Pathway to Middle Skills Careers in Technology

The Pathway addresses the need for free IT training and job placement assistance for unemployed, underemployed young adults with no college degree who are primarily low-to-moderate income.

There are 30,000 in Philadelphia, PA, 12% of the population in Wilmington, DE, and 11% of the total population of 18–26-year-olds in Nashville, TN who are considered Opportunity Youth, neither in school nor working. These individuals are more likely to experience employment difficulties, low income and poor physical and mental health. [Who Are Opportunity Youth? - The Annie E. Casey Foundation] At the same time, the demand for a skilled tech workforce outpaces the supply of trained employees, a gap that continues to widen. Systemic conditions contribute to this skills gap in minority and economically disadvantaged populations, including the lack of access to education and training, and the lack of mentorship and role models. Across every industry, tech skills are in high demand in well-compensated careers. 

The Tech Impact’s Pathway to Middle Skills Careers in Technology (The Pathway) is a three-course technology career training program for underrepresented individuals in the technology sector. Starting with ITWorks, our free, entry-level technology and professional skills training program, through next level training in our ITWorks 2.0 and ITWorks 3.0, Tech Impact’s long-term goals are to increase diversity in tech, lift individuals above the poverty line, and guide them on the path to self-sufficiency, while providing a diverse stream of certified, quality candidates in the technology sector.

ITWorks trains young adults for entry level roles in a technologically sophisticated workplace by teaching them PC configuration and networking skills, troubleshooting, customer service and communication skills, all while acquiring an understanding of a professional work environment. 

ITWorks 2.0 and 3.0, are for ITWorks alumni to move up the ladder into middle-skill careers. These training sessions are free, live, online for workers to gain skills leading to industry-recognized, stackable certifications.

The Pathway is a technology career pipeline for opportunity youth to earn family sustaining wages and grow into profitable careers while meeting the growing needs of employers across the country.  

Tech Impact serves populations that experiences significant barriers to affordable education and gainful employment:

• Opportunity Youth – young adults, disconnected from school and work, aged 18-26, with a high school diploma or GED but no college degree. These young adults disproportionately experience significant barriers to living wage employment.   
• Low to Moderate Income individuals
• Incumbent entry-level IT workers, in need of upskilling to advance their careers. 

Tech Impact offers job training and employment assistance free of charge to all participants to eliminate the barrier of affordability.  All participants receive a laptop and software for the entire duration of the program, paid internships, a mentor, technical training and wrap around support needed to secure living wage careers.

As companies seek to be more inclusive and diversify their talent pool, ITWorks is vital in bringing underrepresented voices to the workplace, 75% of our participants identify as people of color. ITWorks changes income potential for life and disrupts the cycle of generational poverty, 70% of participants are Extremely Low-to-Moderate Income (% of Area Median Income as calculated by HUD). The Pathway will serve 220 individuals in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Las Vegas and Nashville in 2025.

Tech Impact has 14 years of experience delivering cutting-edge workforce development programs. Since 2010 our workforce development programs have equipped over 1,500 individuals with the skills and credentials they need to change their income potential for life. We welcomed our first ITWorks graduate to our Board of Directors in 2021, bringing the voice of our participants and their diverse backgrounds to the table.  Our Advisory Board is comprised of over forty technology executives who volunteer and build a network of contacts for participants. 

We are continuously evaluating our programs and adjusting program curriculum and delivery methods to better meet the needs of our participants. Feedback is gathered via surveys providing actionable data to inform changes and improvements. We routinely use our outcomes data to identify trends and implement modifications as needed.  

Tech Impact is building a customized Social Impact Reporting and Evaluation (SIRE) dashboard that will enable us to integrate internal, programmatic data with external, community data. This tool will allow for disparate data sources – both internal and external – to be married together to guide more informed decisions. It represents the first step towards building a solution to understand the impact of our work on the communities we serve so that we can better understand resource allocation and make more effective decisions. 

Tech Impact consistently adapts our instruction, curriculum, and program design based on feedback from program participants, volunteers, hiring partners, and advisory boards.  Student feedback is collected at the completion of every cohort.  Additionally, the organization engages with regional advisory boards to ensure that curriculum and instruction meets industry standards and hiring partner's needs. In concert with our SIRE dashboard, these tools and activities will exponentially amplify our impact on the communities we serve.

We are looking for support in fully launching our Pathways program beyond the pilot stage. ITWorks launched in 2010 and now operates in Philadelphia, PA, Wilmington, DE, and Las Vegas, NV, training 128 participants each year, with an expansion to Nashville, TN scheduled for 2025. Nashville was selected as the next location for ITWorks after a thorough analysis of youth unemployment, technology workforce training opportunities, and employer demand.  ITWorks will train 32 more Opportunity Youth in Nashville.

