Fill out the form to get more information about the Fullstack Academy bootcamp of your choice.
12.18.2024
Why High-Quality Tech Bootcamps Are Still Relevant in 2025
By The Fullstack Academy Team
As we enter 2025, all we can say with certainty is that changes in our economy and workforce development will continue to accelerate. The pandemic lockdowns may be in the rearview mirror, but the ascendance of AI and the resulting skills gap within the workforce population are just two of many catalysts driving skilling and upskilling.
At what scale are we talking about? PwC estimates that 38% of the jobs in the U.S. economy will be at risk due to automation by the early 2030s. Plus, the U.S. produces about 2.5 million new college graduates each year, many of whom lack core digital skills.
In this context, 2U’s exit from the bootcamp training space has amplified concerns among educators, recruiters, and the industry regarding curriculum, training modalities, and the evolving relationship between universities and their training partners. Given 2U’s exit and the broad shakeout among bootcamp providers, is this a viable and effective approach?
Our short answer: yes, there remains a huge need for a comprehensive and applied curriculum, designed for learners with little to no prior knowledge. This is the role of bootcamps, and where they are particularly effective compared to other training modalities. We unpack “the why” below.
Mark Twain once wrote that rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated. At Fullstack Academy and Simplilearn, we assert that the same can be said about the alleged “death” of the tech bootcamp model (image generated by AI).
How Market Demand Reflects the Ongoing Need for Bootcamp Training
Google search volumes highlight the ongoing demand for comprehensive online tech and digital skills training. Per the graph below, while recent searches for “online bootcamps” have fallen, it’s important to recognize that such searches were heavily (and somewhat artificially) inflated in recent years. That’s because the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent economic uncertainty resulted in a wave of search queries related to education.
However, notably, recent bootcamp search volumes are comparable with those of 2019.
That’s just one of the reasons why Fullstack Academy and Simplilearn remain incredibly bullish—about both bootcamp training in particular and the broader digital upskilling market in general.
Independently, each organization has over a decade of experience and tens of thousands of successful graduates. Combined, we have operated under the same parent organization for several years and have built one of the most comprehensive and acclaimed course portfolios serving professionals around the globe.
Within our combined catalog of courses, all focused on ‘digital economy skills,’ we offer everything from one-hour free courses; to in-depth, single-skill certification courses (often in partnership with leading technology companies); to 4 to 10-month comprehensive professional certification programs (similar to what 2U has announced); to traditional bootcamps—which are designed to combine project-based applied learning, mentorship, and career support.
Why Not All Online Bootcamps—Or Their Providers—Are Created Equal
Our programs and courses are designed to meet the needs of a range of learners, at different stages of their careers. Across our curriculum, from coding to data science, and from cybersecurity to digital marketing, we are incorporating AI. Why? Both our learners and our corporate partners are demanding this, and rightly so:
The value of AI competency, across job functions, continues to soar. According to Adecco’s annual Global Workforce study, nearly double its 2024 report respondents (23% vs. 12% in 2023) stated “AI has made my skills less relevant.”
Meanwhile, during all this change, the mission of continuing education remains twofold: 1.) to support access to higher education, particularly among underserved and underrepresented communities, and 2.) to propel career advancement through lifelong skilling and upskilling.
We remain committed to working with our education partners to meet the needs of the broadest set of learners, across the entirety of their career—through Fullstack Academy, Simplilearn, or both organizations.
The Value of Trusted Tech Education
Fullstack Academy remains our flagship bootcamp offering. It has helped over 10,000 graduates launch or expand their careers in tech at over 1,500 companies and organizations. Meanwhile, Simplilearn offers a range of short courses, certification preparation materials, and other short-form online courses—with a global brand that enables our partners to expand their reach outside the U.S.
Education has never been one-size-fits-all, and professional education offerings, including bootcamps, are no exception. Whether it's an enterprise going through digital transformation, a services firm seeking a steady stream of recent graduates with a baseline of competencies, or a technology firm ensuring that its existing workforce continuously upgrades its skills, market needs vary and training must align to this demand.
The aforementioned Adecco Group study identified which segments of the workforce are “future-ready.” Not surprisingly, only 2% of entry-level workers were classified as such. That’s where bootcamps come in: empowering early-career professionals with the practical skills and support they need to learn, utilize, and transform technologies that power the future.
Meanwhile, the career skill-building needs of mid-level employees may be better aligned with quick, specialized online training—such as Simplilearn’s certificate courses. But whatever the discipline, AI must be part of the curriculum. In organizations with a strong cohort of AI adopters, employee retention can become a challenge. According to a recent McKinsey survey of 10,000 global professionals: “Fifty-one percent of respondents in technical and non-technical roles who identify as generative AI creators and heavy users of the technology say they plan to quit their jobs over the next three to six months.”
The answer to this organizational challenge is to increase the share of employees, at every level, who have digital and AI skills. Additionally, organizations should support ongoing professional development for their high-potential employees.
We aim to provide these means to succeed for all types of learners amid digital transformation in the workplace. To do this, we’ll continue to develop in-demand skills training and partner with leading universities to deliver the technical training the global workforce needs to succeed.
Learn more about our student-centric approach to university partnerships.
