Windsor native has first Canadian float in 35 years taking part in historic Rose Parade

For the first time since 1988, a Canadian float will be apart one of America's biggest New Year's Day spectacles: the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. 

The float entry comes from Toronto-based Coding for Veterans, a not-for-profit organization that provides courses to train current and former military members in the IT sector.

The idea to submit an entry came after the organization decided to expand to the University of Southern California with a U.S. version of the program.

Windsor native Jeff Musson is the executive director of Coding for Veterans. 

He says the Canadian course is currently offered online through the University of Ottawa and students can complete it in as little as six months.

"[Students] will end up graduating with industry certifications to start working in either the software development or cyber security field. And we like to say our program helps military veterans go from deployment to employment, and we actually have a number of students in our program from the Windsor-Essex County area."

Musson says in Canada it's projected that there will be 175,000 IT jobs left unfilled in the next 12-18 months.

"And when you look at the soft skills of someone from the military, the leadership, the teamwork, the attention to detail, that aligns perfectly with the skill sets that are in demand for those in the IT sector. And with our partnership with the University of Ottawa, we assume they have minimal technical knowledge and we train them in software development and cyber security to prepare for those jobs and stable careers once they release from the military."

The float is nearly 17-metres-long that is about two-and-a-half storeys in height. It includes both American and Canadian flags, a giant laptop and military helicopter.

In following the parade rules, Musson says the entire float will be covered in over 10,000 roses.

"And in fact, it's one of the most interactive floats ever in the parade because we've embedded QR codes made out of roses on the sides of this float. So as it goes down Colorado Boulevard, people in the stands can take out their phones, scan the QR code and find out about our program."

He adds the float is currently estimated to cost more than $200,000, which is covered by the not-for-profit's sponsors.

To learn more about Coding for Veterans click here: codingforveterans.com/home/.

-With files from AM800's Rob Hindi and CTV National News' Kamil Karamali