The Best Canadian Coding Bootcamps in 2023
Canada’s Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) industry is steadily rising, with revenue reaching 230 billion Canadian dollars between 2017 and 2020. High-paying jobs are plentiful in this industry, so competition to reach the top of the field is fierce. Whether you’re a student or a professional, upskilling your coding abilities will allow you to keep up with current trends and technologies.
Rather than pursuing the traditional path of gaining a university degree, you can join a coding bootcamp to enhance your web development and programming skills. Keep reading to find out more and accelerate your career in tech.
What Is a Coding Bootcamp?
A coding bootcamp is an intensive technical skills training program that teaches students programming languages, coding, design, security, data science and analytics, and other related aspects essential in developing web, software, and mobile applications. Students can gain valuable and competitive programming skills that employers from prestigious companies are looking for.
Most coding bootcamp programs last for a few weeks, depending on the specific course. Most bootcamp providers offer online courses and some offer in-person programs, as well. You will learn how to conduct data analysis, build functional web applications, and use real-world development tools in a short time.
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Coding bootcamps give various opportunities to hone your skills and build a well-established portfolio. Some bootcamps also offer certificates at the end of their programs that enhance your resume and increase your chances of getting a job.
Do Employers Like Coding Bootcamps?
Yes, employers prefer to hire individuals who have studied in coding bootcamps because they know that job seekers have undergone rigorous training and have developed relevant programming skills. 97 percent of job-seekers who completed a coding bootcamp in Canada attained employment in 2020.
What’s the Canadian Tech Scene Like?
Canada’s technology industry has grown twice as quickly compared to the rest of the economy, accounting for five percent of the total GDP. In the last two years, the technology industry did not experience the same decline as other sectors.
Canada has a thriving ICT sector with over 43,200 companies, the majority of which fall in the software and computer services businesses. The industry is dominated by small organizations, with around 35,500 employing fewer than 10 people in software-related positions. Around 100 well-known companies have employed more than 500 people.
Employer hiring activity has been steadily increasing because companies have started to depend more on digital services. Canadian organizations are becoming more reliant on skilled professionals in software development, infrastructure systems and support, and cyber security initiatives.
As a result, firms continue to assess their recruiting procedures and consider hiring more people with industry-recognized certifications rather than a traditional college degree. If you’re looking to accelerate your career, keep reading.
Canadian Cities with Coding Bootcamps
Canada is attracting top tech talent and the world’s largest tech companies at an unprecedented rate. Find coding bootcamps in your preferred cities below.
Toronto
Toronto, the most populated city in Canada, is home to some of the country’s most established businesses, including Celestica Inc, Thompson Reuters, Sears Canada, and Royal Bank of Canada. Four of the country’s leading coding bootcamps, Bitmaker Labs, BrainStation, Lighthouse Labs, and Juno College, have established themselves in the city’s downtown sector.
Toronto is a hub to flourishing and star-quality startup businesses, such as Shopify, Rentlytics, and Cossette. After attending a coding bootcamp in Toronto, you can become a database analyst, network engineer, or business system analyst, who have an average salary of 71,000 CAD. Attending a coding bootcamp will provide you with programming skills in Python, SQL, Java, and Linux.
Vancouver
With a 21 percent growth rate, Vancouver ranks third among the 30 major IT markets in both the US and Canada. Some of the largest tech employers reside in the city, including Blackberry, Constellation Software, Telus, and CGI Group. Multinational Internet businesses such as Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter have established their presence there, as well.
The top coding bootcamps you can find in Vancouver include BrainStation, Lighthouse Labs, and General Assembly, among others. If you’re looking for a web developer job, startup companies like ZipZap, Hootsuite, ShareDesk, Trippeo, and NodeFly are hiring in the city.
Montreal
Montreal is not only known for its unique culture, but it is also one of the country’s largest tech hubs. The city has ranked sixth among the 30 major IT markets in the US and Canada, with over 15 percent growth, generating 12,600 new jobs. There are over 179,000 tech workers and 5,000 companies have their headquarters in the city.
Montreal is home to coding bootcamps like Le Wagon, which provide web development and data science courses. Lighthouse Labs is a great option for both new and professional developers. Concordia University offers coding bootcamps with dynamic test-driven development courses in web applications.
Other Cities
In CBRE’S 2021 Scoring Tech Talent report, Ottawa gained the 10th spot on the top 50 list, Waterloo 21st, Calgary 28th, Quebec City 34th, and Edmonton 38th. Ottawa has the largest concentration of IT occupations in North America, accounting for 11 percent of all employees in the National Capital, while Waterloo ranked fourth.
The Waterloo region was also noted as the most affordable tech talent market in North America, where the annual cost of running a 500-person company in a 75,000-square-foot building came to $31 million.
Ottawa and Waterloo are two of the top-performing tech cities in Canada. This is one of the reasons why coding bootcamps, such as BrainStation, have developed courses that cater to technology students.
