Inside Miami’s push to build a real tech workforce, one thing keeps coming up: There are still far more jobs than people ready to fill them.
A new impact report from 4Geeks Academy, released in partnership with Miami Tech Works, puts some hard numbers behind that imbalance and offers a glimpse at what it takes to close it.
Over a three-year period as one of MiamiTech Works’ training providers, 4Geeks set out to train 90 students, many of them career changers coming from fields like hospitality, construction, education, retail and the military. Of those, 74 completed their programs and 52 already landed jobs in technology. Of those tech roles, 96% qualified as “good jobs,” meeting federal standards for pay and working conditions.
That kind of placement rate stands out in a market where training programs often struggle to convert education into actual employment.
“The main goal is getting a job or improving your salary,” 4Geeks CEO Marcelo Ricigliano told Refresh Miami. “You have to show that there is a positive impact in your career.”
In this case, that impact is measurable. Salaries ranged from $34,000 to $196,000, with an average around $74,000. One graduate even landed a consulting role equivalent to more than $260,000 annually.
But the report lands at a moment when Miami’s tech ecosystem feels more complicated than the headlines suggest.
The region continues to post strong growth numbers – more than 34,000 tech job openings in a single year, and a workforce of over 136,000 tech employees. Still, demand is outpacing supply, with roughly four times as many open roles as qualified candidates.
That tension has been a clear undercurrent at Miami Tech Works’ Miami Tech Talent Coalition meetings, where employers, educators, and training providers have been working together on building pathways to good local jobs in tech. They have circled around the same issue: talent isn’t scaling fast enough to match the city’s ambitions.
For Ricigliano, the challenge itself isn’t new, but the shape of it is changing.
“Everything is AI-driven right now,” he said. “If you want to get into tech, the main way is becoming an AI engineer.”
That shift is forcing a rethink across the board. Traditional full stack roles, once the backbone of coding bootcamps, are losing relevance. In their place, a more hybrid profile is emerging: one that combines software, data, and AI tools into a single, more capable role.
“It’s a bigger role,” Ricigliano said. “You have to perform 10x better than the software engineer from two or three years ago.”
4Geeks is already adjusting, rolling out updated programs focused on AI engineering to improve placement outcomes. The global coding school and workforce training platform remains focused on helping people break into tech careers quickly, without going through traditional university paths. 4Geeks is also continuing to train students as part of Miami Tech Works.
Founded in 2015, 4Geeks runs bootcamps and programs across the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Ricigliano explained that its cohort-based model is heavily outcome-driven: students learn through hands-on projects, receive ongoing mentorship, and get career support aimed at landing a job after graduation.
The mission is to take people with little or no technical background and turn them into job-ready talent for a market that’s still struggling to keep up with demand. 
At the same time, the broader environment in Miami is getting tighter.
Ricigliano pointed to a pullback in public funding for workforce training and less support for nontraditional education programs. “People in Miami have less access to quality education than before,” he said.
That makes results harder to ignore.
For now, programs like this are doing what the ecosystem needs most: turning interest in tech into actual jobs, at scale.
***
Pictured at the top of this post: 4Geeks team members, left to right, Alissa Landra, Director of Growth and Partnerships; Alejandro Sánchez, Co-Founder & Technology Director; Valentina Ancieta, Workforce Development Manager; Marcelo Ricigliano Co-founder & CEO. Pictured below: some of 4Geeks’ bootcamp graduates in Latin America.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.
Latest posts by Riley Kaminer (see all)