Projec title: get IT (growing equitable training in information technology)recipient name: workforce alliance funding request: 823,000CONGRESSIONAL sponsor: rosa delauro (CT-03), JIM himes…

The Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration awarded a $1,646,000 Project Grant under the Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending program to Workforce Alliance Inc., a non-profit workforce development organization in south central Connecticut. The 36-month GET IT (Growing Equitable Training in Information Technology) project aims to address gaps in the regional IT talent pipeline and engage disconnected youth ages 18-24 in IT and STEM-related career pathways.

The key activities include implementing a digital awareness campaign, hosting hands-on immersion events to recruit youth, enhancing entry-level IT training offerings, and piloting innovative short-cycle IT training programs. Workforce Alliance expects to engage 200 youth in the awareness events, with 100 enrolling in the GET IT training programs. Anticipated outcomes include employment, earnings, and skills gains for the training participants. Workforce Alliance is partnering with two local non-profit organizations, District Arts Education and Concepts for Adaptive Learning, to provide outreach, training, and other program activities.

Activities

The project design identifies three objectives and key activities for each objective. Objective 1 will increase knowledge equity and awareness in IT career pathways. Key activities for this objective include development and implementation of a career awareness campaign and hands-on digital immersion day events designed specifically to recruit and enroll disconnected youth into IT career pathway activities. Objective 2 will focus on enhancing and innovating entry-level IT training offerings, particularly for disconnected youth. Key activities for this objective include assembling core education and training partners to reimagine and redesign the engagement and onramps into the workforce development systems IT career pathway programs and piloting innovative, short-cycle hands-on IT training programs that result in job placement or continuation by participants in education and training activities. Objective 3 will focus on sustainability and scaling of the get IT programs as part of the workforce development boards commitment to racial equity and in response to a significant demand for workers with IT skills. A full-time program coordinator and a part-time business services representative will support project implementation. Other workforce alliance leaders will support scaling, sustainability, and integration of get IT solutions into the regions public workforce development system and as indicated throughout the state.

Expected outcomes

The program will engage at least 200 youth in digital awareness days. Of these, 100 will enroll in short-cycle, innovative get IT training programs and the remainder will be referred to other appropriate programs available through the one stop career center or community resource networks. Anticipated outcomes for the 100 get IT participants include: employed 2ND quarter after exit (64, 75 ) employed 4TH quarter after exit (42, 65 ) median earnings 2ND quarter after exist ( 3,300 PY 2022, 3,500 PY 2023), and measurable skills gains (85, 85 ).

Intended beneficiaries

Wioa title i youth ages 18 to 24 who are out-of-school (OSY), eligible to work in the united states, meet selective service registration requirements, and other wioa youth eligibility requirements such as school dropout, low income with additional assistance criteria, basic skill deficient, english language learner, or EX-offender. Over 25 employers will benefit from access to this expanded labor pool.

Subrecipient activities

The district arts education (DAE), a new haven nonprofit organization that serves youth and adults with transformative and culturally relevant programming will coordinate outreach and digital immersion days and provide hands-on training to 60 participants. The concepts for adaptive learning (cfal), a new haven nonprofit organization that promotes digital equity and inclusion, will provide 24 participants with a six week hands-on training program that prepares youth for entry-level IT jobs.