A boot camp for financial technology is now offered by Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, the latest in a series of professional tech training programs the university teaches in partnership with leading workforce accelerator Trilogy Education.
Photo courtesy of Rice's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies
With rising demand for technology talent in Houston's key industries of energy, life science and manufacturing, the Rice University FinTech Boot Camp is the first Trilogy partner to launch this innovative program preparing professionals to fill the financial technology talent gap.
Enrollment is now open for the 24-week program beginning Nov. 18.
"Technology skills are becoming foundational for many roles in the finance, energy and life science sectors," said David Vassar, assistant dean of professional and executive programs at the Glasscock School. "We have partnered with Trilogy Education to bring to market a boot camp that prepares students to use their technical skills in a wide variety of fintech applications, from robo-advising to cryptocurrency. Whether you are already in finance or are looking for a way to transition into the industry, this program will prepare you to build a meaningful career in the fast-moving world of fintech."
The Rice University FinTech Boot Camp is an expansion of the Glasscock School's partnership with Trilogy Education to offer intensive, skills-based training programs for Houston professionals in data analytics, cybersecurity and web development. The Rice University Data Analytics Boot Camp was the first program to launch in November 2018 and it recently expanded to a new location in Houston's Energy Corridor. Rice expects the program to continue expanding as corporate partners create a growing demand for workers with customized tech skills training. The Glasscock School has already made investments to support this expansion, both in staffing and infrastructure, according to program leaders.
"The Rice University FinTech Boot Camp comes at a critical moment of need as the city of Houston transforms itself into a national hub for enterprise technology," said Robert Bruce, dean of the Glasscock School. "We've seen several fintech companies choose Houston to open new office locations and a rising demand from our longstanding industries like energy and manufacturing to transform themselves into technology and data-driven businesses."
As one of the largest employers of web developers, the finance industry is continually competing for job-ready tech talent, program organizers said. Financial companies such as U.S. Bancorp and JPMorgan Chase had more open coding positions in the last year than Apple and Google. In the past eight years, the U.S. has added over 1.5 million fintech-related jobs, according to labor market data from analytics software company Burning Glass.
"Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies is playing an important role in building the digitally skilled workforce that Houston needs to support a growing innovation economy," said Dan Sommer, CEO and founder of Trilogy Education. "The Rice University FinTech Boot Camp will help working adults in Houston capitalize on the exploding demand for technology and data skills and spur additional investment in fintech throughout the region."
The fintech program's curriculum grounds students in the core languages and technical tools expected of professionals in the financial industry and advances to topics such as machine learning and cryptocurrency. By the end of the program, students will have a robust professional portfolio and experience with a wide range of technologies used in the financial industry, including:
- Analyzing stock movement using financial APIs in Jupyter notebooks.
- Creating predictive models for stock prices with time series analysis using Python.
- Building a decentralized identity system using blockchain technologies.
- Applying machine learning algorithms to analyze sentiment scores for cryptocurrency news.
- Using TensorFlow and Keras to build deep learning neural networks to predict financial outcomes.
- Developing an AI-driven robo-advisor capable of providing financial services with minimal human intervention.
In addition to classroom instruction from industry professionals, students will have access to highly targeted career-planning services including trained career coaches, recruiting assistance, portfolio reviews, webinars and employer events.
Boot Camp students will receive a Certificate in Financial Technology from Rice confirming they have gained skills that prepare them for a wide range of fintech-related roles.
The 24-week, part-time program launched its first class in July, and the next class will begin Nov. 18. Enrollment is now open at techbootcamps.rice.edu/fintech. Those interested in the program can apply online or by calling (713) 893-7791.
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