The Social Worker Turned Tech School Founder Helping The Black Community Learn IT And Coding Skills

Code Black Tech is committed to helping the Black community become equipped, empowered, and connected in order to enter the tech sector and thrive.

Hun They hope to ensure all participants of its program are equipped for their professional role, empowered to become thought leaders and become connected to us and other supportive communities.

The Code Black Tech course is delivered through joint instruction from Code Black community members and Metropolitan Community College Department of Information Technology faculty members.

Students enrolled in this course will build their confidence in a low-risk environment, develop a broader understanding of IT and help aspiring I.T. professionals decide if a career in IT is right for them.

The initiative was launched during the pandemic.

Class sessions will take place once a week, with meetings consisting of in-person and virtual lectures and labs.

Students who successfully complete this Non-credit course can test for the CompTIA, IT Fundamentals (ITF+) certification.

It was launched by David Pollock. Before starting Code Black, David worked in social work and as a college success advisor. After a successful career in coaching, mentoring, and developing programs, David now leads a community for people of color in technology to impact the very community that they live in.

KETV visited one of David’s classes over the week.

Charity Mondi, a pupil, said when she first started the program a few months ago – she struggled.

She said: “First I might say, I used to be fully clueless in regards to the phrases and precisely what’s concerned within the class specifically,”

Her trainer and vice-chair of Code Black Tech, Michael Younger, said it’s empowering to look at his college students develop. “Simply seeing the sunshine bulbs come on with them is admittedly an empowering second. I wish to see them say, ‘This is going to be my new job,’” he added.

The program gives courses for youth aged 9-16 who are interested in things such as robotics while older college students are offered courses like coding and Intro to IT.