Remote Learning
Most coding bootcamps also offer online programs to attract more students. An online coding bootcamp usually costs less than an in-person bootcamp and you can attend classes regardless of your location. With the liberty of taking courses in any location, there will be fewer possibilities in missing out on lectures.
The Best Coding Bootcamps in Canada: 2023 List
By now, you already know that Canada is home to top tech talents and offers many career options in the ICT field. Take a look at the best coding bootcamps below and choose the right one for you according to the location, subjects, and prices offered.
| Bootcamp Name | Locations | Subjects | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrainStation | Toronto, Vancouver, Online | Data Science, UX Design, Digital Marketing, Web Development | 15,000 USD |
| CodeCore College | New Westminster | CodeCore Developer Bootcamp, Programming Fundamentals, Advanced Web Application, Business Administration, Cyber Security, DevOps | 950-10,700 CAD |
| Concordia Bootcamps | Montreal, Online | Data Science Diploma, Web Development Diploma | 11,495 CAD |
| General Assembly | Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Online | Software Engineering Immersive, Data Science Immersive, User Experience Design Immersive, Front End Web Development, Python Programming, Data Analytics | 3,100-14,950 CAD |
| Juno College | Toronto, Online | Data Analytics, Web Development | 12,995 CAD |
| Le Wagon | Montreal | Data Science, Web Development | 10,500 CAD |
| Lighthouse Labs | Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Victoria, Ottawa, Montreal, Online | Web Development, Data Science, Data Analytics, Cyber | 1,750-17,500 CAD |
| Pragra | Mississauga, Toronto, Online | Full Stack Java, Front End (MERN Stack), Mastering DevOps Tools, Quality Assurance Automation | Contact the school |
| University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies | Toronto, Online | Coding, Cyber Security, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, UX/UI, FinTech | 11,245-12,245 CAD |
| WeCloudData | Toronto, Online | DevOps, Data Science, AI Engineering and Machine Learning Ops, Business Intelligence, Data Engineering | 5,600-15,400 CAD |
BrainStation
BrainStation offers courses in data science, UX design, digital marketing, and web development, which you can take full-time or part-time. You will learn critical data science skills and acquire hands-on industry experience through innovative real-world projects. You will also cooperate with designers, web developers, and digital marketers to generate definitive solutions.
In the Data Science Bootcamp, you will learn SQL programming, how to manipulate and communicate data insights, and integrate powerful data visualizations. The UX Design Bootcamp teaches students UX design processes, how to build and test interactive prototypes, and learn app and motion design principles.
The Digital Marketing Bootcamp teaches you how to understand customers and build a marketing mindset, explore social content, and discover how to use Google Analytics for marketing data. The Web Development Bootcamp teaches you to use JavaScript, leverage React to build Single Page Applications, and full stack web development.
CodeCore College
CodeCore College was launched in 2008 and has consistently delivered practical programming training suited to industry demands. It prides itself on producing over 700 graduates who have become tech industry leaders in Vancouver. The school has long been recognized as one of the city’s premier producers of cutting-edge programming education.
Currently, the school offers a CodeCore Developer full-time bootcamp and a part-time Fundamentals of Coding Bootcamp. Students will study various programming languages and receive intensive hands-on training in software architecture and development procedures.
The Fundamentals of Coding Bootcamp introduces programming basics and theories, and at the end, students will develop a capstone project about web applications to be reviewed by developers.
Concordia Bootcamps
Concordia Bootcamps was formerly known as DecodeMTL and was the first coding bootcamp in Montreal. The school provides full-time programs that last 30 weeks and 12-week part-time programs in data science and web development.
Students will learn about data applications, advanced machine learning, data engineering, math, and statistics in the data science bootcamp. Web development students are taught object oriented programming fundamentals, such as using JavaScript in backend programming with NodeJS and interacting with the React framework.
General Assembly
General Assembly has established its reputation since 2011 and has revolutionized various employment opportunities by providing innovative, hands-on training. General Assembly currently has an in-person campus in Toronto and online communities in Calgary and Vancouver.
This school provides three full-time courses: Software Engineering Immersive, Data Science Immersive, and User Experience Design Immersive. It also offers part-time options in various programs, including Front End Web Development, Python Programming, Data Analytics, Data Science, User Experience Design, and Visual Design.
Students who complete these courses will receive a certificate of completion, which they may showcase to potential employers and boost their chances of landing their dream job as a project manager, software developer, or visual designer.
Juno College
Juno College of Technology aspires to be the school of choice for minority students seeking to enhance their professions in technology. Applicants must have an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or complete an online equivalency test and pass an interview with the school’s admissions team.
Students can advance their careers by gaining hands-on professional experience and completing portfolio-worthy projects. This bootcamp provides online data analytics and web development programs. In the Data Analytics Bootcamp, students review SQL, learn data visualization essentials, manipulate data with Python, and look at predictive modeling using Scikit-Learn.
The Web Development Bootcamp covers HTML5, CSS3, responsive design, Git and Command Line Tools, web accessibility requirements, and more. Students will also work on a personal project and build a web application with an API and a functioning website that incorporates UI elements.
