The UCLA Strategic Research Lab will hold a five-day intensive training in using the power of Python coding to simplify tasks for union research in the early summer of 2026. We will announce the exact dates soon.

Stay tuned and join our email list to be the first to know when the next Coding Bootcamp will take place!

The Coding Bootcamp is an intense and challenging experience! Come ready to jump feet first into a weeklong journey towards simplifying your work, discovering new data sources, and automating your most routine research tasks!

Key Training Topics:

• Dynamically combine files and fuzzy match different data sources
• Automate the updating of periodically disclosed data
• Use APIs to bulk download data (e.g., contact information for worker lists or open government data)
• Build web scraping tools to collect information such as:
  • Property listings
  • Company information
  • Government data
  • PDFs or data sets that cannot be downloaded directly
•  Clean, merge, and deduplicate data (e.g., worker lists, property records, company information)

No prior knowledge of Python is required. The training will start with the basics of Python on Monday, and by Friday, you will be building your own web scraping tools and compiling complex data sets.

Advice From the 2025 Coding Bootcamp Cohort:

“You should definitely attend this program if you’re thinking about it! This program really helps make coding feel so much more accessible no matter how much experience you have coming in. I have learned so many different ways to use coding to make my work so much more efficient and comprehensive.”

“It is like drinking out of a firehouse. That’s just the way this sort of thing works. Keeping a good attitude and accepting that you will be challenged is extremely crucial to being successful.”

“I have learned so much and feel so much more capable in the work I do.”

Event Details:

• Dates: Summer, 2025 (TBD)
• Time: Monday-Friday, all day
• Location: Los Angeles (TBD)
• Cost: $850 (includes training materials & refreshments)
• Meals: Not included, but local dining options are available

Email srl@irle.ucla.edu for more information or if you have any questions.

About The UCLA Strategic Research Lab:

The UCLA Strategic Research Lab is a capacity-building training hub and network for researchers from labor and community-based organizations. As a research unit of a public university, the SRL seeks to train strategic researchers for the common good. Besides the Coding Camp for Union Research, the Strategic Research Lab also holds its annual Strategic Labor Research Conference, one of the largest annual convenings of labor and movement researchers in the nation.

Sign up for email updates for other Strategic Research Lab events and trainings here.