NYC Generation Tech (GenTech) is a tech-entrepreneurship program that provides hands-on learning for New York City high school students interested in transforming the world through tech-based innovations. Funding for this project will sponsor 50 students in GenTech as they receive training in computer coding, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Students will then create their own mobile app using these skills and develop a business plan to pitch their app.
Computer skills have become increasingly important to finding or creating a job in the 21st Century workforce. Students who aren't versed in coding or app development are at a significant disadvantage in the labor market. The lack of access to the software and training that could help teach students these skills are rarely found in the underserved schools that NFTE reaches. GenTech is designed to increase a student's interest in combining their entrepreneurial dreams with some tech-savvy.
In a two-week tech-entrepreneurship "bootcamp", students learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, develop basic knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and form teams to develop a mobile app and business plan aimed at improving the quality of city life for NYC students. Following the bootcamp, students will build out their apps and business plan during weekly classroom sessions and mentoring sessions. Funds from this project will go towards technology curriculum and computer software.
NFTE NY Metro has served nearly 70,000 students since 1987 and will support over 3,000 students in the 2014-2015 school year. By working to keep at-risk students engaged in their school work, NFTE spurs its participants to graduate high school and dare to dream of a brighter future. Whether they pursue higher education, enter the workforce, or start their own business, NFTE instills an entrepreneurial mindset in young people so they can plan for success.