Le Wagon
Le Wagon offers coding courses that equip students with the knowledge to create their own web applications. The school prides itself on producing graduates who are now key players in the technology community. There are nine-week part-time and 24-week full-time options in the data science and web development bootcamps.
In the Data Science Bootcamp, students learn about Python, SQL, data visualization, and the concepts of linear algebra, statistics, and probability. The Web Development Bootcamp covers Git basic commands, JavaScript and HTML foundations, software architecture, and Ruby programming basics. You’ll learn to code a clone of Airbnb in five days and code a UI kit to build web pages.
At the end of the bootcamp, the school organizes a career week for students to participate in career coaching workshops, build personal profiles, and hear from alumni about their bootcamp experiences. Moreover, the career coaching week contributes to the school’s high graduation rate as it helps students attain top coding skills.
Lighthouse Labs
Lighthouse Labs was established in 2013 by software developers to train the future generation of junior developers and revolutionize how tech education is presented. The school offers full-time courses in web development and data science and part-time courses in data analytics, web development, and front end development with JavaScript.
In the web development bootcamp, full-time students will explore popular languages and frameworks, learn software architecture, and how to properly model a database. The data science bootcamp covers data foundations, wrangling, and visualization with machine learning and data software engineering applications.
The school’s data analytics bootcamp pushes students to think like data analysts, engaging in data collection, cleaning, analysis, and visualization. Additionally, Lighthouse Labs also launched a cyber bootcamp for students who want to learn about network and application security, malware analysis, incident handling, and secure design principles learning styles.
Pragra
Pragra’s Full Stack – Java program covers OS fundamentals, advanced Java programming, DevOps concepts and implementation, and data structures and algorithms. The school also offers a front end (MERN Stack) web development program that covers React, NodeJS, and responsive web designs.
If you are interested in end-to-end product automation, choose the Mastering DevOps Tools 2.0 programs. You’ll master Git, Jenkins, Linux, OS fundamentals, and Terraform and Infra automation. The QA Automation Selenium course is suitable for students who want to develop their SOAP and Rest web services and Selenium automation knowledge.
University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
The UofT SCS fine-tunes its curriculum to teach in-demand skills to its students. The school has part-time and full-time options for its coding bootcamps to provide flexibility to the students’ schedules, especially those with jobs.
The school’s Cybersecurity Boot Camp is a challenging course that takes a multidisciplinary approach to IT, networking, and information security. The 24-week course teaches students cryptography, risk management, and Wireshark. If solving complex data problems and learning about Python, NumPy, and Pandas programming interests you, apply to the data analytics bootcamp.
The school also has a full stack web development bootcamp, where you will develop the skills required for proficiency in front end and backend technologies. You can join the UX/UI bootcamp to learn about visual prototyping and wireframing and engage in user-centric design research.
WeCloudData
WeCloudData is a Toronto-based bootcamp that provides premier education on data soft skills and strategies. The bootcamp program is well-known for bridging the gap between dedicated and passionate data scientists and enterprises in need of assistance with complex and uncertain problems in data analytics.
The school’s DevOps Engineer Bootcamp is a part-time course that lasts for six months. In this course, students learn how to apply declarative infrastructure configurations with YAML, properly use ad hoc imperative methods, and master Infrastructure-as-Code techniques. The Data Science Bootcamp covers SQL and Python programming, and students can master data munging and data preparation skills.
The AI Engineering Bootcamp is provided in part-time and full-time options. At the end of this course, students will master industry-leading DL tools and platforms, build AI portfolios, deploy reinforcement learning models, and manage data in machine learning. The Data Engineering Bootcamp teaches the basics of Scala functional programming and version control using Github.
Are Canadian Coding Bootcamps Worth It?
Yes, Canadian coding bootcamps are worth it because of their flexibility, innovative payment options, and curriculum that teaches practical and marketable skills for developing your career. Bootcamps are a direct route to learning and increase the chances of job placement in your desired field.
Coding Bootcamps Canada FAQs
Coding bootcamps allow students to undergo intensive training for weeks or months, gaining new coding abilities relevant to their desired career goals. The employer network also wants to look at your acquired skills, so if you have proof that you completed a coding bootcamp, your chances of getting hired are high.
On top of that, it is also essential to equip yourself with knowledge on Canada’s coding bootcamps to better understand which schools produce highly-skilled graduates.
The duration of Canadian coding bootcamps depends on the schools and their courses. Usually, part-time courses last for 12 weeks, while full-time courses last for 24 weeks.
Coding bootcamps are still worth it, especially if you want to quickly learn a specific coding skill. Additionally, joining a bootcamp boosts your career path and improves marketability and competitiveness.
The difficulty of a bootcamp is determined by the subject taught and the amount of training required. Naturally, they are intended to push people to reach their full potential and develop their skills. With that said, bootcamps might be challenging, but they are also rewarding in the end.
