New Tech Course and Scholarship Come to Southeast Seattle

This spring, Continuum College — the University of Washington’s professional and continuing education unit — is bringing educational programming to a new multifunctional partnership space in the heart of Southeast Seattle: Othello-UW Commons.

Registration is now open for a 10-week introductory tech course for adult learners called Foundations of Databases. Classes begin April 11 and will be held one evening per week at Othello-UW Commons.

“Students who complete our Foundations of Databases course will gain an understanding of the technical concepts underlying databases and will develop the skills they need to take a first step into a technical career,” said UW Continuum College Vice Provost Rovy Branon.

The UW’s introductory technology courses, which do not require a degree or other formal training, are also valuable for people who work in small businesses or nonprofits and have roles with wide-ranging responsibilities to include sales, HR, operations and business planning.

According to Othello-UW Commons Manager Selam Misgano, community conversations helped inform the decision to launch a series of beginner tech courses for adults.

“The people of Southeast Seattle have been disproportionately affected by unemployment and are hungry for continuing education programs that will help secure a good, living wage job,” Misgano said. “With a professional certificate from the UW, adult learners will gain workforce skills that prepare them to hit the ground running once they land that new job or advance in a company where they are already employed.”

To make the program more accessible to Seattle residents living on low incomes, a new UW Continuum College Southeast Seattle Career Scholarship will cover 80 percent of the cost of tuition for the Foundations of Databases course for up to 15 students this spring. Scholarship applications are due March 1, and applicants will be notified of their status by March 15. Scholarship eligibility details are online, and preference will be given to residents of Southeast Seattle. 

“UW Continuum College is proud to open doors of opportunity for lifelong learning and skills building to underserved community members for whom traditional workforce training has, too often, been out of reach,” Branon said.

The 2,200-square-foot Othello-UW Commons location officially opened at the beginning of the year. The storefront will be used for community-informed teaching, learning, service and research.

Future UW Continuum College programs planned for Othello include: free lunchtime lectures hosted by Osher Lifelong Learning at the UW in the spring, a Writing for College readiness course for local high school students in the summer and more tech programs considered for the fall. Follow Othello Commons on Facebook and UW Continuing Ed on Facebook and Twitter for updates.