How Flatiron School + Bletchley Institute Are Building a Global Tech Community

By partnering with Bletchley Institute, Flatiron School is helping its students and alumni access and interact with a global community of technologists and creatives. Flatiron School CEO, Peter Barth, shares how this collaboration allows students to grow their network, level up their skills, and receive professional mentorship from experts in the field. From events and contests to its job board for members, learn how Bletchley Institute is expanding the networks of Flatiron School students. 

What is the mission of Bletchley Institute?

Bletchley Institute’s mission is to build the world’s best community for technologists and creatives to connect, grow, and change the world!

Why is it important for Flatiron School to partner with Bletchley Institute now?

In a world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence and automation, we believe the need for human connection and community is more important than ever and Bletchley provides an opportunity for our students to engage with our alumni and the students and alumni of other schools around the world.

We’re also pretty big fans of fun and Bletchley just launched a series of contests and competitions, called Mastery Quest, that we think our community will enjoy and shine in, both the recent grads and folks that have been out in the industry for years.

How is Flatiron School involved with Bletchley? What does it mean that some of these courses are “powered by Flatiron School?”

Flatiron School is involved in a number of different ways. We’re part of the community alongside other school communities and individuals that join.

For example, we’ve invited our staff and students to join the platform and participate in contests, awards, and more. We also license our curriculum and technology to power their software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity programs (with product design coming soon).

We do this with a number of universities and international schools but this is the first time with a community platform.

How will Bletchley Institute complement the technical training and career services provided by Flatiron School or other bootcamps?

Bletchley Institute’s focus is on connecting the industry at large with schools that are helping people enter the industry. This makes it a great fit for people who may be looking for community outside of the school or company where they work. We see that as a value add for Flatiron School.

Although we have more than twenty thousand graduates and more than 100 grads at a larger tech employer, that’s still a fairly small drop in the broader industry bucket. We love the idea that our grads might meet grads from other bootcamps or universities that all live in the same city or work at the same company.

We feel like we’re really good at serving our students and recent grads but like most schools, traditional or bootcamp, we don’t have ongoing programming for alumni. If we can help our graduates get plugged into a platform specifically focused on the long-term industry community, we think that’s a win!

What can a Bletchley student expect from Bletchley Institute?

At least for the programs that we are involved with, we know Bletchley Institute is planning to supplement our curriculum with mentorship from industry professionals. 

They’re also offering our programs in modules so that might be a fit for students that Flatiron School doesn’t currently serve.

Bletchley Institute has a job board that has job postings for all different levels of experience, whereas Flatiron School focuses its attention on entry-level roles for our recent grads.

Bletchley Institute is running events and contests and we’re sponsoring some of them as well as helping provide speakers or judges for some of their events. For example, several of our alumni are speaking at their early events and now represent companies like Netflix, Disney, Meta, and Github.

Is Bletchley Institute free for Flatiron School students and alumni?

The Bletchley community is free for everyone, but their educational programs have fees and there is no special pricing or discounts for Flatiron School students.

Currently, the programs at Bletchley are more entry-level so they’re not designed for someone who’s already gone through a bootcamp. We see the value for our alumni in being able to join and interact in Bletchley Institute’s global community.

Community is central to the Bletchley Institute mission. What does that community look like?

Bletchley brings together a global community of designers, developers, data practitioners, mentors, and regional training providers from around the world and we are happy for Flatiron School to be a part of it. The community communicates in Discord and connects over events and contests, and will even have a conference that we will host at our Flatiron School NYC campus in the Fall.

Who are those mentors at Bletchley Institute?

Bletchley Institute mentors are seasoned professionals who have been in their respective fields for 5+ years and have experience in instructional or mentoring roles.

Will Flatiron School alumni have the opportunity to mentor the Bletchley community? 

Yes, we encourage them to become mentors! We encourage them not just for access to a vibrant community of learners and industry professionals, but to make a meaningful impact and empower others to learn and thrive in their careers.

How is Bletchley Institute improving diversity within the tech field?

Bletchley Institute is a global community, connecting Flatiron School alumni with technologists from around the world, like alumni from Moringa School in Kenya and Academy Xi in Australia.

Bletchley believes that our individual differences make our collective community stronger and we couldn’t agree more. We think building a more diverse and connected community isn’t just good for you – it’s good for your projects and your employers, too.

We’re all about empowering the community to bring unique perspectives and experiences to the table, and we’re always looking for new ways to do that.

Is there an admissions process to get accepted into the Bletchley Institute community?

No. Bletchley Institute is a community of industry professionals and newcomers alike. There are community guidelines, but all you need is a valid email address to join. There are prerequisites for the Job Search Accelerator program, but other programs are open to all who want to learn skills in tech.

Is there an ideal candidate for the Bletchley Institute community?

Bletchley Institute community is open to all but is built to allow technologists and creatives (such as designers, developers, and data professionals in various industries) the opportunity to collaborate, learn together through workshops and events, and engage in friendly competitions. There is a place for seasoned professionals who want to mentor others and give back to the community, newcomers just beginning their pursuit of a career in tech, and those in between. We think Flatiron School students and alumni will fit right in.

Will being part of the Bletchley Institute help Flatiron School graduates’ hireability?

Being a part of Bletchley won’t change the hireability of our alumni, but it will connect them to other professionals from around the world. These connections and the collaboration, community, and competition Bletchley provides will help our alumni level up throughout their careers, well after they graduate from Flatiron School.

What is your advice to Flatiron School and Bletchley students and graduates on how to make the most of their experience?

Join the community! Become a mentor. Attend an event. Participate in a contest. Connect with others and be a part of this growing community.

Find out more and read Flatiron School reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Flatiron School.