January 2026 Bootcamp News Roundup

Table of Contents

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• Industry Updates: Bootcamps & Training Providers
• Federal Policy & Funding Updates Impacting Bootcamps
• AI, Coding, and Workforce Skills in Education
• Credential Stacking & Career Pathways
• Global Workforce Reskilling
• 4 New Schools Added to Course Report
• Best Online Bootcamps
• Our Favorite Pieces on the Blog

From employer-led upskilling to expanded apprenticeship funding and AI education starting earlier than ever, January kicked off 2026 with clear signals about where accelerated learning is headed. Here’s what caught our eye this month across bootcamps, workforce development, and alternative education. Plus, Course Report also released its Best Online Bootcamps of 2025 list, highlighting the top-rated online programs based on Verified Reviews, outcomes, and student satisfaction. 

Curious about what happened in bootcamps in 2025? Check out our 2025 Year in Review to catch up on the biggest coding bootcamp and certificate course news.

Industry Updates: Bootcamps & Training Providers

• Business Wire reports that General Assembly has launched 15 new AI courses to celebrate its 15th anniversary, marking a shift from purely technical career training toward applied AI education for professionals across data, engineering, design, product, and business roles. The new courses can be taken individually or stacked into learning pathways, and that General Assembly is also expanding enterprise and team-based AI training offerings to support organizations adopting AI at scale.

• IT Business Today reports that Code Chrysalis has launched a new “bootcamp for in-house dev teams,” with training beginning January 13, 2026. Unlike traditional career-changer bootcamps, this program is designed to help companies upskill existing employees, reflecting a broader shift toward employer-driven training models tied directly to internal workforce needs.

Federal Policy & Funding Updates Impacting Bootcamps

• The U.S. Department of Labor is redirecting $145 million toward apprenticeship programs that can demonstrate strong placement and retention outcomes, signaling a move away from enrollment-based funding and toward performance-based workforce investments.

AI, Coding, and Workforce Skills in Education

• Irish Tech News reports that three-quarters of adults believe coding and AI literacy should be taught in schools, with junior secondary school (ages 12–15) viewed as the ideal starting point. Younger adults, in particular, support early AI education despite concerns about job security in an AI-driven economy.

• ContentGrip reports that Lego Education has launched a new AI and computer science curriculum for students in years 1 through 9, alongside its “We Trust in Kids” campaign. The hands-on kits, shipping in April 2026, are designed to make AI education collaborative and age-appropriate while addressing teacher concerns that existing AI tools are often disengaging or unrelatable.

• EdSurge reports that nearly one-third of pre-K teachers now use generative AI tools in the classroom, according to new research from RAND. While adoption remains lower than in older grade levels, the findings raise questions about how AI use will evolve in early childhood education amid concerns about developmental appropriateness and screen time.

Credential Stacking & Career Pathways

• EdTech Magazine reports from FETC 2026 that career and technical education (CTE) programs are increasingly blending industry certifications, pre-apprenticeships, and applied learning to create clearer workforce pathways for students. The article also highlights that districts are moving away from treating vocational training and college prep as separate tracks, instead positioning CTE as a flexible, debt-conscious pathway into high-demand roles across technology, trades, and emerging AI-enabled fields.

• FastCompany reports that LinkedIn is introducing usage-based AI certificates that let users prove proficiency with tools like Replit, Lovable, and Relay.app through usage vs exams. The move reflects LinkedIn’s broader push to prioritize career-relevant skills alongside formal education and job titles when matching candidates to roles. However, because these credentials are tied to specific tools and assessed by the platforms themselves, they may reward familiarity with the “right” products more than broader, transferable AI skills – and could become another signal that’s easy to game over time.

Global Workforce Reskilling

• The Australian Financial Review reports that Singapore is retraining 35,000 domestic banking employees through AI bootcamps and government-supported reskilling initiatives, as part of a coordinated effort to boost productivity while limiting large-scale job losses from automation.

4 New Schools Added to Course Report

• AgileFever

• CoCreate

• NVIT

• Ving.dev

Welcome to these new schools! If you’re a graduate, remember to leave a review of your experience on Course Report.

Best Online Bootcamps

• Course Report also released its Best Online Bootcamps of 2025 list, highlighting the top-rated online programs based on Verified Reviews, outcomes, and student satisfaction. The list spotlights CareerFoundry, Springboard, and TripleTen, each earning a 4.7-star rating across more than 250 online reviews, and breaks down what distinguishes a true online bootcamp from self-guided learning platforms.

Our Favorite Pieces on the Blog

• Mike caught up with Cernan Bernardo, a former Flatiron School student turned Software Engineering Facilitator, to explore what helps students succeed in software engineering programs in 2026. The interview highlights why curiosity, communication skills, and learning to work through challenges often matter more than raw technical ability.

• Liz loved editing 7 Skills You Need to Become an AI Engineer in 2026, featuring insights from Andrei Parfenov of TripleTen on the programming languages, tools, and systems-level thinking employers are actually hiring for as AI engineering becomes more product- and application-focused.