The City of Philadelphia is pumping half a million dollars into diversifying Philly’s tech talent and Coded by Kids, Campus Philly, Venture for America and Technically Media will each receive funding to work on a specific part of the workforce development project.
Philadelphia may be among the most diverse cities in the U.S. when it comes to the STEM workforce, but few would say that’s good enough for a major urban center with a glaring wealth gap and a technology sector that has long called for better representation of city residents.
Continuing its years-long involvement in efforts to diversify Philly’s pool of tech talent, the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office announced today it’s awarding $500,000 across a handful of organizations under its new PHL: Most Diverse Tech Hub initiative. The three-part initiative seeks to boost tech skills for the future talent pipeline — specifically Black and brown Philadelphians looking to move into technology careers.
Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that while attending the South by Southwest conference in 2017, he realized how limited in diversity the tech sector in the U.S. is. “Philadelphia has all the ingredients to become a national leader in fostering a diverse, innovative tech sector,” he said, “with a specific focus on ensuring more Black and brown Philadelphians are trained with the skills they need to succeed in one of the fastest growing and most lucrative industries.” Read the full article here.
As part of the efforts, Technical.ly has kicked off a series of webinars, Building Up. The panel features Talia Edmundson, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP — Founder and principal, HRnB Consulting, Tamara M. Rasberry, SHRM-CP PHR — Founder and principal, Rasberry Consulting, LLC, Amy Leschke-Kahle, Marcus Buckingham Company, Juliana Pignotti, cloudtamer.io, and is moderated by Christopher Wink, Technically Media CEO
Watch the Webinar
If you are looking for a tech job, be sure to register for Net/Work, Technical.ly’s virtual job fair which will feature dozens of hiring companies in the area. The event is on Thursday, March 18th. Register here.
