← Back to Full Case Study
Workforce Development Case Study

XactechED Training Program

Xactware and Mountainland Technical College · 2014–2015

$200K
State Grant Secured
20
First Cohort
72%
First-Cohort Externs Hired
State
Curriculum Approval

Challenge

As training manager at Xactware I found there was no local pipeline for the web developers the company needed. Local labor-market data showed roughly 2,000 coding job openings projected for the next year, with seven in ten Utah openings coding-related, and no local program producing candidates the company could hire.

Solution

A nine-month web development curriculum delivered through MTECH and taught by Xactware developers, ending in a 240-hour externship at the company. A $200,000 UCAP state grant, won through a Governor's Committee presentation, funded the program's development and launch.

My Role

Training Manager at Xactware. Co-wrote the grant proposal and gave the Governor's Committee presentation; built the curriculum, the MTECH partnership and instructor roster, and the externship; created the XactechED brand and campaign materials.

Methodology Applied

  • Gap Identification: Analyzed local labor-market data and the company's hiring needs to size the web developer shortage and the skills a graduate would need
  • Domain Expertise: Worked with Xactware's developers and MTECH to build the web development pathway, with the externship at the company as its final stage
  • Solution Building: Created a nine-month curriculum with hands-on lab components and a 240-hour externship
  • Stakeholder Buy-in: Secured state approval and Xactware's commitment to host the 240-hour externship
  • Outcome Measurement: Externship completion and hiring by the partner company, as reported in the UCAT Annual Report (2016)

Key Outcomes

Documented Results: Program recognized by the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) board. The pipeline continued after I left and drew a further $521,694 in state funding in 2016 and 2017.

Student Impact: Of the 18 first-cohort students who completed the Xactware externship, 13 were hired by Xactware (UCAT Annual Report, 2016).