NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Holberton School, the San Francisco-based two-year college alternative for software engineers, today announced that Nadine Krause has been named the director of the new Holberton School New Haven, a collaborative partnership with District Innovation and Venture Center.
Since the recent announcement of the new Holberton School New Haven campus in early September, the school has received more than 100 student applications for the 30 slots available for the inaugural cohort in January 2019, with more arriving each day.
“Nadine’s leadership of Holberton School New Haven couldn’t come at a better time,” said Pauline Vorms, head of Expansion for the Holberton School. “Digital transformation is critical to the future of businesses in Connecticut and across the nation and seeing this ground-swell of interest in software engineering will lead to a successful economic future for the state.”
As part of today's announcement, Krause will assume responsibility for all of the operations and success of the New Haven campus. Holberton School New Haven will mirror the successful program developed in San Francisco, providing the region with highly qualified, software engineering talent. Included in this approach, Krause will focus on fostering strong community and corporate partnerships to ensure students have access to meaningful internship opportunities, mentors and industry experts. In return, local employers will have access to the diverse, motivated and well-rounded skill-set of Holbertool graduates.
“Connecticut’s business ecosystem is a unique blend of industries, everything from aerospace to securities and investments. While the disparity in services is clear, they all have one thing in common; a shortage of tech talent,” said David Salinas, co-founder of District and chairman of the District Innovation & Venture Center, the non-profit behind the new campus. “In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a 24 percent average annual growth rate for software engineering jobs in the state through 2026. With Nadine’s deep experience and commitment to developing talent with a focus on soft skills, I am confident that Holberton School New Haven will fill those jobs with qualified, motivated Holberton graduates.”
A Connecticut resident since childhood, Krause graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Psychology and Complex Organizations and the University of New Haven with a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Prior to joining Holberton, she managed centralized business support functions and was the chief of staff to a senior leader at Hartford, CT-based Prudential Retirement. While at Prudential, Krause also held human resources roles gaining extensive experience in talent and leadership development, team and organizational effectiveness, and diversity and inclusion. Before Prudential, Krause worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Administration where she managed the Homeless Veterans Outreach Program covering the state of Connecticut.
“Holberton School New Haven offers a unique program for anyone with the passion and motivation to become a software engineer,” said Krause. “Tech jobs are hot, and talent is in high demand, but getting a job will take more than just knowing how to code. Companies are now insisting that employees come equipped with the essential soft skills necessary to hit the ground running. Skills such as leadership, communication, collaboration, and time management are crucial to success. The great news is that this is an integral part of the Holberton experience. I am beyond excited to join the Holberton team and start encouraging and mentoring the region's future tech talent.”
Planning to open in January 2019, Holberton School New Haven will train world-class software engineers in only two years without charging upfront tuition. Students only pay once they get a job. They will acquire practical skills and an understanding of theory through hands-on, project-based peer learning and development of actual systems and applications; the current curriculum was developed by the school and a network of mentors and industry leaders. Holberton students and graduates are employed at top-tier employers like Apple, Cisco, LinkedIn, Facebook, Dropbox, Tesla and more.
The school does not judge applicants by their previous education, work experience, gender or age. The application process is completely blind, using technology to identify energetic, motivated people with a will to succeed versus considering prior education or an applicant’s demographic background. Current students’ ages range from 18 to 58 with more than half being people of color and a third being women.
For further information about attending Holberton School New Haven, register for the open house on November 14, 2018, at District New Haven, 470 James St, New Haven, CT 06513 or go directly to the application page. Holberton School New Haven is also accepting applications for open job positions. For more information on available positions, and how to apply, go to https://www.holbertonschool.com/jobs.
About Holberton School
With a campus in San Francisco and a new campus pending approval in New Haven, CT, Holberton trains software engineers using a revolutionary teaching method based on project-based and peer learning. The college alternative is free until students find a job. Graduates have earned high-impact engineering positions at companies like Apple, Tesla, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Students are supported by mentors and investors who are leaders in technology, sports, and entertainment, including Grammy-award winner NE-YO, New York Jets standout Kelvin Beachum, and technology visionaries Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn CEO), Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang, Docker founder Solomon Hykes, and Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel. Go to www.holbertonschool.com to learn more.
Editorial Contact
Allyson McKenney for Holberton School New Haven
allyson@districtnhv.com
Joseph Eckert for Holberton
jeckert@holbertonschool.com