
"Philadelphia is very focused on diversity," from an illustrated recap of Mayor Jim Kenney's Philly Tech Week panel.
(Art by Terry LaBan, photo by Julie Zeglen)

This story is part of "Technology" month of the Generocity Editorial Calendar. Find the series here.
The tech sector needs more talent. The tech sector is also lacking in diversity. It seems simple: Solve one problem with the other by recruiting more technologists of color.
But still there remains a “catch-22,” as entrepreneur and newbie technologist Kahiga Tiagha explains in a guest post for Technical.ly Philly: For people of color to get into the tech sector in the first place, they need experience. But where can they get that experience if they haven’t worked in tech before?
Enter apprenticeships, which teach newcomers the basics and offer support systems as they navigate the tech ecosystem. Tiagha points to a few local success stories here in Philly, such as Interactive Mechanics’ fellowship program that’s already earning its first participants dev jobs.
“The sooner our industry adopts the apprenticeship/fellowship model more widely, the corollary effect would be the effective bridging of the talent gap,” he writes.
Read the essay -30-From our Partners
Educators, students, and parents turn out to improve lives
What Black professionals and professionals of color hope for from Philadelphia
Trade Diversity: How Workforce Development Programs Are Working to Close the Gaps
Philly
Meet Kim Andrews, new executive director for The Fund for Women and Girls

New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC)
Housing Advisor
Apply Now
New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC)
Director of Housing Services
Apply Now
More Information