Founded in 2012, BrainStation has maintained its reputation as a global leader in coding bootcamps and tech courses. Its education team of 500 industry professionals has trained over 30,000 people and more than 500 enterprise clients through campuses in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Miami, and London, England. BrainStation has more than 7,000 hiring partners around the world.

What Sets Brain Station Apart?

BrainStation is highly focused on your future career success, and that work begins on day one of the bootcamp. You’ll kick off the program setting your career goals, then participating in regular resume and interview workshops throughout, with one-on-one support available any time. That career focus, combined with cutting-edge training, translates to a 90 percent employment rate within six months of graduation.

In addition, BrainStation’s Learning Management System Synapse is among the most sophisticated on offer in Canada. The live online learning platform allows students to attend live lectures, collaborate with other professionals, and get immediate feedback from instructors – wherever they are. BrainStation also offers a range of scholarships, and has awarded over $2 million in education funding to help underrepresented individuals enter the workforce.

Lighthouse Labs is an online tech education leader that offers full-time and part-time bootcamps and introductory courses in web development, cybersecurity, data science and data analytics, empowering individuals with practical knowledge and in-demand skills for today’s job market. With deep industry connections and lifetime career support, Lighthouse Labs transforms and launches careers in tech.

Launched in 2013 by a group of software developers with a passion for code and mentorship, the school has provided education to more than 40,000 students. Lighthouse has offered a fully online experience since 2020, in concert with the growing popularity of remote work. The school also ranks for its data science bootcamps and cybersecurity bootcamps.

Lighthouse describes itself as “outcome-obsessed,” and that philosophy translates to employment success: 85 percent of Lighthouse web development grads in 2022 found employment in “relevant tech roles,” and 82 percent did so within six months of graduation, with a total average starting salary of $58,549. In 2022, the overall graduation rate was 87 percent across all programs. A total of 41 percent of job-seeking web development alumni were employed within 60 days of job searching.

There are more than 4,000 employers in the Lighthouse Labs network and alumni work at companies such as Bell Canada, Capgemini, Telus, Digital Lab (UBC and BC Children’s Hospital) and many more.

What Sets Lighthouse Labs Apart?

Lighthouse Labs has demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusivity and accessibility to careers in the STEM fields. No previous coding education or experience is required to attend Lighthouse Labs programs. The school is actively involved with diversity initiatives including Women Learning to Code, the Indigenous Digital Equity Strategy Project, Digital Skills for Youth, and other programs to open doors to successful tech careers. Lighthouse also continues its commitment to offering one million dollars in needs-based scholarship funding to new students.

Lighthouse Labs continues to offer its “Flex” model of delivery for learners seeking certification through part-time studies with 12-week full-time (about 50 hours of study per week) and 30-week part-time (25-hours of study per week) bootcamps. And that flexibility can translate to your worklife as well: 52 percent of Lighthouse Labs graduates work fully remote, while 43 percent work less than three days a week in the office.

From developing career plans tailored to learners goals to sharpening their interviewing skills, reviewing their resume, and helping to navigate complex job markets, Lighthouse Labs’ expert Career Services team is at their disposal. Even years after graduating, graduates will have access to professional advice, support, and resources.

CareerFoundry offers mentored online courses in UX design, UI design, product design, product management, digital marketing, data analytics, and full-stack web development. The Germany-based online educator began with a focus on UX design courses offered to enable beginners to become tech professionals in as little as six months with help from dedicated mentors, tutors and career specialists. And if you’re unsure which program is for you, there’s a menu of free short courses to help you figure out the best fit.

According to CareerFoundry, 90 percent of graduates land a job in their field within 180 days of graduation and the average salary increase in a student’s first role after graduation is $15,082. The average time it takes graduates to land their first job is 75 days.

What Sets CareerFoundry Apart?

CareerFoundry’s online programs strike one of the best balances available today between self-paced online learning and guided mentorship. You’ll receive 1:1 mentoring and tutoring through a live online environment, with support from a dedicated team of student advisors and career specialists. And with full-time, part-time, and flexible schedules, you can learn at the pace that’s best for you.

Each of CareerFoundry’s programs is backed by a job guarantee, which promises a full tuition refund if you don’t land a job within six months of graduation.

With their Dual Mentorship Model, you work in partnership with industry experts. Mentors are senior experts in the field helping you meet your long-term career goals, and your tutor is a course expert providing all your assignment feedback within 24 hours. In the Job Preparation Course, you enjoy 1:1 support from a career specialist.

