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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Free!
vancouver
calgary
london
toronto
Lighthouse Labs created The HTML500 to champion digital literacy in Canada. www.TheHTML500.com
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lighthouselabsvancouver
Lighthouse Labs
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04/ About Lighthouse Labs 07/
About HTML500
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Key Dates
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Founder Bios
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Q&A with Founders
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FAQs
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Sponsors and Partners
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Social Media & Contact
About
LIGHTHOUSE LABS Lighthouse Labs is an immersive coding education boot camp that provides hands-on training in web and mobile software development. Through a mixture of lecture and lab environments, students are given the opportunity to work on open source and real world projects with the support of instructors. Students acquire practical coding skills in multiple programming languages that prepare them to enter the workforce after this intensive 8-week training program. Lighthouse Labs created The HTML500 to champion digital literacy in Canada. The HTML500 gives access to anyone who is looking to make the first step towards digital literacy.
LIGHTHOUSE LABS CREATED THE HTML500 TO CHAMPION DIGITAL LITERACY IN CANADA.
Lighthouse Labs created The HTML500 to champion digital literacy in Canada. The HTML500 gives access to ANYONE who is looking to make the first step towards digital literacy. The event is designed to do three things: To inspire the general public by showing
01/ all the amazing opportunities created by code; To engage people to try coding with code
02/ by giving free access to introductory tech education. To celebrate Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing tech
03/ community by bringing it together in the name of tech education.
About
The HTML500 vancouver calgary london toronto
Touring Across Canada vancouver calgary london toronto
500
Participants in each city
50
Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top tech companies
The HTML500 is where 50 of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top tech companies come together to teach 500 participants how to code, for FREE. The HTML500 is a free event where 500 lucky participants can learn the basics of HTML and CSS from Canada's top 50 technology companies. At this massive celebration of digital literacy, participants will learn how to create their own landing page while networking with fellow attendees, recruiters, and the 100+ developers who are giving back to the community by donating their time, expertise and resources. Lighthouse Labs first launched The HTML500 in Vancouver last February 2014 to prove that coding can be easy (AND FUN!). The event was an enormous success, with 500 participants in attendanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;60% of whom were women. Word spread and 1,300 people signed up on the waitlist. Now back due to popular demand, The HMTL500 will be taking place in four cities across Canada with dates between January and February 2015.
Across Canada
The HTML500 Tour </>
Red & White Club
London Convention Center
TBA
1755 Cottrell St
1833 Crowchild Trail NW
300 York St.
(We will announce a
Vancouver, BC V6A 2L8
Alberta, AB T2M 4S7
London, ON V6B 1P8
venue very soon.)
vancouver
Feb 21st
toronto
Rocky Mountaineer Station
london
Feb 7th
calgary
Jan 31st
Jan 24th
About
FOUNDERS BIOS
JEREMY SHAKI Co-Founder, Chef Talking Officer Jeremy is a Canadian Entrepreneur and founder of Lighthouse Labs, Vancouver's Developer Bootcamp. With an extensive background in event marketing and business development, Jeremy is an active member of the Vancouver tech community and is the creator of The HTML500, North America's largest learn to code event.
Canadian Entrepreneur and Business Development
KHURRAM VIRANI Co-Founder, Director of Education Khurram has a strong passion for two things: coding and teaching. This is what drove him to co-found and teach at Lighthouse Labs. A natural teacher, Khurram is active in the Ruby on Rails development community and a frequent participant at many workshops. He is also a successful entrepreneur, Founder of two Lighthouse Labs and Span6 and a Partner at Functional Imperative, a boutique software agency.
Active in the Ruby on rails development community
Founder
Q&A
How did the idea for Lighthouse Labs come about? Where did the name come from? k
Khurram I've started and worked with various software companies and have always found there to be a developer talent shortage.
j
Jeremy The idea for Lighthouse Labs came from a simple place: When it comes to coding, you learn way more with repetition and through your job than in school.
k
Khurram I have a software development company in Toronto called Functional Imperative, which has hired all of its junior talent from various developer bootcamps and I observed what kinds of skills were valuable.
j
Jeremy Khurram was well placed to see what skills junior developers needed in order to positively contribute when they started their job. So from there, he created a curriculum that essentially prepared students with the skills necessary to start working in the industry and provide job placements where they can continue learning while getting paid. Really, there is no replacement for the lessons you learn on the job.
k
Khurram I'd actually like to focus on the word "Labs" in our name, because I imagine people don't give it much thought, but we did. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Labsâ&#x20AC;? is in our name because we're more than just education. With about 30 different senior developers teaching our students, Lighthouse Labs is a hub where developers of every kind collaborate,
build and grow. For example, our alumni and teachers have built open source software that helps schools like ours manage their curriculum and teachers.
j
Jeremy Our graduates are knowledgeable in a multitude of programming languages and posses the ability to learn new programming languages at a professional pace. We make sure that they are able to further grow their skills as a developer in an ever-evolving tech industry.
Lighthouse Labs is a hub where developers of every kind collaborate, build and grow.
What is the importance of digital literacy? Why should people learn how to code? j
Jeremy Over the years, the internet has democratized global communication and, because of this, our lives exist in both the real world and the digital/online world. With digital/online technologies growing at an exponential pace, the next step is for us to start interacting with this digital world in a much more hands-on way by learning the basics of code. Because coding democratizes creation. Coding gives us the power to create things that can be shared with the world in an unprecedented way. This is why we created The HTML500.
k
Khurram We created The HTML500 to promote digital literacy in Canada because frankly our education system hasn't quite caught up to the fact that software is everywhere. It's important for us to learn about laws of physics
because they apply to us all, even though we may not choose to become physicists. The same applies to code now. It's a fundamental part to practically everything we use in our personal and professional lives and so we should all understand how it works, regardless of our actual profession.
