Private coding boot camps draw public attention, funding

A new model for training computer programmers has investors salivating, and the Department of Education might be one of them as the industry looks to grow by 175 percent this year.

Coding bootcamps give students computer-programming education in under 10 weeks. The Department of Education is moving to support coding bootcamps by opening student aid for the privately funded, for-profit schools. A federal program is launching for a limited number of schools if they partner with an accredited institution and fall under specific government regulations.

The program aims to unify the practical skills boot camps teach with government-sanctioned education.

“While these new entrants to higher education may offer students low-cost and high-quality learning options, they generally don’t fit the mold of traditional accreditation,” wrote Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. Alexander is joining forces with President Barack Obama to try align the for-profit ventures with government requirements such as tenured faculty, formal degrees, traditional certificates, and typical education governing structures.

Most coding boot camps aren’t accredited and have little industry regulation. Many operate to feed the tech industry, only requiring tuition payment after students land a job.

“Regarding the experimental sites pilot program, the establishment of ‘quality assurance entities’ will be a challenge to current accreditation,” wrote Judith Eaton, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The tuition-aid pilot program gives accreditation organizations the final say on who receives aid, even after the government has granted permission.

Coding boot camps are attracting significant investors, ranging from private investment groups to education juggernauts such as the University of Phoenix. It is estimated that the sector will make over $59 million this year.