Since 2011, General Assembly has transformed and future-proofed tens of thousands of careers through experiential education in the most in-demand skills today, including software engineering, UX design, data science, data analytics, Python, React, visual design and more. GA students are taught a career-readying curriculum by expert instructors, a global professional community of over 40,000 full- and part-time alumni, with accessible financing options. GA has an 81.8 percent graduation rate. Add in the support from GA’s career coaches from day one until you land your tech job, and it’s a recipe for success: 73.8 percent of students participating in the Career Services program secured full time employment within 6 months of graduation in 2022.

What Sets General Assembly Apart?

In 2016, Bitmaker Labs in Toronto was acquired by U.S.-based education company General Assembly. Under General Assembly, the Toronto campus joins 30-plus others worldwide, with access to a global network of nearly 20,000 hiring partners. Bitmaker practically pioneered the free in-class workshop among Toronto-based coding bootcamps – a tradition that continues today with General Assembly, and now includes free Generative AI classes.

If you need financing, GA has several options, from income share loans where students only pay for their tuition once they start a job that earns more than $40,000, to deferred payments with a 12 months grace period and 0 percent interest financing. There are also scholarships and seasonal offers available to help anyone access a career in tech they can love.

If you can’t manage full-time, GA also offers part-time classes in front-end development, React, UX design, JavaScript, and visual design. New “on-demand” self-paced learning options round on GA’s offering, providing students with greater flexibility and more ways to learn.

The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University offers more than 800 continuing education programs, 75 percent of which are degree-program credits. The school attracts a network of partners that support programming and job placement. It also offers a top ranking data analytics certificate.

What sets the Chang School of Continuing Education apart?

The Chang School’s Full Stack Developer program will give you the technical skills you need to excel in this fast-growing field. Offered online, you can finish the certificate in a year or less. The full stack developer courses offer plenty of hands-on, practical experience to set you up for success. There are no prerequisites for any of the courses, so you can get started right away and take the courses in any order.

The program offers virtual mentor services in one-on-one Zoom meetings and email consultations about full stack course assignments, final projects, and career advice. Employers will also be present for your final course presentations to evaluate your work and to provide real-world feedback.

Montreal-based Le Wagon has established itself as a true global leader in cutting-edge bootcamps. While its web development, data science and AI and data analytics as well as business intelligence courses are all available online, students can study live in 40 locations across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

An entrepreneurial spirit seems to come with the Le Wagon education, as its alumni have founded more than 200 tech start-ups and more than 1,000 hiring partners work with the school to hire its graduates. Le Wagon students prove highly employable, with an average employment rate of 90 percent across its worldwide campuses in 2022, and with an average salary of $70,000. Its Montreal campus reported a 72 percent employment rate six months after graduation in 2022.

What Sets Le Wagon Apart?

Top-notch training is accessible with Le Wagon. There are no prerequisites to join the bootcamps, and there are full- and part-time options available. While it’s intensive, the small cohort of seven students and one instructor allows for personal guidance and attention. Mentoring continues at the end of the program, with a career week to prep your CV, do mock interviews and meet tech experts to build valuable industry connections. You can choose to study full-time or part-time and graduate in two or seven months.

WeCloudData continues to evolve with bootcamps focused on data science and big data knowledge – but with plenty of coding education on offer for the data engineering-inclined. With campuses in Toronto and Vancouver, the school bills itself as a leading data science education and career service provider in Canada, with career-focused programs in data science, data engineering, machine learning, DevOps engineering, and generative AI.

WeCloudData’s high-quality training and complex specialization creates highly skilled talent, with a steady 100 percent employer satisfaction rate. According to 2022-23 KPI data released by Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, WeCloudData reported a 65.4 percent employment rate and 85.7 percent graduation rate.

What Sets WeCloudData Apart?

WeCloudData excels in providing training in data analytics and artificial intelligence/machine learning as well as skills in Python, SQL, and coding training for data engineers. It was one of the first bootcamps in Canada to offer advanced training in data science. Instructor attention and intimate learning experiences are a hallmark of WeCloudData, which boasts a matchless 4:1 student-instructor ratio.

In 2024, Concordia University was placed in the top spot as the number one university in Canada on Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings. The Montreal school has a student population of 50,000 and bills itself as a “next generation” university and its school of continuing education is heavily focused on tech training, with courses and programs in data science and AI, UX, cybersecurity, and programming.

Concordia’s emphasis on coding and computing is positioning itself to advance the tech boom in Montreal, which has become a leader in software development and information and communications technology. Montreal has attracted more than 7,000 tech companies to establish either outposts or headquarters in the city. Google, Microsoft, and Meta have all made Montreal their AI R&D centre.

