WATER VALLEY, Miss.,
June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Renasant Bank is partnering with Base Camp Coding Academy
to help train Mississippi's next
generation of software developers.
Since 1904, Renasant Bank has invested in Mississippi's future. Starting in a small
bakery in Lee County in 1904, and
growing into a multi-state financial institution with more than 175
branches, Renasant knows first hand what Mississippians can
accomplished with hard work and a long-term vision.
To maintain the high level of service that Renasant's clients
have relied on for more than 112 years, Renasant works to adopt the
latest banking technology. From online banking and website
management to security, Apple Pay and mobile banking, Renasant is
focused on staying ahead of the curve.
"We are very excited to be sponsoring Base Camp Coding Academy.
Educating our local youth to fill these positions represents a
solution to immediate employment needs in many industries as well
as an investment in the future of each student and the future
economic growth of the state of Mississippi," said Scott Cochran, president of Renasant's Western
Division.
Base Camp works with high school graduates who have historically
been underrepresented in the computer science field through an
intense, year-long vocational training program in software
programming and computer coding. Students who are accepted into the
program invest a year of hard work, but no money, thanks to the
generous support of Founding Sponsors and Partners. Once students
leave the program, they have an opportunity to pursue full-time
employment with Mississippi
companies that need their skills.
Mississippi has approximately
1,200 unfilled computing jobs and less than 200 computer science
graduates annually. Mississippi
based businesses have been turning to H1B workers to fill these
employee needs, or the software development function simply gets
moved out of state to metro areas such as Atlanta and Dallas.
At the same time, large sections of Mississippi's youth historically do not have
the access or resources to pursue higher education. Base Camp is a
means to close this loop, providing training to Mississippi's under-advantaged youth and a
pipeline of skilled labor for our business community.
"We always have open positions for software developers here at
FNC, and I know from my colleagues across the state, this is a
shared problem," said Glen Evans,
president of the Oxford-based real
estate information technology company and Base Camp co-founder.
"High tech industries are still relatively new in Mississippi, and we are at a critical time of
growth. Bringing the vocational training models that have been so
successful in other sectors to coding skills just makes sense. This
is simply high-tech vo-tech."
Founded by Glen Evans, (President
of the software company FNC Inc. of Oxford, MS,) and Kagan
Coughlin, (formerly of Fannie Mae and FNC Inc. and a
Water Valley-based entrepreneur,)
Base Camp is solving the private sector's shortage of high-tech
skilled labor by training our local youth to fill these
positions.
"Our students focus on becoming fantastic programmers. They are
giving all they have, their time and hard work, to build a valuable
asset for Mississippi's future.
The financial support, that all-important third leg in the stool of
education, is being provided by leaders across Mississippi's business and philanthropic
communities," Coughlin said.
Base Camp Coding Academy, functioning as a non-profit charity,
is free to students who apply and qualify to participate in the
program. "When these young adults succeed here, they will have a
lifetime to contribute to the economic growth of our state and
country and to be positive influences in their communities,"
Coughlin said. "Glen and I saw that this was one of the best
investments we could make in the future of Mississippi, and this has been confirmed time
and again as we meet with visionaries and leaders across the state
who not only understand the value of this mission, but have decided
to financially support Base Camp."
Base Camp's inaugural class launches on June 1, 2016, with 14 young women and men from
North Panola, Sardis, Holly
Springs, Lafayette,
Oxford, Pontotoc, and Water
Valley, Mississippi.
Nominations for the 2018 class are being accepted now.
For more information about supporting the Base Camp Coding
Academy or student admission requirements, contact Coughlin at
Kagan@basecampcodingacademy.org or Evans at
glen@basecampcodingacademy.org.
About Base Camp Coding Academy
Base Camp Coding
Academy, based in Water Valley,
Mississippi, is a charitable, non-profit vocational
education training program that delivers fast paced, focused
computer programming to under-advantaged youth in Mississippi to support the technology needs of
local and regional employers. The program's primary objective
is to help students pursue a career in computer science through an
immersive classroom environment that features current, real world
technologies and projects. For more information about the Base Camp
Coding Academy, visit www.basecampcodingacademy.org.
About Renasant Corporation
Renasant Corporation
(NASDAQ: RNST) is the parent of Renasant Bank, a 112-year-old
financial services institution. Renasant has assets of
approximately $8.15 billion and
operates more than 175 banking, mortgage, financial services
and insurance offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
Contact:
|
Kagan Coughlin, Base
Camp
|
|
(662)
380-6867
|
|
kagan@basecampcodingacademy.org
|
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130207/CL56161LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renasant-invests-in-future-of-mississippis-software-development-workforce-300277970.html
SOURCE Renasant Corporation