Discover CATLab
Meet your next hire
Save the Date: July 23-26 Impact 2024
Make Space to Innovate
We help you create the space to learn from fellow technologists and system thinkers. Whether you hire a CATLab intern to work through your company's backlog, attend the Impact Conference to connect with industry thought-leaders, or give a Tech Talk to grow your company's influence, the Center for Applied Technology is ready to help you innovate. How can we work together?
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Mission Statement
We seek to enhance relationships in the Westmont community through the innovative use of technology.
Learn about the promising young professionals working for CATLab this year!
The Center for Applied Technology seeks to enhance relationships in the Westmont community through the innovative use of technology. One of the main ways we accomplish that goal is through CATLab: our summer program where we partner with students to build the college's critical technological infrastructure and prepare the students for success in industry.
Learn about innovations in technology and Salesforce while enjoying the sunny Santa Barbara weather!
Testimonials
“Going with interns that know the system was actually a more cost-effective route than hiring somebody that didn’t really know a system but had to be there full time. It was an easy pitch from a cost perspective. We needed something, and Westmont came with people that knew the system. All the pieces really worked together.”
—Avery Cloutier, Business System Manager at The Thornhill Companies
“I was pleasantly surprised with Kimberlee’s ability to work on her own. I felt like we were able to get her up to speed on the projects, and she could run with it...To be able to have an intern who can work in a different city and be productive and be a self-motivated worker was really impressive.”
—Andrew Clark, marketing manager at RDN
"CATLab prepares students to the point where “with [their] skill sets right out of college, [they] could come in for an internship for a few months and change how we do business in a very transformative way.”
—Ian Monsma, program manager at RDN
"CATLab is a very effective program to help the Westmont students deliver from day 1 when they join tech teams in the industry. I am grateful to partner with CATLab and Zak Landrum."
—Rohit Malik, Software Engineering Manager at AppFolio
Curious about CATLab? Check out our blog!
CATLab Roots: Kim Shifley
Read MoreJune 2, 2021
We at the CATLab are secure in the great growth we have seen in our own program over the years thanks to the people and stories that comprise our “roots” as a student-driven tech center. These veterans and the stories they share make CATLab a nurturing environment. If you were to ask around our offices in Downtown Santa Barbara for someone who represents a root of our CATLab program, Kim Shifley would be one of the first names mentioned.
6 Tips for Implementing myTrailhead
Read MoreMay 26, 2021
From its very beginning, the CATLab has been all about creating bespoke solutions—so why should our training be any different? Last week, we explored how myTrailhead training has enabled our team to get up and running faster than ever. Now it’s time to take a peek behind the scenes and look at how we built our own content within this customizable platform.
How We Launched Our Team in Record Time with myTrailhead
Read MoreMay 25, 2021
One of the unique features of our program this summer is the way we’ve adopted myTrailhead, Salesforce’s customizable training platform. Through myTrailhead, we’ve been able to create a standard onboarding process that’s easy for new developers to follow. By the team’s fourth day of work, our new developers already felt like they’d been able to take the training wheels off and start pushing towards real progress.
The CATLab Blazes New Trails for Summer 2021
Read MoreMay 20, 2021
The CATLab is back! After a year of hard work and quiet preparation, we’re thrilled to announce our big project, our new team, and the theme for the summer.
3 Things We Created and Learned in Summer 2020
Read MoreAugust 19, 2020
After 15 weeks of coding and creating, blogging and bug-fixing, we’ve finally come to the end of the summer. Looking back at our successes, we’re struck by not only the concrete things we’ve accomplished but also the lessons we’ve learned. Through our work this summer, we’ve come to see the importance of knowing who our work is for, sharing our stories, and having a team mindset. In short, we do our best when we’re focused on helping others.
The Work of Authentic Inclusion: Reflections from Our Director
Read MoreAugust 11, 2020
As we reflect on what we’ve learned and accomplished this summer, we asked our director, Zak, to share his thoughts on leading a team through this tumultuous time. In “both technical and thematic challenges,” in both coding and conversations, Zak sees himself as the facilitator rather than the focus, staying out of the spotlight and empowering others to take center stage.
