Why 1647?

Because, it is a win-win-win. Here is what I mean.

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A brief background

In 2015, I co-founded a coding bootcamp designed to turn aspiring developers into software engineers in just 16 weeks, and we were successful. Over the next 6.5 years, I witnessed how learning a challenging technical skill could change someone’s life. I don’t say that lightly. The vast majority of people who attended our program applied themselves in class everyday for 16 weeks, and then pushed themselves even harder to find their first job in tech. When they found that first job, the rest was history. Families and communities were permanently changed. Now, our track record as an educational institution wasn't 100% in terms of job placement, even though our team worked tirelessly to improve it. This type of program simply wasn't suited for every learner or employer. But what if it could be?

In comes hire, train, deploy

I'm not sure where I encountered the hire-train-deploy (HTD) model first, but I've been obsessed with it ever since. It's not rocket science, and I could easily see the use cases and benefits for all stakeholders involved. It was a clear win-win-win, from my outsider's perspective. How does it work? Well, it's quite straightforward at a high level.

• Learners become employees - Learners are hired as employees to complete a rigorous training program all while receiving pay and benefits.
• Curriculum is designed by the hiring company. The training program is designed and delivered specifically to the hiring company's technical needs.
• Experience leads to full-time employment. Upon completion of the training, employees are deployed to the hiring company as consultants to gain on-the-job experience. When enough experience is gained, the hiring company will hire away each employee to join their own team.

How is it a win-win-win?

• Win #1: The learner. The learner is technically an employee. So, they actually receive pay and benefits while learning. From our perspective, it's a win for the learner to circumvent some of the pitfalls of the traditional educational model. There's no tuition payment, no career gap, and no need to forgo pay while you learn.
• Win #2: The hiring company. The hiring company is able to create a reliable and sustainable pipeline of new tech talent. From our perspective, it is a win for the hiring company when they have a more predictable pipeline of tech talent, trained specifically to their needs, and with talent that isn't considering multiple job offers.
• Win #3: Our company. 1647 is able to make a significant social impact while also building a profitable business.

Will there be pitfalls along the way?

Absolutely. Just read reviews on Glassdoor from other companies that have attempted to successfully execute the hire, train, deploy model. That being said, I believe strongly that a strong set of core values can help our team avoid the common pitfalls which other companies have encountered along the way. Will we hit some pitfalls of our own? Without a doubt, but we will learn from them, dust ourselves off, and keep striving to build a better way.

Our core values will guide us:

• Integrity Wins - No definition necessary.
• Mop the Floors - Everyone pitches in, regardless of position.
• Identify the Positives - Every situation has a positive. Find it and use it.
• Listen and Learn - Listen, really listen, to what people are saying. And then speak.
• Must be a win-win-win - Every act must be a win for our company, client and consultants.

From my experience, a strong company culture is unstoppable, and it takes a win-win-win business model to develop that kind of culture to the core. If we can accomplish this, we'll become a major player in the market. Here we go!

Reach out to learn more about how you can join in on our mission.