Feb. 12, 2018 – Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Academy – School of Blockchain, the world’s first accredited school for blockchain development, extends its global reach through Software University Ltd. in the largest Ed-tech deal in Eastern European history. Founded in 2013, SoftUni is the largest private school in Europe and Eastern Europe’s leading provider of high quality IT developer education.
“Academy’s commitment to building the premier global network of disruptive technology education is enhanced through the integration of SoftUni’s world-leading training and education programs,” said John Souza, Academy founder and CEO.
What impressed Souza most was SoftUni’s complete alignment to positive student outcomes. “In a world wherein most schools are either burdening students with a massive amount of debt or simply not teaching them anything that can be used in the real world, SoftUni is a true diamond in a mountain of coal.”
“We have seen short form coding bootcamps popping up like frozen yogurt stores over the past few years only to see many fail,” said Souza. In fact, General Assembly, one of the largest coding boot camp players in the field, is currently also exploring a potential sale. Souza believes this is due to a lack of alignment with market needs.
Early Success Indicators
“Our Coding Academy program has an ongoing placement rate of 92%, putting us clearly on the top of every alternative learning program in existence today. Now we’re parlaying that success into tackling the top risk to the entire blockchain ecosystem, the lack of developers available to hire,” said Souza.
Demand for Academy courses is already high. The first combined on-site/online blockchain immersion course began last week in Sofia, Bulgaria at the SoftUni campus; over 600 candidates applied for the entrance exam. Three hundred and fifty interested developers participated in the online entrance exam, and 120 students were accepted and enrolled based on outstanding exam results. Thirty students are participating in live sessions, while 120 are completing the course via a proprietary digital learning management system.
“We’re very excited to welcome our first cohort of students into the 6-week blockchain immersion course. The response has exceeded even our high expectations for enrollment,” Souza said.
Developing the Future
While Academy offers a full-circle solution to today’s critical blockchain developer shortage, Academy’s vision extends beyond short-term industry needs, thinking forward to the needs of tomorrow.
“Digital and emergent technologies have the potential to solve many of the world’s critical issues, so Academy’s focus will always include looking to the future needs of disruptive tech education,” said Jason King, Academy co-founder. “Developing specialized programs, like our blockchain immersion course, needs to sit alongside a long-term commitment to foundational education.”
Through the Coding Academy program, Academy continues to fulfil its commitment to foundational education.
“We’re not just educating the developers of tomorrow, we’re building the skills that will support communities and economies around the world. Pairing SoftUni’s unparalleled student outcomes with Academy’s extraordinary network of blockchain and disruptive tech visionaries is the next step in a global education revolution,” said Ivan Nenkov, CEO of SoftUni.
Dr. Svetlin Nakov, co-founder of SoftUni and honored winner of a Bulgarian presidential award, looks forward to Academy furthering the reach of award-winning Ed-tech programs for children and youth. “Our future is in the hands of our children. Teaching coding skills early will be the key for our youth to unlock humanity’s future mysteries. We’ve beta-tested an introductory coding program for kids aged 5 – 12 and will see that program further developed for global distribution,” said Nakov.
Expansion through Partnerships
Academy looks forward to aggressive growth over the next 12 to 18 months, as they continue to develop long-term strategic partnerships with governments, corporations and universities around the world.
“We have the curricula, proprietary learning systems and network to ensure longevity in the Ed-tech space. Our immersive blockchain curriculum gives the standardization and scalability needed for blockchain to succeed,” said John Souza.
For more information on Academy, read their whitepaper “Developing the Future of Blockchain”.
Company: Academy – School of Blockchain
Contact: Matthew Lutz, matthew@academytoken.com
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