As Coding Boot Camps Close, the Field Faces a Reality Check
But the coding boot-camp field now faces a sobering moment, as two large schools have announced plans to shut down this year — despite backing by major for-profit education companies, Kaplan
and the Apollo Education Group, the parent of the University of Phoenix.
Since 2013, the number of boot camp schools in the United States has tripled to more than 90,
and the number of graduates will reach nearly 23,000 in 2017, a tenfold jump from 2013, according to Course Report, which tracks the industry.
But rapid expansion into new cities can leave little time to forge ties with nearby companies,
the hiring market for boot camp graduates, said Liz Eggleston, co-founder of Course Report.
In an email, Lelia King, a spokeswoman, said that while students benefited, the company was “ultimately unable to sustain our current business model.”
Boot camp courses, aimed at adults, vary in length and cost.
Also closing is The Iron Yard, a boot camp that was founded in Greenville, S. C., in 2013
and swiftly spread to 15 campuses, from Las Vegas to Washington, D. C. Its main financial backer is the Apollo Education Group.
Successful schools, analysts say, will increasingly be the ones that expand their programs to suit the changing needs of employers.