Three months after being designated as a TechHire community, partners involved in the Seattle-King County program have been awarded a four-year, $3.8 million grant from the Department of Labor.
The grants were part of $150 million released to 39 programs across the country on Monday.
TechHire is a White House initiative aimed at equipping Americans with the skills they need to land jobs in the tech industry. Seattle committed to serving up to 2,000 candidates by 2020, with a focus on women, people of color, and formerly incarcerated individuals, the city’s Office of Economic Development said in a news release.
“We are delighted that our partners have received this award from the White House, and with this additional support, we look forward to expanding their great work with an eye towards a more equitable and innovative regional economy,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement.
Since Seattle’s designation as a TechHire community, the city has convened over 65 training providers, community organizations, employers, and community members in support of the effort.
“For us, finding the right hires is about more than just having a computer science degree,” said Donte Parks, VP of Culture at digital product studio Substantial, in a statement. “Instead, we’re looking for a breadth of experiences to help us build products for a breadth of clients. TechHire-affiliated programs are a vehicle for widening the pipeline, meaning that the best and brightest can find their way to our doorstep even without a traditional educational route.”
Substantial is one of the original sponsors of Ada Developers Academy, a tuition-free programming school for women and TechHire partner. According the OED, the grant will also enable the local launch of Unloop, which provides training for people who have been in prison; Floodgate Academy, a developer operations training program focused on underrepresented communities; and LaunchCode, which connects students at no cost to companies offering mentorship and training through paid apprenticeships.