What is HTML500? k
Khurram We want everyone to get over the old stigma of coding. It's not hard. It is something anyone can learn, and it's actually a very social activity.
j
Jeremy The HTML500 was built to show Canadians how easy it can be to create through code while also demonstrating all the opportunities within Canada's technology space. We held our first HTML500 in February 2014. 500 people showed up. 1300 people were on our wait-list.
k
Khurram 500 people who have never touched code before attended this day-long event where they learn the basics of HTML and CSS. And by "we" I don't mean just Lighthouse Labs, I mean the local technology community. Numerous local tech companies both large and small came together to provide volunteer mentors, sponsorship and other assistance to make this event a huge success.
j
Jeremy It is the truest form of a Stone Soup, where a whole community comes together to create something that contributes to everyone's betterment.
k
Khurram And we proved that interest our theory that interest in learning to code is gender and age agnostic. 60% of the attendees were female and we had attendees ranging from 13 years of age to people in their 50s and 60s. And everyone had an amazing time learning to code together and for free.
60% of the attendees were female and we had attendees ranging from 13 years of age to people in their 50s and 60s.
Who is HTML500 for? j
Jeremy The HTML500 is for people who have considered learning to code, but haven't felt like they have had the right push to begin. It's for everyone, every age and especially good for young professionals who are looking to add to their skillset.
k
Khurram It's great for people who have been curious about what it means to code and how software developers work. They be pursuing a different profession, and that's okay.
What are you trying to achieve with HTML500? j
Jeremy Our goal is to inspire everyone to learn to codeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a skill that will help them in furthering their careers, becoming creators and entrepreneurs or just giving them the tools to manifest their ideas in the digital or real world. Canada has the opportunity to be a global leader in digital literacy, and for a country that is as separated by physical space as we are, our ability to create and understand code would be an incredibly useful skill within our economy.
k
Khurram At a high level, we want to show people how easy and rewarding it is to learn to code. Furthermore, understanding how software is created and how the web works can open up many possibilities for the attendees.
Who is involved with HTML500? j
Jeremy Who isn't? We have tech companies, education groups, government bodies, student volunteers, developersâ&#x20AC;Ś It is truly a microcosm of every local tech scene within each city we host this event in.
k
Khurram While it's managed and run by Lighthouse Labs, our coding bootcamp, The HTML500 wouldn't be possible without the support of our national and local sponsors. These are either tech companies building and selling cool software or utilize code within their organization for internal projects. Their developers have also signed up to be mentors so we can maintain a 5:1 attendee to mentor ratio.
j
Jeremy This is about the tech community coming together and giving back to help their city and the people within it.
What can people expect at the event? j
Jeremy Attendees can expect to have a lot of fun while listening to speakers and learning to code. We will be providing free lunch and they can browse our career fair. They will be sitting in a room with 499 other people who are learning to code for the first time so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a supportive and safe environment. We want them to walk out of the event feeling empowered in having picked up a new skill that acts as a foundation for creating and manifesting ideas in the digital/online world.
k
Khurram However, we do expect participants to bring their own laptop (no specific hardware requirements) and a sober/clear brain. We've also compiled a take-home eBook that goes deeper into web development for attendees that wish to pursue their tech education further.
What can people expect at the event? k
Khurram We hope that attendees will have a much deeper appreciation of how the websites they use on a daily basis are constructed, at least in terms of their visual presentation. Many have previously walked away inspired to learn more, which is of course amazing to see.
j
Jeremy We really want attendees to feel and understand that they are capable of learning code; that code is not intimidating; that if they learn how to code, there is an incredible amount of opportunities out there for them and their imagination is the only limitation.
FAQs How much does it cost to attend an HTML500 event? All of our events are absolutely free!
Who is the HTML500 for? The HTML500 is for anyone and everyone!
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never coded before. How much programming knowledge do I need to have before attending an HTML500 event? Absolutely none! Our curriculum is specifically designed for beginners AKA people that have never written a line of code or have very little experience with code. It is a fun way to get started and learn one of the most valuable skills of the 21st century!
What is included in my FREE admission? A full day of learning, a free lunch, lots of prizes and SWAG and amazing networking opportunities.
What do I need to bring? You'll need to bring your own laptop , #icandothis attitude and your resume (that is if you are looking for a job) to share with over 20 hiring companies at the VEC Career Fair.
How can i get involved? There are many ways to be part of the magic! Here are 5 ways: Share an AHA! moment with 499 others by registering up with us! If you’d like to partner with us in any way drop us a 01/Partner line we’d be delighted to have you on board. Teach or volunteer! Developers and volunteers: We’d love to have your 02/ help! Help us teach or volunteer your time. Bring The HTML500 to your city! If you’d like to see an HTML500 event 03/ at your city, contact us let’s create something cool together.
04/ created through code, socialize with us by tagging #html500
Be part of the experience, share your coding stories or tell us what you
When will registration open? Very soon we pinkie promise! Don’t miss out on the action, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Sponsors and Partners Lighthouse Labs would not be able to do this alone, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reached out to Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tech community and many organizations to help out.
Media Inquiries: Kei Baritugo e. kei@boldlove.com t. 604.719.7423
Social Media
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www.TheHTML500.com