development workshops facilitated by senior business executives, entrepreneurship-focused presentations, and visits to the Small Business Resource Center at Harold Washington Library and data centers. In addition, participants receive access to career coaching, resume reviews, mock interviews, on-site recruiting at i.c.stars, and one-on-one meetings with executives.
Residents/graduates of the program frequently return to i.c.stars, presenting at High Tea about their current technology roles and career trajectory, and often frequently volunteer to assist current participants. In addition, i.c.stars' Program Manager and Technology Director work closely with participants on a wide array of technology, project management, leadership, and business assignments.

i.c.stars is provided free to participants. Participant eligibility is based on low-income status, and we define low-income by HUD guidelines and through a constellation of need approach. This takes into account wage and earnings, access to education, children and additional people under participant’s care, debt and housing stability. Average pre-program earnings are $12,426, which translates to $5.90 an hour, or below the poverty line in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.Participants are provided with $150/week and a laptop, which they may keep at the end of the program.The cost per participant is $12,876, and with 60 participants served per year, the total cost per year comes to $772,560.
N/A

Program Enrollments and Completions
19
15
14 (93%)
0 (0%)
Employment Outcomes (Completions Only)
14 (100%)
$11,163
$11,962
13 (93%)
$12,248

PLEASE NOTE:

If there are fewer than eight enrollments in the training program, only the "Enrollments" number will be displayed; all other data is hidden in order to help protect the students' identities. The "Employment Outcomes" are calculated using information from Wisconsin's Unemployment Insurance Wage database. Most employers are required to report certain employment information to the State of Wisconsin, including quarterly wage information for their employees. Students whose information could not be verified in this database are excluded from these outcomes. If a "0" shows for any of these outcomes, it means that none of the students' information could be verified.

MAKING SENSE OF THE EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES:

"Average quarterly wages" means the total wages earned in a three-month period by all students who completed the program ("completers"), divided by the total number of completers.

"Median quarterly wages" means all the completers' quarterly wages are placed in order from lowest to highest and then we identify the student's wages in the middle. This information is provided because averages can be greatly influenced by really high and low wage earners.

To estimate monthly wages, divide the quarterly wages by three.



,


sdollhausen@icstars.org

rfowlkes@icstars.org

Not Provided

Not Provided

DISCLAIMER: Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development (DWD) does not endorse or promote any specific training institution and/or program on this website. The content, including links, is provided directly by training institutions. DWD bears no legal responsibility for the accuracy or legality of the program-related content on this site or external sites that are linked through this page. Please notify DETETPL@dwd.wisconsin.gov about any inappropriate content.