Flatiron School, a New York City-based coding bootcamp, has opened its first Southeastern location at WeWork’s Colony Square location. The opening marks the school's first location in Atlanta and fifth location outside of Manhattan; Flatiron School also operates in Brooklyn, Houston, Washington D.C. and London.
"We’re excited to open our first campus in the Southeast," CEO Adam Enbar said. "Atlanta is already home to students of our renowned online program. By building a physical campus in Atlanta, Flatiron School aims to reach more students within the community who are looking for an in-person learning experience and those who want to access quality education closer to home."
Starting Monday, the school will be taking applications for its inaugural class that will start on Sep. 17. At least 20 students will be enrolled in each class, according to Enbar.
"This gives our instructors time to focus on our students so they feel supported and guided throughout the learning process," he said. "Students can choose from Flatiron School’s signature 15-week Software Engineering Immersive, as well as our part-time courses, Intro to Data Science and Intro to Front End Web Development."
In addition to the expansion, Flatiron School has partnered with Atlanta-based Opportunity Hub (OHUB) to offer $1 million in scholarships per year for students of color across the country. The partnership will also include an influencer-driven campaign in an effort to fund more technology education scholarships for students of color from low-income backgrounds.
"Atlanta hosts a budding tech community with a variety of businesses, from thriving startups, like Calendly and MailChimp, to established companies like Coca-Cola and Delta," Enbar said. "All are in need of tech talent. We’re looking forward to bridging that talent gap. Additionally, Atlanta is one of the most diverse cities in the country. At its core, Flatiron School’s mission is to be a leader in creating diversity in the tech industry by making tech education more accessible. Flatiron School’s Atlanta campus brings another rigorous higher education option to bear for city residents, particularly those for whom a traditional college education is cost or time-prohibitive, or those looking to make a career change."
The Atlanta location will differ slightly from other Flatiron Schools; the Data Science course is a program typically offered online, but Atlanta will be one of the few campuses to offer the course in person, Enbar said.
"It’s important to us that we adapt each campus to connect to the core values of the community," he said. "We do this by making sure we tailor our curricula to meet the needs of local business partners and hire staff from within the community."
WeWork acquired Flatiron School in late 2017, giving the school access to select WeWork locations around the world. Since its inception, Flatiron School has provided more than $10 million in scholarships in an effort to make technology education more accessible for women and underrepresented communities, according to the company.
