Code Burst

Produced in collaboration with eLearning Inside News and CKUT 90.3 FM•elearninginside.com

In the Appalachia region of the U.S., a region once dominated by the coal industry, mines have continued to close one after another. In answer, two tech consultants have established a free coding bootcamp called Mined Minds to retrain out of work coal miners and others for work in tech. What they promise seems like it could improve the socioeconomic status of communities around the world. But some believe they aren’t as beneficial as they come off. Several ex-learners have criticized the bootcamp, saying they were promised employment upon completion of the program and were fired days later. Others have filed a class action lawsuit against them on charges of fraud. Code Burst investigates Mined Minds, their efficacy, and whether their model can work for others. Code Burst is produced as a collaboration between CKUT 90.3 FM and eLearning Inside News.

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Episodes

Michael Moore Walked Away from an IT Job to Learn to Code with Mined Minds. It Didn't Go Well.

This podcast investigates Mined Minds, a coding bootcamps that received a huge amount of community support and federal and state tax dollars to re-educate out-of-work coal miners and others in Appalachia for jobs in the tech industry. Last week, we heard about the experiences of Susan Graves, whose experience as a CPA lent her a unique perspective as she learned and then worked with the organization. The week before, we heard from Billyjack Buzzard. Due to his background as a seventh generation ...

Sep 23, 2019•35 min

Susan Graves Puts on Her CPA Hat

Just a brief recap: the ongoing class action lawsuit filed against Mined Minds has been dismissed. I went over how things have gone forward in the last episode, and i also interviewed Billyjack Buzzard about his experience with the organization. Since posting, someone has made me aware of the fact that, in the tweet in which Jonathan Graham announced that the lawsuit has been dismissed, Stephen New, a lawyer who represented Ty, Tori, and others, has responded with a few choice tweets. If anyone ...

Sep 16, 2019•44 min

"I Wish I Got a Degree" Billyjack Buzzard Reflects on His Time at Mined Minds

This is the fifth episode in a series covering the story of Mined Minds, a coding bootcamp that set out to retrain out-of-work coal miners for work in the tech industry. First episode: https://soundcloud.com/user-630857765/episode-1-conflicting-coverage Over a year ago, in the early weeks of 2018, a colleague shared with me a story about a coding bootcamp that was looking to train out-of-work coal miners for jobs in the tech industry. Mined Minds was launched in southwestern Pennsylvania by Aman...

Sep 09, 2019•38 min

Code Burst 4: Decode

This podcast has focused on Mined Minds, a fairly unique coding bootcamp. This episode takes a look at programming educators that could be considered 'more traditional.' Decode MTL is a for-profit institution located in Montreal. I got in touch with Kevin Khoury, the co-founder, along with several students to explore the similarities and differences between the two.

Jun 12, 2018•24 min

Episode 3: Taken for Federal Granted

Laucher and Graham have long said that they don’t receive federal or state grants, but they have subcontracted with others that do. This episode looks into the money Mined Minds takes in on the non-profit side. It includes an interview with Ami Gatts, the president of a local workforce development board that administered a federal grant to Mined Minds, and goes over Mined Minds’ most recent tax documents.

Mar 20, 2018•24 min

Episode 2: From the Beginning

Using information that has been confirmed by multiple sources or has not been directly contradicted by others, Henry Kronk describes how Mined Minds came to be. He interviews Joseph McKenzie, who participated in the first run of the coding bootcamp and has gone on to lead a successful career in tech. McKenzie's experience stands in stark contrast with later students who say that Mined Minds over-promised and under-delivered.

Mar 13, 2018•29 min

Episode 1: Conflicting Coverage

In the practice of coal mining, there’s something known as rock burst. It happens in deep mines and tunnels around the world. Deep drilling causes the rock to shift and buckle. Shards can unexpectedly burst from the tunnel walls, injuring or killing miners. Code Burst is a story about a violent, unexpected shift in the structure of the global economy. It involves the growing skills gap, the growing tech industry, the growing obsolescence of higher education, and one married couple who either tri...

Mar 06, 2018•29 min

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