Joining the ranks of coding bootcamps such as Resilient Coders and Tech Elevator that have entered the local market in the past few years, St. Louis, Missouri-based tech education nonprofit LaunchCode is expanding to Philadelphia in 2021.

LaunchCode’s goals are to make tech careers accessible to people of all backgrounds and help employers reexamine how they view hiring. Its self-guided Discovery course teaches the basics of computer programming within two months, and its LC101 course starts with JavaScript. Courses are free to students; LaunchCode is funded by donations, grants and companies paying for students’ apprenticeships and hires post-graduation.

Since launching in 2013, LaunchCode — founded by Square cofounder and St. Louis native Jim McKelvey — has trained over 5,000 aspiring technologists, as well as nearly 800 in Kansas City since entering that market in 2016, the org said. LaunchCode also works with companies across the U.S. on customized training and skilling solutions.

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