How Code the Dream Created Pathways into Tech for People Facing Career Barriers

Durham, North Carolina | Nonprofit
Apprenticeship established 2023

Code the Dream (CTD) strives to create opportunities that change lives, build technology that benefits communities, and expand access to the skills needed for a more innovative world through free software development training.

In 2023, the North Carolina-based nonprofit launched a one-year, competency-based national Registered Apprenticeship Program in software development. Though it initially aimed to create pathways into tech for recent immigrants and refugees, the program quickly expanded to serve adults of many backgrounds who face career barriers.

Since its inception, the program has supported 146 apprentices across 23 states. These apprentices come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including people who have fled from war and were formerly unhoused.

Apprentices work with experienced mentors at CTD to build apps and technology platforms for a range of clients. Through partnerships with employers, CTD apprentices gain on-the-job experience, mentorship, and the training necessary to land a full-time job as a software developer.

Apprentices start at an average wage of $15 per hour, progressing to $20 per hour by the end of their apprenticeship. These wages exceed North Carolina’s average starting and exit wages of $12.21 and $17.62, respectively, based on Urban's analysis of the Department of Labor RAPIDS database.

Close to 90 percent of apprentices who complete the program secure full-time roles with starting salaries exceeding $80,000. This reflects the extensive support CTD provides to prepare apprentices for post-program employment.

During a focus group for program participants held by the Urban Institute, one apprentice explained, “You get eight hours paid a week to look for jobs, work on your resumes, practice interviews and just like, learn the things that you need to learn for technical interviews. And having that time paid is awesome,” the participant explained. “It really helps get over the barriers that coincide with like applying for a technical job in this market with a non-traditional background.”

Now in its third year, the apprenticeship program continues to build a robust pipeline of highly skilled tech workers while advancing economic mobility for underrepresented communities.

With support from the Urban Institute, CTD has been able to expand its reach by growing its apprentice base and investing in professional development for its staff to ensure continued success and sustainability.

Apprenticeship Spotlight: Danielle Prioleau

When Danielle Prioleau graduated college, she envisioned a career in event planning. But the COVID pandemic, the uncertainty it cast on in-person events, and difficulty finding work changed her career plans.

So, she applied for CTD’s React coding bootcamp and started taking classes in 2021.

In June of 2022, she was hired as a CTD apprentice and placed with an analytics company to grow her skills in data management and analytics. There, she was introduced to the corporate world and learned high-level coding skills and technologies, including JavaScript, React, and Git alongside an experienced mentor. Prioleau fixed coding issues, created visual examples of user interface components, tested software, and reviewed and tested design components.

After graduating from the program, Prioleau was offered a full-time role with the employer partner focused on translating internal products so that other companies could use them. Now an associate software developer with the company, Prioleau credits CTD’s mentoring and supportive environment as a key to her success and financial independence. 

“Code the Dream has changed my life, including my financial situation…Before Code the Dream and my switch to tech, I was on unemployment, and now I have a job that pays well.”

—Danielle Prioleau