MATC OFFERS ONE OF FIRST CLASSES
WORLDWIDE IN RUBY ON RAILS;
Local Employers Ready to Hire for Skills in Hot New Technology
That Speeds Web Programming
This fall Madison Area Technical College will be one of the first
colleges in the world to offer a class in the new technology, Ruby
on Rails, an open source framework that is hot with employers because
it makes developing web applications significantly faster and more
efficient.
Eric Knapp, an MATC information technology instructor, had been
tracking the development of Ruby on Rails for about a year. This
summer he recognized the need to quickly develop a curriculum so
that MATC could provide training to area IT professionals and meet
the demands of local employers for skills in the new technology.
“Ruby
on Rails is hot with employers all around the world because it
dramatically improves the productivity of web programming,” he
states. “It can
work with JAVA or .NET, or may even replace them. I know of at least four employers
locally who are just waiting for our fall semester to end so they can hire
our first class of students.”
As its name may suggest, Ruby
on Rails has an interesting—and global—background. “The
RUBY programming language was developed in Japan,” according to Knapp. “A
programmer from Denmark, David Heinemeier Hansson, developed the Ruby on
Rails application and actually moved to the U.S. to further the use of the
technology.”
Knapp had an opportunity to meet Hansson this summer in
Chicago, where the developer now is based, at a conference he attended
on the product. “The
conference sold out its 550 spaces in 6 days, so yes, there is quite a
bit of excitement in the IT community about it. We’re fortunate
the developer is based in the Midwest and close to our market.”
Knapp
developed his own expertise in Ruby on Rails so he could create
the initial curriculum and teach the new course, which is designed
for IT professionals with prior web development experience. Knapp
says that skills in Ruby on Rails will make his students highly
and uniquely employable in the local job market, and elsewhere. “With
Ruby on Rails skills, our students will help their employers become
more productive and competitive within the IT marketplace,” he
explains.
Registration now is open for the three-credit
class, which will be held Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 9:30
p.m. starting August 29 for a cost of about $312. More information
about the class is available on the MATC Website, under the fall
credit course offerings information for IT programming, or can
be viewed directly at: http://programs.matcmadison.edu/programs/enrichment/ruby-on-rails-development.
MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin Technical College
System’s
16 colleges.
It provides “real world smart” education through a comprehensive
curriculum of technical, liberal arts and science, adult basic education
and life enrichment studies and activities, as well as customized employee
training. MATC offers associate degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates,
and non-degree courses in more than 140 programs of study. The college serves
all or parts of 12 counties located in south-central Wisconsin and offers
instruction through five campuses and numerous community locations throughout
the district.
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Last
Modified:
July 2, 2008
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