At the request of our ITWorks alumni, we piloted ITWorks 2.0 and ITWorks 3.0 in 2024 to help them advance in their careers through the obtainment of industry-recognized, stackable CompTIA certifications: Network+ (ITWorks 2.0) and Security+ (ITWorks 3.0).

Seventy-five alumni completed ITWorks 2.0/3.0 pilot programs in 2024, far exceeding our goal of forty alumni upskilled each year. This first round of Pathway participants received free training for next level certification and upskilling for in-demand middle skill technology careers such as Network and Computer System Administrator or Computer Network Support Specialist and Cybersecurity Specialist. Pathway participants experienced on average a 228% increase in income, from the start of ITWorks through completion of ITWorks 2.0 or ITWorks3.0. 

https://techimpact.org/itworks

Tech Impact’s approach differs from other organizations providing workforce development training in that we not only operate programs with proven outcomes, 70% of our graduates’ secure employment within six months of graduation, we are also positioned as a leader in the development, management, and growth of the tech talent pipeline. 

Our Pathway begins with ITWorks, a 16-week in-person training course for participants with little to no computer experience. ITWorks includes an introduction to personal computers, security, hardware assemblage, preventative maintenance and troubleshooting, operating systems, networks, laptops, mobile devices and printers. Professional skills training includes communication, time and work management, office etiquette, interviewing, leadership, emotional intelligence, customer service, conflict and stress management, and financial management. Paid Internships are five-weeks, meant to prepare job candidates for full-time employment. Volunteers provide mentorship to support each graduate throughout the program.

After one year of employment, ITWorks alumni are eligible for advanced skills training through one or both of our 10-week virtual courses: ITWorks 2.0 and ITWorks 3.0. These trainings lead to certification for careers in Networking and Cybersecurity and help ITWorks alumni in entry level jobs reach their potential while removing barriers to mid-level IT careers. As our alumni progress to higher level roles, entry level positions open for the next generation of ITWorks graduates entering the market.

Other programs are typically cost-prohibitive and time-consuming. Tech Impact’s programs are free of charge to all participants, are of short duration, and result in industry standard certifications. Our graduates get into the job market quickly with the skills, certifications, and experience, and provide qualified, diverse job candidates. Through secure and steady employment in IT, our graduates craft life-long careers full of opportunity. 

Tech Impact’s goal is to deliver highly impactful workforce development programs and services that foster individual growth, economic mobility, and a more diverse talent pool.

Our objectives are to: 

• Provide low-income communities in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Nevada, and Tennessee with no-cost technology and professional skills trainings leading to industry recognized certifications. 

• Provide technology and professional skills training so that 220 Opportunity Youth per year can access living wage careers in the information technology sector.

• Create a financially viable and sustainable technology and professional skills training model for low-to-moderate income populations, by providing a scalable and replicable resource to meet employment goals across the US. 

High-level quantifiable outcomes for our Pathway to Middle Skills Careers in 2025 are as follows:

• 160 participants enrolled in ITWorks.      
  • 90% of enrolled students graduate.       
  • 100% of graduates earn the Cisco IT Essentials certification. 
  • 100% will sit for the two-part CompTIA A+ Certification.     
  • 100% of graduates complete a paid 5-week IT internship.           
  • 70% of graduates secure IT jobs within 6 months of graduation.   

• 60 ITWorks alumni enrolled in ITWorks 2.0 and 3.0.

Ultimately, the outcome will be an increase in diverse individuals upskilled for careers in IT, changing their income potential for life. As graduates move on to higher level jobs, they create openings in entry-level positions, which the next generation can fill. In this way, Tech Impact helps move individuals through the tech talent pipeline, creating the opportunity for additional participants to be served at the entry-level, while growing the IT talent pool at the same time.   

There are 14 full-time staff and one part-time staff member working in our Pathway program. 

Tech Impact has been working on solving the disparity of low-income communities gaining access to living wage careers through technology for 14 years when we launched ITWorks. We successfully scaled ITWorks twice to new locations and will again this year. Our Pathway to Middle Skills Careers in Technology was launched one year ago when we piloted ITWorks 2.0 and ITWorks 3.0 next level technology training for our alumni.

Diversity of our staff and volunteers is a priority and an asset at Tech Impact. We strive to reflect the diversity of the young adults that we serve. Of Tech Impact’s 140 full-time staff members, 48% self-identify as people of color and 44% as women or non-binary.  On our programs team, 47% self-identify as people of color and 47% identify as female. Tech Impact's leadership team, our Chief Executive Officer and six C-suite leaders, is comprised of 63% female and 25% of whom self-identify as Black. 

Tech Impact has hosted ITWorks interns each session since ITWorks launched, and we have hired fifty-four ITWorks graduates in various technology roles. We have benefited greatly from the diversity of ethnicity, background, and experience that our graduates bring to our organization.  

