There is a lack of industry awareness about some of the barriers faced by people underrepresented in tech. I believe that is the underlying reason why we see so few women, Black and Latinos in Tech. There are several other key factors, like the inertia around the status quo, but I think hiring managers and engineering teams often don’t realize the lack of diverse candidates has its roots in the very real struggles of ordinary Americans.
It’s not that these communities of under-resourced people don’t have the skills to thrive in tech. They often can’t get past the barriers to access and affordability of education. Without access and affordability, they don’t make it into the existing hiring pipelines. Apprenticeship opportunities are needed at scale if we want to really address the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech.
Apprenticeship programs provide an opportunity for people who may have never considered a new-collar career in tech to learn on the job and gain access to high-wage careers. However, there are not enough apprenticeship programs available today.
We also need to make sure that diversity is a priority when it comes to hiring in the tech industry. Too often, companies rely on their own networks to find new employees, which leads to a lack of diversity in the workforce. We need to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to be a part of the tech industry, regardless of their background or gender.
We can create a more inclusive tech industry that is open to everyone. With the right opportunities and policies in place, we can ensure that people from marginalized groups have the same chance as anyone else to land their first job in tech.
Consider the following barriers that many communities face:
Transportation – Are you offering remote-first access to your program?
Equipment – Many folks lack a computer with enough power for the tools that software engineers require. How many low to moderate-income folks own a less than 2-year-old MacBook Pro?
Connectivity – Many of our marginalized communities don’t have high speed internet
Living wage – Can participants afford to support themselves while working for a year to upskill?
Support/Professional Mentorship – Typically we find no one in our participants’ sphere of influence is a developer. Software Engineers know how hard it is to learn to code. Often participants are the first in their family to pursue any training after High School, let alone something as challenging as coding.
Social capital/Network – Before joining our program participants don’t have folks on the inside that can act as allys, alerting them to job opportunities, and advocating for their consideration and inclusion. We all know its more about who you know than what you know when it comes to access.
The apprenticeship pattern and workforce development programs focused on tech are incredibly invaluable because they can provide innovative solutions to overcome these barriers. Folks coming from underrepresented backgrounds may also be experiencing:
- Racial barriers
- Socioeconomic barriers
- Gender barriers
- Barriers for people with disabilities
- Linguistic barriers
Having representation and providing wrap around services to support individuals that are in many ways having to work hard to make it, is incredibly important to make systemic change.
Creating Coding Careers apprenticeship program is just one program tackling all of this head-on. Not enough tech apprenticeship programs exist, and apprenticeship has been identified as the key to success for underrepresented groups in the tech industry. With the right opportunities and policies in place, we can ensure that people from marginalized groups have the same chance as anyone else to land their first job in tech.
If you are thinking about building a tech apprenticeship program or just want to get involved reach out to mike@cccareers.org. We would be happy to help you launch or improve the outcomes of a workforce development program tackling diversity in tech.