John Wark, NSS Founder 01

John Wark this week led a panel discussion on how Nashville can help fill Oracle's 8,500 tech job commitments.

John Wark, founder of the Nashville Software School, intends to be a key supplier of some of the 8,500 tech jobs Oracle plans to bring to Nashville's East Bank in the next decade. But he’s depending on word of mouth to get there.

Founded in 2012, NSS is a nonprofit that prepares people for jobs in web design, data science, coding and myriad other common positions in tech. The venture defers the bulk of students’ tuition not just until after graduation but also job placement and establishes retroactive payment plans based on graduates’ starting salaries at their new jobs.