From a Street Corner in Troy, NY to 6,000+ Lives Changed Across Ten States: The Can Code Story

Some of the best ideas start with a simple question.

For Annmarie Lanesey, founder and CEO of Can Code Communities, that question arrived on a street corner in Troy, New York. She was looking out a window at the people passing by and found herself thinking: “She could be a developer. He could be a developer. They could be a developer.”

That moment of clarity — that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not — became the foundation for one of New York State’s most impactful workforce development organizations.

The Spark: A Burrito Bar and a Better Hire

Before founding Can Code, Annmarie ran a software firm. Like many tech employers in the Capital Region, she struggled to find local talent. Then she hired a self-taught developer she’d met at a burrito bar — someone without a traditional four-year degree — who went on to outperform some of her college-credentialed hires.

The lesson landed hard: a diploma is not a proxy for ability. And for the majority of adults in New York State who don’t hold a college degree, the traditional gatekeeping of the tech sector wasn’t just inefficient — it was leaving enormous human potential on the table.

Can Code was built to change that.

Breaking Down Barriers to Tech Careers

Since 2016, Can Code Communities has delivered cohort-based digital literacy and tech skills training directly into communities across New York — in English and Spanish — serving more than 6,000 underestimated adults. Programs run 36 to 72 hours and include Beginner Computer Training, Front End Web Development, JavaScript Fundamentals, AI Essentials, Python, Cybersecurity Essentials, and Job Ready Digital Skills.

Nearly 99.5% of trainees receive full tuition funding. Can Code has also distributed more than 450 laptops and 100 internet hotspots — because when the pandemic arrived and in-person training stopped, the team started mailing devices to people’s homes. Access to a screen and a connection isn’t a luxury. It’s the on-ramp to everything else.

A Model Built on Partnerships

Can Code’s success didn’t happen in isolation. From the very beginning, Annmarie built a network of more than 25 local employers who helped shape the curriculum and hired program trainees. The organization also forged deep partnerships with the community college system — including SUNY and CUNY campuses across the state — to extend reach and strengthen career pathways.

That ecosystem approach — connecting training directly to real employer needs — is a core reason Can Code’s model works.

The AI Divide Is the New Digital Divide

Technology has always been Can Code’s focus. But the emergence of AI has raised the stakes dramatically.

Can Code has embedded AI training across all of its programs. In beginner computer literacy courses, that means teaching trainees how to use AI tools like chatbots in everyday work. For aspiring software engineers, it means learning to build with and manage AI systems. The goal isn’t just to make trainees aware of AI — it’s to give them agency over it.

The jobs of the future will involve working alongside intelligent machines. Can Code is making sure the communities most at risk of being left behind are instead positioned to lead.

The Numbers Behind the Stories

On average, Can Code trainees see a $25,000 increase in wages after completing a program. But the numbers only tell part of the story.

There’s the military veteran who had been unemployed for eight years and now earns over $100,000. There’s the trainee who rode his bike to his internship — and later bought a house. These aren’t outliers. They’re the expected outcome of what happens when you meet people where they are and give them real skills, real community, and real support.

Women, people of color, veterans, immigrants, refugees — Can Code’s trainees are the people the traditional tech pipeline has historically overlooked. That’s exactly the point.

Reaching the Next Generation

Can Code also works with K-12 schools to bring technology into core subjects — not as a standalone elective, but woven into the curriculum. One example: fifth graders creating Scratch animations for a book report on Hatchet, blending English Language Arts with programming fundamentals.

The goal is to turn young people from consumers of technology into creators of it — early enough that a tech career feels like something that belongs to them.

Celebrating 10 Years — And What Comes Next

This October, Can Code Communities turns 10. A decade ago, a single idea on a Troy street corner became a training program for a handful of adults. Today it’s a statewide force that has changed more than 6,000 lives and set the standard for what community-centered tech education can look like.

— 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION —
Can Code 10th Anniversary Celebration

Join us on Tuesday, October 28 at Revolution Hall in Troy, NY as we celebrate a decade of opening doors into the tech economy for underestimated adults across New York State. An evening of community, stories, and what’s ahead.

Get Tickets: https://cancode.org/celebrate