Who this track is for
This track fits participants who like building things, are willing to sit with a problem until it works, and want a technical career where employers routinely hire on demonstrated work. It assumes comfort using a computer and consistent hours, not prior programming experience.
Eligibility is the same across all five Foundation programs: young adults ages 16–25 who are aging out of foster care, exiting the juvenile justice system, or otherwise disconnected from school and work. Eligible young adults can apply directly, and case managers or partner agencies can refer someone using the same form. Applicants who are not yet connected to a support agency can still apply; our team can connect them with a partner organization for wraparound support. Participants need reliable internet and a computer; the Foundation can help with equipment. Applicants who are 16 or 17 may need guardian or caseworker consent before enrollment.
Format and weekly rhythm
About 24 weeks at roughly 15–20 hours per week, deliberately below full-time so participants can keep a job or handle school, family, or housing obligations while they train. Because the program is fully online, the specific hours in a week are flexible. The weekly cadence and checkpoints are not.
A typical week includes a live or recorded lesson from the track's volunteer educator, a hands-on assignment that builds on the previous week, a short one-to-one check-in with a mentor, and time on the running project that becomes the portfolio. Educators review the work produced so far at checkpoints before the next stage builds on it, so the program is structured rather than self-paced end to end.
What you learn
Each module corresponds to a line in a typical entry-level job posting for this role. Participants get hands-on time with the categories of software used on the job, and the emphasis is on judgment about the work, not only on operating the tools.
Front-end fundamentals
HTML for structure, CSS for layout and styling, and JavaScript for interactivity, with an emphasis on writing code another developer can read and maintain.
Site planning and structure
Planning a site's pages, navigation, and content with a stakeholder before building it, and translating a Figma design handoff into a page.
Responsive and accessible design
Pages that work on phone, tablet, and desktop and meet basic accessibility expectations: semantic markup, alt text, keyboard navigation, and color contrast.
Version control
Git and a hosted repository on GitHub, including branches and pull requests, the workflow used at nearly every professional development shop.
Content management systems and back-end concepts
Enough understanding of WordPress and of how a site connects to data, forms, and hosting to be useful beyond a static page.
AI-assisted development
Using current AI coding assistants for scaffolding, debugging, and routine work, while still being able to read, explain, and fix the code that comes out of them.
Performance, on-page SEO, and business integrations
Mobile and performance optimization, on-page SEO and AI-search readiness, and wiring up forms, scheduling, and other business integrations.
Deployment, maintenance, handoff, and client basics
Deploying to Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, or shared WordPress hosting; maintaining and updating a live site; scoping a small project; and communicating with a non-technical client.
Tools used in the track
Visual Studio Code, browser developer tools, Git and GitHub, Netlify, Vercel, or GitHub Pages for static deployment, shared hosting with WordPress for CMS projects, Figma for reading a design handoff, and a current AI coding assistant. All free or free-tier for a student portfolio.
How the 24 weeks are structured
Train and build
Front-end fundamentals, responsive and accessible layout, Git, and the first deployed sites. Weekly lessons from a working developer, an assignment that builds on the last one, and a one-to-one mentor check-in. Nothing built here gets deleted; it becomes portfolio material.
Supervised client and portfolio projects
Participants build and launch multiple live sites, including supervised projects for real small businesses where available. A mentor reviews scope and first deliverables before launch. CMS work, integrations, and AI-assisted development are applied on real projects.
Portfolio, interviews, and placement
Finalizing the portfolio, rehearsing the portfolio walk-through and a practical build exercise, and beginning job placement support. Mentorship continues after graduation.
How progress is assessed
Progress is tracked primarily through the portfolio of work a participant produces, reviewed periodically by the track's educator against the skill areas the program is meant to build. This is closer to how a manager evaluates an employee's output than to a written exam. Readiness to move toward job placement is a judgment call made jointly by the educator and mentor, based on whether the participant's work and interview readiness would hold up with an employer, not a fixed test score.
When a participant falls behind, the first step is a conversation. If the cause is a housing crisis or a new work schedule, the plan is adjusted, which may mean pausing and rejoining a later cohort. If the track is not a fit, switching tracks is an option. Repeated no-shows without contact are the one pattern the cohort model cannot work around.
Program goal and what happens after
Program goal: a portfolio of live websites and the skills to perform entry-level web-developer work.
After completing the track, graduates receive job placement support: staff and mentors help identify openings, prepare application materials, and make direct introductions to employers open to hiring an Azgari Foundation graduate. Mentors stay reachable after graduation. Some graduates also pursue freelance or contract work with mentor support; that is an optional path, not the program's aim.
Enrollment does not guarantee a job, a client, a wage, or any specific income. Individual results vary with effort, market conditions, and personal circumstances. The Foundation will publish program outcomes once a full cohort has graduated.
The job market for this role
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $92,650 for web developers as of May 2025, with the lowest-paid 10 percent earning under $48,100. BLS tracks web developers and digital designers together for projections and expects faster-than-average growth through 2035. Education requirements range from a high school diploma to a bachelor's degree depending on the employer, and many weight a portfolio of working sites over a specific degree.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, occupational profile (May 2025 wage data; 2025–2035 projections). Median wages describe the whole occupation, including experienced workers, and are cited as context, not as an expected starting wage for a graduate.
Questions about this track
Do I need to already know how to code?
No. The program is designed for people starting from zero. It assumes comfort using a computer and a willingness to put in consistent hours, not prior programming experience.
Will I need to buy software or a specific computer?
The tools used in the track are free or have free tiers appropriate for a student portfolio. If equipment access is a barrier, tell us during the application and we can help.
Is this the same as a coding bootcamp?
It shares some structure with a bootcamp (project-based, portfolio-focused) but is tuition-free, about 24 weeks rather than a few weeks, paced so it can run alongside a job, and paired with a one-to-one mentor.
What if I want to freelance instead of taking a job?
That is a path some graduates pursue, and mentors help with client work during the program. It is one option among several, not a guarantee of income, and for most people it takes longer to reach reliable freelance income than to land a first job.
Read more in Web development: a portfolio career growing faster than average and how the five tracks work.