What Sets Concordia University Continuing Education Apart?

Concordia’s focus on innovative tech training is paying dividends for students; more than 91 percent of graduates from the Web Development diploma program (available as a 12-week fulltime or 30-week part-time course) find work within six months and enjoy an average salary of $55,000. That’s not just because of the top-notch training though; Concordia provides extensive career coaching resources to help you develop a portfolio, hone interview skills, and give yourself a leg up in the job market. And with career coaches actively working in the industry, you’ll get informed and reliable prep while building valuable connections.

Springboard’s mission is to make 21st century skills accessible through mentor-led online courses in data science, data analytics, cybersecurity, UX/UI design, and machine learning, as well as an AI Accelerator Bootcamp. The San Francisco-based tech academy believes the ideal learning experience should be designed to fit your life’s pace with part-time online offerings and a variety of payment plans.

Springboard has a school-wide average employment rate of 85.6 percent within 12 months of graduation. Career-track graduates report an average $25,764 increase in salary after completing a course with Springboard.

What Sets Springboard Apart?

Springboard’s Software Engineering Career Track program boasts an undeniable track record of success with more than 88 percent of graduates landing a job within 12 months and an average starting salary of $75,906.

This is an engineering bootcamp, which will push you beyond some of the front-end projects and sprints typical of other programs. As a result, it’s also singularly intensive, clocking in at nine months – yes, months – of full-stack training. Given the complexity of the program, there are a few prerequisites such as a basic grasp of JavaScript and CSS. If your skills aren’t quite there or you need a refresher, Springboard also offers a prep course to get you started.

Springboard also offers an unbeatable range of funding options, including multiple payment plans. Given its high job placement rate, Springboard also offers deferred tuition where you don’t pay until you start a job in the field, as well as a job guarantee that promises a full tuition refund if you don’t find a relevant job within six months.

Humber is one of Canada’s largest and most successful polytechnic schools with more than 200 full-time programs in six academic faculties. Founded in 1967, Humber has consistently provided practical education for those looking for fulfilling careers, with strong results: 83 percent of employers believe Humber grads are well-prepared for work; 84 percent of graduates are employed six months after graduation; and 95 percent of graduates would recommend Humber. In fact, Humber has the highest graduate employment rate of Greater Toronto Area (GTA) colleges and the highest employer satisfaction rate of GTA colleges based on Colleges Ontario’s key performance indicators for college graduates in 2022-2023 (the latest available data).

What Sets Humber Apart?

You will become a career-ready web designer in one year learning from Humber instructors who are industry professionals that are passionate about what they do. They’ll guide you through the program with a practical, hands-on style of teaching and provide opportunities to network with employers and alumni who will help you to build valuable contacts and shape your future career.

Humber graduates are prepared to apply for junior and intermediate-level positions within the web and interactive design field. Depending on how you choose to specialize and market yourself, a diverse range of positions are possible including front-end development, backend development, web design, UI/UX design and many others.

Conestoga is a leader in polytechnic education, delivering a full range of career-focused education, training and applied research programs to prepare students for success in the new knowledge economy and promote economic prosperity throughout the Kitchener-Waterloo region and across Ontario.

As of 2022-23 KPI data released by Colleges Ontario, Conestoga boasts the top graduation rate of all Ontario colleges at 72.9 percent, well ahead of the provincial average of 65 percent. Conestoga’s graduate employment rate is the highest among colleges in the Greater Toronto and Golden Horseshoe areas. Within six months of graduation, 90 percent of Conestoga graduates were able to find employment, and more than 80 percent of graduates reported they were very satisfied with their experience at Conestoga. More than 92 percent of employers report being “very satisfied” with Conestoga graduates.

What Sets Conestoga College Apart?

The college’s labs are equipped with the latest technology, project-based courses, field and clinical experiences, international exchange, applied research and co-op opportunities engage students as they learn to connect theory, research and practice. The focus on technology-enhanced learning through online and mobile technologies ensures that students are prepared to excel in an increasingly digital world. Conestoga’s commitment to student success includes a full range of support and career advising services available to students throughout their learning journey.

Since its founding in 2012, Coding Dojo has become a top platform in “big data” education, delivering some of the most comprehensive bootcamps in the industry.

What Sets Coding Dojo Apart?

Coding Dojo has been in business for more than 10 years and trained more than 13,000 people globally and is part of Colorado Technical University. This partnership gives graduates pathways into undergraduate and graduate degree programs – that means students may have their course credits directly recognized by partner universities. Partners include Northeastern University and City University of Seattle.