Expanding Educational Opportunities For Veterans: Announcing Our Partnership with Shift

You are viewing an archived article that was originally published on November 11, 2019. Due recent unforeseen events, Shift.org is pausing financial services support for Bloom Institute of Technology (formerly known as Lambda School) students while we focus on the mission-critical task of providing career services to any BloomTech graduate and current Shift Pathways veteran. Thank you for your interest in this program.

Jackee Rohrich came to BloomTech in early 2018.  An Army veteran who had been injured in training, she was looking for a new way to provide for her young children. Both of her children are on the Autism spectrum, and their unique needs became her primary motivation during the  intensive 9 month BloomTech program. Jackee graduated from BloomTech in September 2018, and she now works in software development at Prominent Technology in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Tyler Sanford is another similarly incredible veteran and BloomTech alum. During his time in the military, Tyler sustained a back injury and as a result, needed a new career that didn’t require the type of hard, manual labor he was used to. He worked as a DoorDash delivery person and as an Uber driver while attending BloomTech, and he now earns a six-figure salary as a full-stack engineer.

The grit and determination of these students drives me to get up in the morning. Their military service has taught them professionalism, teamwork, and discipline that is tough to find anywhere else. 

And yet, despite what many believe, research shows that Veterans struggle to commercialize the skills and experiences they developed in  the military.  Yes, they are getting jobs – according to the U.S Department of Labor, Veteran unemployment is just 3.2%, but it’s the quality and nature of the jobs that‘s the issue. 

Recent LinkedIn data shows that  on  leaving the military and applying for their first civilian role 70% of veterans take a step back in seniority. Veterans with college educations are at least 30% more likely  to be underemployed, meaning the true impact of their potential is being wasted. 

We need to do better. 

That’s why I’m thrilled to announce a new partnership with Shift, an organization that helps veterans transition from active military service to civilian life through on-the-job training. 

This Veteran’s Day, we’re rolling out an all-new program to help veterans learn in-demand skills like coding, data science, mobile development. BloomTech's education programs are not covered by the GI bill, so Shift has launched a philanthropic fund in partnership with EdAid Foundation that helps reduce the cost of these programs up to $10,000. Through the program, vets get the benefits of using an income-share agreement, or ISA – meaning you only have to pay a fraction of your tuition up front. Once you graduate, we’ll help you land a well-paying job—and then you’ll pay for the rest of your tuition with a percentage of your income for a limited time.

“Every day, we meet veterans who are eager to learn the skills they need to break into tech,” said Mike Slagh, Shift’s CEO and a former Bomb Disposal Officer in the Navy. “Cost should never be a barrier for a veteran who is ready and willing to learn the skills that today’s employers need.” 

I agree with him. I know that the risk involved in coming to BloomTech is great, and for our students exiting the military and transitioning into civilian life, it can be difficult to imagine the next step. We hope that this new partnership will allow veterans to get their foot in the door to the tech world and bring their unique skills and experience to make purpose-driven organizations even stronger. 

Every day, I have the opportunity to learn from our students, to hear their stories, and to innovate new ways to make their experience with us the best it can be. It’s an honor to be able to partner with Shift to offer veterans more affordable access to our programs, because I know they will make powerful and necessary additions to the tech workforce.

Sincerely, 

Austen Allred, CEO and Co-founder of BloomTech

About Shift.org 

Shift prepares military talent to thrive in modern companies. We’re a career change platform that translates military experience into tangible skills that employers need, and readies military veterans to apply their service to a new mission. We leverage technology, military expertise and industry insight to help companies tap into the millions of diverse service members who go overlooked in traditional hiring pipelines. 

A few interesting tidbits about Shift: 

• “Shift has cracked the code on military career transitions,” according to the Veterans Experience Office at the Department of Veterans Affairs 

• Ranked one of FastCompany’s Most Innovative Education Companies in 2019 

• Backed by world-class investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Tim Ferriss 

• CEO Mike Slagh was a Bomb Disposal Officer in the Air Force before founding Shift 

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About BloomTech 

BloomTech invests in human potential. We are pioneering a new model of higher education in which the school invests in the students – not the other way around. Our mission is to expand access to better incomes by aligning the incentives of the school and the student. We don’t succeed unless they do. 

A few interesting tidbits about BloomTech: 

• At BloomTech, we invest in you. With our popular income share agreement, or ISA, you invest in yourself, too. When you pay for your BloomTech education with an ISA, you’ll start by paying for a fraction of your tuition up front. Once you graduate, we’ll help you land a well-paying job—and then you’ll pay for the rest of your tuition with a percentage of your income for a limited time.

• Programs include Data Science, Web Development, and Backend Development

• Backed by Y Combinator, and a host of top investors