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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.
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.