Our Board Nominations Committee keeps a matrix of board skills that identifies gaps and competencies in our current board make up. New members are added according to the skill sets they bring to the organization (i.e. legal, financial, investment, HR, marketing, fundraising, etc.). Board diversity is a key component of the matrix and a focus of the board. Of our 15 Board members, six (40%) are female and four (27%) are Black. We welcomed our first ITWorks graduate to our board in 2021, bringing the voice of our students and their diverse backgrounds to the table. 

Tech Impact’s strategic plan for Fiscal Years 2025 through 2027 focuses on how our mission produces a positive social impact and builds career pathways and wealth for underrepresented individuals, with an emphasis on embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion in all our activities and programs. We will invest in our operations and programs to expand our social impact and will define and implement key performance measures which will allow us to communicate the full extent of our social impact.

Our Pathway to Middle Skills Careers in Technology is a fast-track, innovative workforce development program enhancing the quality of life for low- and moderate-income communities through free technical training, wrap around services, and connections to employment opportunities.

Our Pathway program prepares Opportunity Youth for a technologically sophisticated workplace by teaching PC configuration, networking and cybersecurity skills, troubleshooting, customer service and communication skills, and providing a professional work environment experience. By enhancing disconnected young adults’ long-term earning potential, Tech Impact helps them to become self-sufficient.  Over 70% of ITWorks graduates secure employment in IT within six months of graduation, a much higher percentage than any other similar IT workforce development program. Through secure and steady employment in IT that pays a living wage and provides a career path, our graduates are lifted above the poverty line and disrupt the cycle of generational poverty. 

As companies seek to be more inclusive and diversify their talent pool, our Pathway is vital in bringing underrepresented voices to the workplace, with 75% of our students identifying as people of color. Our students get into the job market quickly with the skills, certifications, and experience they need, and provide qualified, diverse job candidates to local organizations.   Other programs are typically cost-prohibitive and time-consuming. Tech Impact offers job training and placement assistance free of charge to eliminate the barrier of affordability, and the short duration enables our graduates to secure living wage careers as quickly as possible. We leverage industry partnerships to expand our pool of internship and hiring partners and engage volunteers to ensure our students have the best chance to succeed in the job market.  We engage nonprofits, schools and government partners, which serve our target population, to recruit and refer applicants and provide supportive services to our students to aid in retention.

To ensure program sustainability, Tech Impact has cultivated funding relationships with regional foundations and corporations, many of which, like the Truist Foundation, have provided funding for ITWorks in successive years. Investments last year in Tech Impact’s workforce development programs from Barclays ($500,000), Private Family Foundations ($340,000) and the State of Delaware ($140,000) and our strong program outcomes, have helped Tech Impact secure new funding partners, including the GitLab Foundation ($200,000).  In addition to requesting funding from multiple streams, we leverage the skills and assistance of over 100 volunteers who participate in each session to help keep ITWorks costs low.

We hold two major annual Celebration of Impact Luncheon fundraising events, one in Philadelphia and one in Las Vegas. Last year these events raised $300,000 in general operating support for our workforce development programs. Funds raised through sponsorships are applied to expenses nationwide as needed. 

We have strong executive and board leadership and volunteer engagement. We strategically manage our reserve funds to ensure fiscal strength and sustainability. We pride ourselves on transparency and management processes that provide sound oversight of all publicly and privately funded grants. Tech Impact’s infrastructure has the capacity and resources, along with a vast network of partners, to ensure we meet our goals and objectives and can provide ample support to our program participants and nonprofit partners.  

Tech Impact has remained relevant and vital for over 20 years and continues to grow, which is a testament to the leadership of our organization and our mission. Tech Impact's management team and Board recognize the significant impact of ITWorks on the community and are committed to sustaining and growing the Pathway program.  

The Truist Foundation Inspire Award reflects our beliefs that career skills training can impact economic mobility and highlights the impact we have had on 1,000 ITWorks graduates to date. This award will also recognize the impact Tech Impact has had on meeting the growing needs of employers across the country.   “The IT job market size is impressive, currently composed of 4.19 million positions. the number of IT jobs are steadily growing too, despite the economic landscape. In the past year alone, the tech job market welcomed 29,700 tech professionals. As a result, tech jobs continue to be a reliable option for those seeking a stable career. The market’s size now surpasses its pre-pandemic glory, supported by the unyielding need for tech skills across various industries. Not only that, but the IT sector’s unemployment rate has dipped below 4%, its lowest point since March of 2020.” [2024 IT Job Market Trends | Job Opportunities and Skills] This award will showcase our work on either end of the spectrum, worker demands and employer needs, it will bring awareness to potential participants and help to influence potential donors, while allowing us to scale and grow furthering our impact across the country. Thank you for the consideration.