According to U.S. Labor statistics, as of December 2020, the global talent shortage amounted to 40 million skilled workers worldwide. By 2030, the global talent shortage is expected to reach 85.2 million—сompanies worldwide risk losing $8.4 trillion in revenue because of the lack of skilled talent. But the reality is more complicated than just a shortage of developers. The problem also has a lot to do with how most companies hire developers. A 2017 Indeed survey found that 80% of U.S. tech managers have selected a candidate who has graduated from a coding boot camp
Melisa Ellis , a University of Toronto graduate and founder of the non-profit social and technology enterprise Nobellum, is joining forces with the school to help launch at least 100 Black-owned start-ups by 2025. “I know first-hand what it’s like to be the only Black person working at a tech company,” says Ellis, whose mission to empower underrepresented students in entrepreneurship and STEM subjects also aims to uplift the Black business community at large. “When you’re in the market to hire Black talent or give business to Black vendors, you realize there aren’t
Egypt and US-based MoneyHash has just emerged from beta with $3 million in pre-seed funding.
A new initiative, launched by Dream Legacy Foundation (DLF), an organization that runs innovative programs to boost entrepreneurship within the Black Community and Ryerson University’s business incubator, has just taken off.
Black creators say they were excluded from a TikTok event for Black History Month, which featured the self-acclaimed ‘queen of rap’ Nicki Minaj.
Participants study programming and problem-solving for four months, earn $250 a week, and become paid apprentices with partner employers. The initiative came during the pandemic when millions were left jobless and this predicament spurred millions more to reconsider their careers, Catalyte and vocational training nonprofit Baltimore Corps saw a heightened need — and an opportunity — for tech programs. Lily Tilden, since hired by the city health department as a full-time employee, was among a dozen rookie software developers who worked for the city in what would become the inaugural fellowship
Coalition to Back Black Businesses, co-founded by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, American Express, and four leading national Black business organizations – announced the 491 Black-owned small businesses that have been awarded funding. The organizations, which are based across 39 states, were each awarded a $5,000 grant as part of a multi-year grantmaking and mentorship initiative. The recipients will be eligible to apply for enhancement grants of $25,000, which will be provided to a select number of 2021 grantee recipients in July 2022. The group itself was formed back
The RK Mellon Foundation has made a project-related investment into a Black father-son-led company that aims to increase diversity in STEAM fields so disadvantaged populations are included in the future of work. Damola and Wole Idowu, both engineers, founded Toyz Electronics at Carnegie Mellon University’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Using its Social-Impact Investment Program, the Richard King Mellon Foundation invests in for-profit companies looking to accomplish a public good that aligns with its Strategic Plan. These investments are known as Program-Related Investments. The Convertible note investment leads a $500,000 seed round for Toyz Electronics and provides
According to a poll carried out by CoderPad, a candidate assessment platform, a majority of tech recruiters believe there is bias in the job hiring process. The research, which included participants from 131 countries, had 4,000 tech workers respond and almost 4,000 recruiters, half of whom were based in Europe. Almost 65 percent of them said bias was an issue in tech recruitment. Lack of diversity in tech is an issue that has been around for decades – that we know. Back in 2014, big tech companies acknowledged the gap and made
There are many ways to celebrate Black History Month, and while it’s important to look back at our history from Martin Luther King to those that paved the way in regards to racial justice – it’s equally important to celebrate Black joy and Black excellence in other areas too. One area where the community is really making moves in tech. It’s no secret that diversity is a challenge in the tech world, with the industry lagging behind the rest of the economy on almost every diversity metric, but it’s important
