DETROIT – Grand Circus, a technology training provider with campuses in Detroit and Grand Rapids, announced the launch of the application process for the Facebook Bootcamp. The bootcamp will combine Grand Circus’ front-end curriculum with React, an open-source JavaScript platform.

“Partnering with Facebook allows us to continue to position Grand Circus graduates as leaders in the technology field,” said Damien Rocchi, Grand Circus CEO. “The specialized training that this boot camp offers in React prepares students with the necessary skill set to thrive in today’s digital environment and fill a shortage of computer coding professionals.”

Applicants accepted into the Facebook Bootcamp will receive full scholarships and training in HTML5/CSS3, JavaSript, jQuery, React, Node.js, NPM, AJAX and json. They will be proficient in embedding media, leveraging scalable vector graphics and using CSS to improve site performance.

Within this program, students will be provided with job assistance training and guaranteed first-round interviews at Michigan technology firms, including Accenture, a global professional services company.

“As the demand for software developers continues to grow, this effort helps to build the pipeline needed to address the skills shortage with qualified applicants,” said Scott Jecmen, managing director of Accenture’s Detroit office. “We’re proud to align ourselves with Grand Circus as it prepares its graduates with the necessary skillset to fill technology jobs in Michigan.”

A total of 25 students will be accepted across Grand Circus’ Detroit and Grand Rapids campuses. Applicants must commit to eight weeks of full-time attendance from Oct. 18 through Dec. 8 and two weeks of mandatory pre-work. This pre-work will be a part of the application process.

Eligible students must be residents of west or southeast Michigan and be 18 years of age or older.

The companies said “ideal” students will have a college degree or some completed college coursework; at least three years of professional experience, preferably with some exposure to diverse team-based environments; experience in a back-end programming language (self-taught, formal education or professional experience); examples to demonstrate resourcefulness and a tenacity to overcome obstacles; an openness to receiving and giving feedback; and what organizers called “a growth mindset, a great attitude and eagerness to learn at lightning speed.”

Applications opened Tuesday. Qualified students will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis and acceptances will be based on phone and in-person interviews and exemplary completion of the program’s mandatory pre-work.

“At Facebook, we aim to inspire people of all ages to be involved in and excited about computer science,” said Erin Egan, vice president of United States public policy at Facebook. “With 500,000 open computing jobs in this country and just 50,000 computer science graduates every year, both the opportunity and the need are clear.”

The Facebook Bootcamp is a continuation of the Facebook and Grand Circus partnership to train 3,000 Michiganders in coding and social media business marketing over the next two years.

More information about the Facebook Bootcamp is available at https://www.grandcircus.co/bootcamp/facebook-bootcamp/.