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At a time when many young people are struggling to get ahead, EnPower Texas is expanding its flagship Tech Foundation program to Dallas-Fort Worth. The free training offers 18 to 26-year-olds the opportunity to train in tech jobs expected to grow by 2022.
NPower has extended the application deadline for the next batch of training to August 15.
The free, 16-week virtual training program was created for young adults and marginalized communities in Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as military veterans and their spouses.
NPower’s Tech Fundamentals program teaches students the fundamentals of programming and information technology and offers students the opportunity to earn a variety of certifications.
Mission: To move people from poverty to middle class
NPower is a national non-profit organization with a mission to move people from poverty to the middle class. The free technology training program for young people is backed by corporations and billionaires like novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, the former wife of billionaire Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, who donated $15 million to NPower last March.
Success stories of NPower graduates
Rasheda Walker is a graduate of NPower Tech Fundamentals and an intern at CITI. [Photo: NPower]
Two recent graduates of NPower Tech Fundamentals demonstrate the success of the program.
Before joining the NPower program, Rashda Walker faced the most difficult time of her life. She realized the need to acquire skills and training to alleviate life’s stress, which affected her strength to overcome many personal challenges, NPower said.
When she saw the organization at a veterans job fair, she jumped at the chance of free training and the opportunity it could provide. She received not only technological guidance, but also the social support she so desperately needed.
“It’s okay to be a beginner at something, because you can keep learning and developing,” Walker said in a statement.
In less than five months, she learned new technical and life skills, earned several certifications, and began an internship with CITI.
Pravin Shrestha is a graduate of NPower Tech Fundamentals. [Photo: NPower]
“A short time ago, I could not have imagined these accomplishments,” Walker said. “With my new skills, I plan to work hard as an intern with the goal of getting a full-time job in a specialized field, then move on to advanced training.
Pravin Shrestha, a fall 2021 graduate of the program, is the first in his family to come to America to attend.
He graduated from Farmers Branch Brookhaven College, then earned a bachelor’s degree from East Central University. After joining the Army Reserve, he started his own business, but wanted to pursue a career in IT.
After the pandemic hit, he heard about NPower, sold the business, and took the organization’s professional development classes. He completed his successful career with CITI and was recently promoted to a full-time role as Compliance Anti-Money Laundering Analyst.
Dallas-Fort Worth has an untapped potential for tech energy.
Jonathan Pride, Executive Director of NPower Texas. [Photo: LinkedIn]
EnPower Texas Executive Director Jonathan Pride says the expansion into Dallas-Fort Worth was a long time coming. “The region has so much untapped potential in the form of young adults and veterans,” says Pride.
The effectiveness of the program provides a strong blueprint for success in Texas.
“NPower Texas is one of the fastest growing job training centers in the US,” he said, noting that DFW is home to the fifth largest technology workforce in the country.
The NPower program was created to help businesses find new technology talent and help young people start new businesses.
The NPower Texas Innovation Center is located south of Dallas.
NPower Texas is located south of downtown Dallas in the Dallas College Bill J. Priest Small Business Innovation Center. Since 2013, the nonprofit has provided tuition-free technology training and certification to veterans and their spouses. According to NPower’s website, it offers an “alternative fast track to tech jobs” with employers committed to hiring diverse IT talent.
80% of graduates find full-time employment or continue education; Average salary jump 384%
Students entering the NPower program will graduate with industry-recognized certifications and one to two years of experience as an IT professional, NPower said in a statement. The nonprofit places its youth students in paid internships with corporate and nonprofit organizations.
According to national data from EnPower, the nonprofit organization says that 80% of its graduates find full-time employment or continue their education, and that graduates see an average salary increase of 384%.
The veterans program is supported by donations
The Veterans Program is supported by the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans Assistance, which provides grants to organizations that serve veterans and their families.
More than 400,000 veterans and their spouses in North Texas are unemployed, according to NPower, and are facing the challenge of adapting to a unique workforce.
More than 50% of all jobs require technology or digital skills
NPower says more than 50% of all jobs in today’s economy require some level of technology and digital skills. A recent report from Microsoft Data Science predicts that America’s digital workforce – the total number of new technology-based jobs – will grow to 13 million by 2025, according to NPower.
Beyond Texas, NPower operates in New York, California, Maryland, Toronto, New Jersey, Missouri and Michigan.
To apply or for more information, visit the nonprofit’s website.
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