Oakton and YWCA Evanston/North Shore to Offer Free Web Design Courses This Fall

Free info sessions available July 21, 29, at YWCA Evanston/North Shore and online.

Des Plaines, Ill. (July 15, 2021) – Community members looking to gain valuable skills that can help them begin or advance their career in web design can do so thanks to a partnership between Oakton Community College and the YWCA Evanston/North Shore. Free web design classes taught online by Oakton instructors start the week of Aug. 23.

During the 16-week program, participants will learn to create customized and interactive web pages using HTML, Javascript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). The curriculum is based on Oakton’s Web Page Development courses, part of the Computer Information Systems program.

The computer courses are a segment of YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s YWeb Academy, part of the organization’s ongoing mission to eliminate racism and empower women. While YWeb Academy programs are open to the public, the sessions provide education in digital skills to traditionally underrepresented or vulnerable populations, such as women of color, domestic violence survivors and low-wage workers.

Free information sessions are scheduled 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 21 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 29, at YWCA Evanston/North Shore, 1215 Church St., Evanston. Information seminars will also be available online. Register at bit.ly/YWEBopen.

Participants who complete this particular YWeb Academy session will be on their way to a tech job or obtain more education.

“The program prepares students for entry-level web design positions,” says Bob Sompolski, Oakton dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Health Careers. “We are also excited to provide connections for those graduates who wish to continue their education to pursue a CIS certificate or an associate degree in CIS at Oakton.”

YWCA Evanston/North Shore officials say they are grateful for this learning opportunity.

“We are thrilled to partner with such a respected, valued community resource such as Oakton,” Shannon Callahan, Women’s Leadership & Economic Advancement director for YWCA Evanston/North Shore, says. “We are confident that our participants will receive quality instruction as a result of our collaboration. We are so happy to have a technology leader like Oakton alongside us on this journey.”