Cracking the Code: How 2U and WeWork Are Hacking Tech‘s Diversity Problem

The technology industry has a well-documented diversity problem. Despite efforts to close the representation gap, women and people of color remain significantly underrepresented in tech jobs compared to their share of the U.S. workforce. According to recent data, women make up only 25% of computing roles, while Black and Hispanic workers account for just 8% and 7% of the tech workforce respectively (compared to 13% and 18% of the overall U.S. labor force).

But an ambitious initiative spearheaded by education technology leader 2U and coworking giant WeWork aims to hack tech‘s persistent diversity problem by investing in a new generation of underrepresented developers. Launched in 2018, the Access Labs coding bootcamp removes traditional barriers to tech education like high upfront costs, opening doors to in-demand software engineering careers for low-income adults.

Disrupting Traditional Models: How Access Labs Removes Barriers

The Access Labs Initiative offers an immersive, full-time software engineering course run out of a custom WeWork space in New York City. The 15-week program, powered by 2U-owned Programming School‘s proven curriculum, provides hands-on training in key coding languages and frameworks used by professional developers, including:

• Front-end web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Back-end programming with Ruby and Ruby on Rails
• Databases and SQL
• Object-oriented programming paradigms
• Web application architecture and APIs
• Developer tools like Git and the command line

Rather than charging students upfront tuition that can top $15,000 at traditional coding bootcamps, Access Labs utilizes an innovative deferred tuition model. Students pay no upfront costs, and only begin repayment after graduating and landing a full-time job as a software engineer earning over $40,000 annually. This unique financial model drastically expands access for students from low-income backgrounds who may not have the means to afford expensive bootcamp programs.

In addition to the immersive curriculum, Access Labs provides students with a supportive community of peers and mentors, career coaching to help navigate the job search, and apprenticeship opportunities at partnering companies like 2U. The program is designed to not only equip students with in-demand coding skills, but to provide the professional development and employer connections needed to successfully break into tech careers.

By the Numbers: Representation, Outcomes & ROI

So is this innovative model actually moving the needle on diversity in tech? Here‘s what the data shows:

• To date, Access Labs has enrolled over 200 students across multiple cohorts.
• 50% of Access Labs students identify as women or non-binary.
• 60% of students identify as people of color.
• The average age of Access Labs students is 32, higher than traditional bootcamps which tend to skew toward 20-somethings.
• 50% of Access Labs students were earning less than $25,000 annually prior to enrolling.

After completing the immersive program, Access Labs graduates have gone on to land full-time software engineering roles at major tech companies like Google, Spotify, and Amazon, as well as a variety of startups and agencies. Job placement data shows:

• 82% of Access Labs graduates land a tech job within 6 months of completing the program.
• The average starting salary for Access Labs grads is $90,000.
• Access Labs grads see an average salary increase of 114% in their first job after the program compared to their pre-bootcamp wages.

These strong outcomes help to demonstrate the positive ROI and upward mobility generated by the Access Labs model. While the deferred tuition model means that students take on some debt if they successfully transition into engineering careers, the relatively high salaries allow grads to recoup their investment and see a significant net financial benefit over time.

Driving Impact: Apprenticeships and the 2U Connection

A key ingredient in the Access Labs model is the apprenticeship program that creates a direct pipeline from the classroom to real-world engineering roles. 2U, the global leader in education technology that acquired Programming School in 2017, has committed to sponsoring 25 Access Labs graduates per year in paid apprenticeships embedded with the company‘s technical teams.

During the 3-month apprenticeships, Access Labs alums work alongside 2U‘s seasoned developers on projects like integrating Programming School‘s custom Learn.co platform into 2U‘s myCourses learning management system. They also receive ongoing mentorship and professional development to further hone their coding skills in a real-world software development environment.

After completing the apprenticeship, many have converted into full-time software engineering roles at 2U. "The Access Labs apprenticeship was a truly invaluable experience," says Danielle Jameison, a former teacher who completed the Access Labs program in 2019. "Not only did I get to apply my newly developed coding skills to complex problems the 2U tech team was solving, but I built my confidence and professional network in a really meaningful way. Ultimately the apprenticeship opened the door to my current role as a full-time software engineer."

For 2U, investing in apprenticeships for Access Labs grads is not just a feel-good initiative, but a strategic talent play that aligns with the company‘s mission and values. "Not only is it the right thing to do, but it‘s good for business," says 2U Co-Founder and CTO James Kenigsberg. "We know that diverse teams build better products. The Access Labs apprenticeship program allows us to tap into a new pool of talented engineers that make our technology organization stronger and reflect the diversity of the learners we serve."

The Future of Access Labs: Expansion and Scale

As the Access Labs model continues to demonstrate positive outcomes for students and hiring partners like 2U, plans are in the works to scale the program to new cities and markets. Conversations are underway to tap into WeWork‘s global network of hundreds of coworking sites in order to expand immersive coding education to many more aspiring developers.

The success of the deferred tuition model also opens up possibilities for expanding into new tech specializations beyond software engineering. Data science and analytics, UX and UI design, IT and cybersecurity are all high-growth areas facing similar diversity challenges where the Access Labs model could be transformative. 2U‘s portfolio of tech bootcamps and courses across a variety of digital disciplines will provide a strong pipeline of additional curricula to power new programs.

Interest is also high from other major tech employers in joining the Access Labs employer partner coalition alongside 2U. "It‘s become very clear to the industry that we need to totally rethink our approach to recruiting and developing talent," says Amelia Friedman, a director of software engineering at a large financial technology company. "I‘m excited to explore apprenticeship partnerships like what 2U has established with Access Labs in order to build a more diverse pipeline of engineers."

A Model for the Future of Workforce Development

While Access Labs is still a relatively young initiative, its early impact and potential to scale represent a powerful proof point for a new model of workforce development – one in which mission-aligned partners across education, tech, and real estate collaborate to expand access to digital skills and tech careers.

In an economy increasingly driven by automation and digital transformation, closing skills and representation gaps in high-opportunity fields like technology is both a business necessity and a moral imperative. Models like Access Labs, which align training with the needs of real-world employers and provide direct pathways to good jobs, offer an exciting template for preparing a new generation of diverse talent to drive innovation across the tech ecosystem.

Of course, no one program or initiative will single-handedly solve deeply entrenched equity gaps in the tech workforce. And coding bootcamps are not a magic bullet – many graduates still face challenges breaking into the industry, and programs vary widely in the quality of their curricula and outcomes. Bootcamps are also not a substitute for longer-term investments in K-12 computer science education and building early tech exposure and interest among underrepresented youth.

But by combining immersive technical training, student-friendly financing models, wraparound support services, and direct employer partnerships, initiatives like Access Labs can have an outsized impact. They also create proof points and replicable models that can be adapted to meet the needs of different learner and employer populations and to close gaps across other domains of the future of work.

Ultimately, closing the representation gap in tech (and across other high-opportunity fields) will require sustained effort and partnership across sectors. But as the Access Labs story demonstrates, when innovative organizations come together around a shared commitment to expanding opportunity, transformative things can happen – one student, one engineer, one company at a time.