A post came out yesterday discussing the update on Pinterest's diversity initiative. Part of that endeavor included the development of an apprentice program aimed at recruiting individuals from diverse, non-traditional backgrounds.
"We firmly believe our creative potential is directly tied to the diversity of our workforce, which is why last year we launched an apprenticeship program to focus on hiring engineers from non-traditional backgrounds. “Non-traditional” can have many meanings, but we chose to define it as any candidate without formal computer science education. This includes coding bootcamp grads, self-taught coders, those looking to re-enter the tech workforce, and others. We knew that this significant talent pool is too often overlooked and is one that would bring unique benefits to our teams."
This is one reason I work at General Assembly and why companies like mine exist. Our mission is to empower people to pursue the work they love through learning technology, business, design, and data. We are bridging the gap between job seekers and companies needing talent with relevant skills. Our programs are comprised of people from varying backgrounds and perspectives. In Austin, I have worked with people ages 18-70 - kids fresh out of high school that decided that college was not for them to people who had extensive careers as hotel managers, doctors, and pilots. A to Z. In addition to this diversity of backgrounds, we are looking to close the skills gap by closing the gender and racial divide that exists in the tech space.
In our 2.5 years in Austin, we have noticed a few things:
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There is no shortage of talent. Companies just don't know what they want or what they really need.
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Everyone is looking for the 3-5 year unicorn that does not exist.
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Companies want to bring on junior talent, but are afraid of losing resources and time.
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There are companies that have certain biases towards traditional education, like CS degrees because that's what they came from.
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The hiring process is broken...[more on this in a later post.]
These are things we are working hard everyday to overcome and what gave light to the creation of a new Fellowship Program. Katy Stover, Partnerships Lead for GA ATX, recognized the need to bridge the skills gap by providing companies with junior level talent through a competitive hiring program. She started with tackling UX first. Using UX principles, she identified a few key companies to get feedback and buy-in from what would make a program like this successful. Based on her findings, she identified that companies want to bring on junior level talent, but don't have the time or resources to train how to be an appropriate manager/supervisor/mentor. She also found that companies are interested in working with General Assembly in multiple ways through training and marketing opportunities. By taking the full GA value-add and combining it together, we are able to offer companies a comprehensive approach to identify, source, and train talent.
At a high level, the program is a three-month [paid] commitment with the goal of exposing fellows to in-depth, real-world experiences and growing one's career in UX Design. Ultimately, our goal is to cultivate a community of designers and foster the next generation of creatives who will continue to grow the Austin ecosystem.
Once the program was in place, Katy specifically targeted a limited group of companies due to their innovative nature, opportunity for growth, and commitment to mentorship. Three companies were selected-Thirteen23, Spredfast, and Turnkey Vacation Rentals.
Throughout the interview process, GA acted as a facilitator and companies were able to vet the candidates through a simplified, yet competitive, approach. From the 15 candidates that applied, three students were selected and will begin their fellowship on Monday.
Part of this pilot program is defining success along the way and iterating based on company needs. We feel highly confident that this group will be able to take this program to the next level.
Onto tackling web development and data science... If you are interested in investing in local, diverse, junior talent, please reach out.
