CodePath, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing computer science education and career support for students in South Florida and beyond, has announced its selection as the anchor partner for economic mobility in the AI era by Anthropic. This partnership will see CodePath integrating Anthropic’s Claude products into its AI courses, marking a significant step forward in applied AI education.
Michael Ellison, CEO of CodePath, emphasized the transformative potential of this collaboration. “This partnership will dramatically accelerate our work in applied AI education at scale, and it comes at a critical moment,” he said. Citing a 2025 PwC study, Ellison pointed out that AI skills command a 56% wage premium across 1 billion global jobs, underscoring the importance of equipping low-income and first-generation students—particularly those from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), community colleges, and public universities—with the necessary tools to thrive in an increasingly competitive job market.
Beginning this year, CodePath will launch new Applied AI pathway courses that integrate Claude and Claude Code, allowing students to build and collaborate in AI-driven engineering environments with the same tools that employers desire in new hires. According to a CodePath survey from December, employers expressed a preference for candidates with internship experience, strong technical interview skills, and substantial side projects or portfolios. The new curriculum aims to deliver these essential components, fostering a competitive edge among students.
Ellison highlighted the urgency of compressing four years of learning into two while ensuring that students receive the necessary support to prevent widening existing gaps. “By integrating Claude into our curriculum from the start, the students we serve gain the same AI-building experience as their peers at elite schools. This is about fundamentally shifting who gets to participate in building the AI economy,” he said. Ellison relocated to the Miami area in 2021 to further his mission.
CodePath’s initiatives in South Florida began at Florida International University (FIU), ignited by a student request for non-credit courses. Ellison regards FIU as a pioneer in offering CodePath’s free programming. Since then, the program has expanded to include Florida Atlantic University, Miami Dade College, and Florida Memorial University. The initiative has grown from a single for-credit course to 15 offerings this year, impacting over 2,700 students in the region, as noted by Victoria Angulo Springer, CodePath’s Director of Partnership Success.
The majority of CodePath students in South Florida are first-generation college attendees, with 61% identifying as such. Additionally, 55% are Pell Grant recipients, and 52% hail from low-income backgrounds. Nationwide, CodePath alumni have generated an economic impact of $1 billion within their first year of employment, with South Florida graduates contributing between $150 million and $200 million annually. Current average starting salaries for these graduates range from $95,000 to $110,000.
As part of this partnership, CodePath has rolled out three new for-credit courses in South Florida:
Foundations of AI Engineering prepares students to code, build, and collaborate in AI-powered environments. Over 120 students in South Florida are currently enrolled in this spring course.
Applications of AI Engineering teaches students to leverage AI in understanding and managing large-scale production systems.
Advanced AI Open-Source Capstone enables students to contribute to real-world AI-powered open-source projects and business challenges, utilizing Claude Code for hands-on experience.
Angulo Springer remarked on the strong demand from South Florida students for AI tools that will keep them competitive in the evolving workforce. “We’re equipping both students and institutions with best-in-class curriculum and tools like Claude Code to ensure they remain competitive in an AI-driven economy,” she said, highlighting the program’s commitment to fostering talent equipped for the future.
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