University Economic Development Association

Idaho Program Takes a “Byte” out of Skills Gap

Inspire Idaho, winner of the 2019 UEDA Award of Excellence in the talent category, is rewriting how rural America gets to play a part in the tech economy. Free, mostly volunteer run and enthusiastically backed by Apple, Inc., the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene program is shaping the state’s future through innovative thinking, community engagement and transformative education. Learn about Inspire Idaho’s latest moves, including incorporation with local libraries and a vision for app development on the job.

Inspire program presentation

Inspiring Idaho App by App

In the rural mountain community of Sandpoint, Idaho – population 9,523 – the local library started a new chapter when they added MacBooks to their loan lineup. The longtime timber town is turning into a quiet tech hotspot, and these computers bring with it an invaluable connection to the state’s future.

The devices arrived with Inspire Idaho, an effort led by the University of Idaho (U of I) to support new pathways to prosperity for Idaho adults of all skill levels. The program aims to eliminate barriers to future-ready skills development by facilitating a yearlong free mobile application learning experience.

“We have a vision to engage our community, excite curiosity and enhance personal growth,” said Emily Hitchcock, Tech Specialist, East Bonner Country Library. “Inspire Idaho allows anyone, regardless of money or formal education, to take learning into their own hands and improve themselves and their communities.”

Inspire Idaho launched in mid-2018. The state had nearly 1,200 open computing jobs but produced just 435 computer science graduates, according to code.org. What’s more, developers working in Idaho realize an average income of $87,580, more than twice the state’s overall average wage. Seeing Apple, Inc. pay well over $100 billion to app developers over a decade, U of I knew the opportunity was ripe for rural Idaho.

computing jobs were open throughout the state of Idaho in 2018, yet only 435 computer science graduates were produced.

%

of the registrants were women – nearly double the percentage of women currently participating in the tech workforce.

MacBooks have been placed among 366 learners over the past 2 years.

computing jobs were open throughout the state of Idaho in 2018, yet only 435 computer science graduates were produced.

%

of the registrants were women – nearly double the percentage of women currently participating in the tech workforce.

MacBooks have been placed among 366 learners over the past 2 years.

“There are many people the technology industry has ignored”, said Charles Buck, Ph.D., Associate Vice President and Center Executive Officer, University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene. “We want to meet learners in their own communities and provide the pathway to go from no knowledge or experience with coding to creation of a fully developed mobile app.”

Using curriculum created by Apple, Inc. and expertise from Apple staff, the program empowers community volunteers to lead the way. Frank Foster of Coeur d’Alene, where Inspire Idaho originated, saw an early advertisement promoting a secret project connected to coding. He was intrigued, though even with a background in information technology, coding would be a new language for him.

“I attended the first meetup, and we did a week of learning code and understanding the program,” said Foster. “Then the reigns were handed over to me to help lead the local team, and the rest is history.”

Foster wouldn’t be alone in leading a group of learners down the road to their own app. The robust Inspire Idaho network includes university extension educators, computer science faculty, community libraries, economic development professionals, and industry and community advocates.

With about $6,000 in startup funds, building that network in a state with fewer than 20 people per square mile required a bootstrap effort relying on contributions from a wide array of volunteers. A 20-city demonstration tour resulted in 450 signups in the first week, and the demographics proved the experiment’s purpose.

Women account for 44% of registrants, nearly double the percentage of women currently participating in the tech workforce. One women-only Inspire Idaho team emerged in Coeur d’Alene. Furthermore, nearly 40% of those who signed up earn less than $30,000 a year, and a substantial number indicated the need for a capable device to undertake the software development curriculum. 

Inspire Idaho raised $175,000 to build a MacBook library and placed a laptop in the hands of every learner they could. Still, meeting the demand for devices and keeping the momentum created by the tour brought the program’s first big challenges.

“With about $6,000 in startup funds, building that network in a state with fewer than 20 people per square mile required a bootstrap effort relying on contributions from a wide array of volunteers. A 20-city demonstration tour resulted in 450 signups in the first week, and the demographics proved the experiment’s purpose.”

“There was so much excitement and hype around the tour that expectations for both running the program and how quickly learners would get through the curriculum and create apps were idealistic,” said Sheri Bullock, Community Development Specialist, U of I Coeur d’Alene.

Two years after inception, Inspire Idaho has placed 202 MacBooks among 366 learners. Thirteen teams launched in ten Idaho towns, with eight teams still actively working toward program completion. The most significant challenge is retention, consistent with this subject matter nationwide. Computer science has the highest dropout rate among all college degree tracks.  

“Keeping people engaged can be difficult, especially in the start of the program,” said Foster. “Each group has a different method behind how they handle this. With my team, we try to focus on the projects for the learners as well as getting engaging speakers to keep people interested.”

The interactive and creative approach on Foster’s team has resulted in successful completion for many members. One learner is finalizing apps to track ping pong scoring and crossbow shooting tournaments. Another recruited a writer friend to join her in creating a choose-your-own-adventure game. Foster has two apps in various stages, a handwashing timer for the Apple Watch and an app to manage tabletop role-playing games. He hopes to release both this year.

“Inspire has been such a great experience to get my foot in the door,” said Foster. “I think the biggest next step will be the continuing support for our learners. Finding unique and opportune events and supporting information to guide people on the path after they finish the curriculum is where I see success in the future.”

Incorporating Inspire Idaho into community libraries is a major step. The checkout process eases management of the MacBook library, and the library resources provide a localized boost for the Inspire Idaho mission.

“We provide accountability and follow up on the Inspire Idaho members working through the curriculum,” said Hitchcock. “We also provide a physical location for members to meet and help each other, and we’ve learned through a pandemic we can still foster those connections at a distance.”

Following the success of the library involvement, Buck envisions the next step as encouraging more employer involvement to enable learners to take some work time for the program. As for inspiration to bring the program beyond Idaho, Buck says, “Believe that something can be done on a large scale with little funding and lots of help from partners.”

Charles Buck is as the chief administrator and spokesperson for the University of Idaho in North Idaho. He is responsible for programs at U of I in Coeur d’Alene, U of I in Sandpoint and the U of I Research Park in Post Falls.

Since taking on this leadership role with the university in 2011, Buck’s efforts have focused on increasing educational access for all while pursuing meaningful relationships with the community to foster positive growth and development. He’s played a key role in launching many of the initiatives shaping the culture and economy of the region including the nonprofit CDA 2030, the maker space Gizmo-CDA, the Community Water Resource Center, Inspire Idaho, Arts Ed Co-Lab, the computer science degree program in Coeur d’Alene and more.

Buck grew up in southern Idaho. He graduated from College of Idaho before receiving his doctorate in molecular neurobiology from the Weill Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City. He has research expertise in cancer, metabolic diseases and neurobiology. In addition to managing academic research, Buck created and led a startup biotech company in Austria for five years. His experience includes technology development and project management in biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, biofuels and personalized medicine.

Charles Buck, Ph.D.

Associate Vice President and Executive Officer for U of I Coeur d'Alene

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