About CTAC

Training high-potential adults for today’s workforce… And launching their careers.

Get Paid to Learn

Over the course of the 24-week program, receive a $17,500 stipend and be paid every 2 weeks just by showing up and doing great work!

Be Supported

Be supported with our available resources including laptops, alumni mentoring, public transportation passes, and more.

Start a Career

Upon successful completion, be placed into a technology role with a partnering institution and jump start your career.

Some Common Questions You Might Have

Gain experience both in and out of the classroom. Participants have over 700 hours of classroom instruction learning full-stack development (HTML, CSS, JS, Java, and more), soft skills, and optional on-the-job training.

You are required to participate Mon-Fri ~ 8 am-5 pm for 24 weeks and be in-person during most of that time with the possibility of transitioning to a hybrid model.

The only requirements are that you are 18+ years old, have a high-school diploma or equivalent (e.g., G.E.D.), and are legally eligible to work in the United States.

Applicants who believe they have what it takes to be successful in CTAC start by filling out the basic two-part application. Applicants with exceptional applications are selected to undergo an interview with a staff member. If accepted into CTAC, they will begin the pathway to their new career and get paid on the first day.

A motivated adult who may not have a traditional route to explore technology opportunities and has a strong interest in careers within the technology industry. Candidates also display a high aptitude for learning and are seen as being highly self-motivated and flexible.

Companies like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Truist, Ally, US Bank, Lowe’s, LPL Financial, and many more!

Nothing! As a matter of fact, we pay participants $17,500 total over 24 weeks.

During the program, training takes place Monday through Friday, 8 am-5 pm, for 24 weeks.

Yes! Graduation is contingent upon passing all ongoing assessments. However, if you make it to the end of the program, you will transition into a full-time role at one of our partner institutions.

We do not offer traditional benefits, however, in addition to the $17,500 stipend, we partner with local community leaders to provide wrap-around services when applicable. These benefits include but are not limited to laptops, professional development, alumni networking and mentoring, counseling services, and more!

Unfortunately, we cannot provide this opportunity to all those who apply. We receive hundreds of applications, and about 5% of those who apply are accepted into the program.

In short, yes. While participating in CTAC, participant performance is evaluated holistically, not just by their performance on tasks/assignments. If staff feels that a participant’s performance is not meeting the expectations of the current cohort, then the participant can be removed at any time before the end date of the cohort.

Still Have Questions? Reach Out To Our Team

Who We've Served

Our alumni have proven that our mission to diversify the tech industry is within reach.

Total Number of Graduates
0
Percentage of Diversity
0 %
Percentage of Women
0 %
Cherish M.
2020 Cohort 2 Graduate
Developer at Truist Bank
Bryant A.
2019 Cohort 1 Graduate
Developer at Ernst & Young
Melina A.
2020 Cohort 2 Graduate
Developer at Truist Bank

News & Media

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Oct 05, 2023
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Sep 21, 2023

We Are VESL

Powered by competition, we use esports and relatable STEM challenges to engage high school students on a level never seen before.

Grab your snacks as we spill the tea on how VESL gets it done.

Why Esports?

We create a bridge between their current interests in competitive gaming and give them the confidence to pursue STEM. Using esports as a vehicle to teach STEM, we can create a new generation of engineers and scientists well-equipped and passionate about their work and who are ready to lead the future of tech.

Esports
STEM

Esports Pathway

VESL is the first ever public school esports league in North Carolina. Schools compete for state championships as a varsity high school team across a variety of video game titles.

This league is for students who want to use their passion for gaming in a fun and competitive way all while learning valuable life-long skills. In addition to gaining applicable life skills, VESL opens doors to possible esport experiences at the collegiate level and beyond.

  • Get coached by pro esports coaches
  • Land direct connections to college
  • Gain teamwork and leadership experience
  • Participate at home or from school
  • Zero cost to players/students and schools

STEM Pathway

Fall 2023 Season STEM Topic: Artificial Intelligence

VESL is more than just esports. We use challenge-based learning to increase the STEM aptitude of our students to get them hyped about technology.

Participating schools form competitive STEM teams and learn from a self- guided after-school program with help from our STEM coaches. Teams then complete assignments and compete against other STEM teams in a competitive and constructive environment that drives them to excel.

  • Program AI using simple math
  • Gain the perspective of AI with state machine
  • Solve unknown unknowns using search algorithm
  • Guide AI in decision making with heuristics

Some Common Questions You Might Have

Schools are not required to have a computer/esports lab, and students can play from home.

VESL also offers a non-competitive gaming server for students to connect and play their favorite titles in an informal environment. This setup is more approachable for those newer to gaming.

We leave that up to each school. We understand that different schools have different preferences regarding what games their students engage in. No school is required to compete in any tournaments or competitions it is uncomfortable with or interested in playing.

We don’t have one at VESL. It is the decision of the student’s school whether or not they wish for students to maintain a specific GPA.

We support PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Switch! Most games are cross-platform, meaning students can participate from any platform.

Generally, yes. We ask that students provide games/consoles during the regular season competition. However, there are specific situations where VESL can help a student who cannot participate due to not having a specific game title. Please contact us at [email protected] if you feel like one of your students is in the situation.

That’s up to you and the esports coach. We understand that different schools and different sets of students will have different levels of availability to practice. That’s one of the reasons that we have the esports coaches aligned to help schools organize their students.

Esport coaches are assigned to schools to help with this process. Teams will be formed based on the student’s interests and their skill level. However, any student, regardless of skill level, can participate.

All of the game participation will flow through our Discord server. Though the exact process will vary slightly from game to game, the details will always be communicated through Discord.

Not generally, no. However, we do ask that students provide their parent’s email as a part of registration in case we need to reach out to parents for any reason.

All of that information will flow through the Discord. Schedules, timing, announcements, updates, leaderboards, and more come through the VESL server you’re invited to when you enroll.

We have two main windows where we host the games: the first is directly after school (approximately 3 pm ~ 5 pm), and the second is into the evening (approximately 6 pm ~ 8 pm). We will gather the availability of schools and slot them into better time slots based on their students’ availability.

Currently, a school can have up to 3 teams. Starting in the Spring of 2024, each school will only have one team at the varsity level for each game title, similar to other sports. At this time, we don’t plan to offer junior varsity competition. However, there are still opportunities and competitions for students who are not on the varsity team.

Still Have Questions? Reach Out To Our Team

Our support

VESL Partnerships + Sponsors