Wisetail Works, the charitable giving arm of Bozeman technology firm, Wisetail, announced a $100,000 grant to Montana Code School to support the program’s efforts to train the next generation of tech sector talent in Montana.

The Montana Code School is a community-driven initiative based in Missoula dedicated to expanding the pipeline of programming talent in Montana through a 12 week course. Montana Code School students can begin with little or no programming skills and emerge with skills necessary to enter junior level programming positions.

The Wisetail Works grant will support the Montana Code School’s development of a virtual learning environment as the core platform for students, instructors and mentors in the business and tech community to collaborate, share learning results and best practices. By powering learning at the Montana Code School, the Wisetail Works grant will allow instructors to track learning, record results, develop programming and deliver curated curriculum, allowing Montana Code School students access to the most leading edge technology on the market.

 “We know from experience, Montana is an excellent place for tech innovation and we’re thrilled to support the forward-thinking approach spearheaded by the Montana Code School,” said Justin Bigart, CEO of Wisetail. “We owe our success to the people, infrastructure and backdrop Montana has to offer and can think of no better way to pay it forward than to invest in opportunities for students to learn specific skill sets to land well-paying jobs right here in Montana’s tech community.”

The Montana Code School will welcome its inaugural class on Monday, September 28th 2015.
 
“Wisetail Works' support will give the Montana Code School an additional edge. Bringing a learning management tool into the mix with the Montana Code School will effectively augment our classroom and mentoring experience. It allows us to capture rich resources and learning pathways for current and future cohorts. It is a sincere pleasure to partner with Wisetail on this endeavor," said Montana Code School Instructor Doug Odegaard.

Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad at the University of Montana and member of the Montana Code School’s founding team, Paul Gladen calls the partnership a game-changer. “As a global leader in its field, Wisetail's commitment to the Montana Code School sends the message far and wide that not only is this training opportunity welcomed by students, but the tech community is eager to engage with individuals who complete the program. Wisetail Works' support is a major boost to the program," said Gladen.

Montana-native and UM Business School graduate, Justin Bigart bucked the Silicon Valley tech startup culture by building Wisetail without venture capital, dedicated to being an independent, profitable and self-funded company. Since its inception in 2008, Wisetail has grown 100% per year with more than 1 million users and counting. Wisetail Works launched in June 2015 as the charitable giving arm of Wisetail, actively working to benefit social, economic and environmental causes in the state.

Past Wisetail Works grant recipients include the Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s bridge project and Montana’s Crisis Intervention Team, (CIT Montana) which is an umbrella group that coordinates crisis intervention training and development across the state.

Learn more about opportunities at the Montana Code School.