Who is served: Adult learners

Number of participants served annually: 12,000 

Location: Manhattan 

Frequency/Duration: Immersive and accelerated programs meet Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Part-time courses are often in the evenings, or on weekends. General Assembly also offers short-form classes and workshops, ranging from 1 hour to 2 days, as well as free events for career exploration, networking, and community-building. Programs range from 1 hour to 24 weeks. 

Application process: Online application. Applicants for full-time Immersives complete admissions assessments to ensure they are prepared for the rigor of the curriculum. Admissions reps help prospective participants determine if a course is the best fit. 

Curriculum:  Full time: Software engineering, data science, and user experience design Part time: Python programming, UX Design, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Data Science, Product Management, Visual Design, Front-End Development, Java-Script Development, React Development 

Skill level: Entry-level, mid-level, advanced 

Outcomes: Entry-level jobs, upskilling and re-skilling, career transitions 

Partnerships: Employers partner with GA through on-site upskilling and reskilling programs. They have also implemented diversity and impact programs with companies (e.g., Adobe Digital Academy and CODE:Rosie). GA has also run programs in partnership with the New York City Tech Talent Pipeline and nonprofit organizations such as Hack the Hood, IBM P-Tech, LaGuardia Community College, The Last Mile, New York on Tech, the U.S. Department of Labor, Vets in Tech, and more. 

Cost: Costs range from $200 for a 1-day bootcamp in digital marketing to $16,000 for a full-time data science immersive course. GA offers a $0 upfront tuition model, loan financing, and installment plans for several courses, in addition to full upfront payment. Scholarships are available. 

Sources of funding: Tuition  

What makes this program stand out? General Assembly describes itself as “the future of work.” It is one of the largest tech bootcamps in New York City, and is known especially for its full-time immersive courses in software engineering. But it also offers a wide variety of courses with varying time commitments, and works extensively with employers on upskilling. GA constantly adapts its course design and overall offering to reflect the most in-demand skill sets. GA provides full time, immersive training in software engineering, data science, and user experience design, while part-time course offerings teach variety of programming languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and React., as well as product management, visual design, data analytics, digital marketing, and data science.  

“We’re not competing with 4-year degree programs,” explains Senior Director of Social Impact Tom Ogletree. “We are working with top businesses across sectors to develop courses and we’ve done a lot of work with them around standards and assessments.”  

General Assembly also operates programs in partnership with community-based organizations, nonprofits, and community colleges. General Assembly ran 2 innovative partnership progrms funded through the Obama Administration’s TechHire initiative, including CodeBridge in partnership with Per Scholas and TechHire—Open Code in partnership with LaGuardia. The program also offers the See Her Excel Scholarship, awarded to women pursuing software engineering.  

What do participants need to succeed? Demands vary depending on the program. Some immersives require a full-time, multi-week commitment, while part-time courses are designed for nights and weekends, or 1 week of full-time classes. Though many courses are geared towards beginners with no prior knowledge of a given subject, pre-work assignments help participants get up to speed, and additional, personalized support is available. Given the significant costs and time commitment for some of GA’s programs, even with scholarships and merit-based loans, low-income participants can face nontuition barriers. 

What does the organization need? Strong relationships with employers to ensure companies are thinking about student skills and competencies in lieu of traditional credentials.