SAN FRANCISCO — April 9, 2024 — Climb Hire, a national upskilling nonprofit that blends relationships and social capital with in-demand skills to help low-income and overlooked working adults break into new careers, is accepting applications for IT training programs aimed at creating a more diverse pipeline of tech workers.
The training programs will provide them with certifications in CompTIA and help start them on the path to land jobs in the IT and cybersecurity industries.
According to the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, only 9% of cybersecurity professionals are Black, and the same report shows less than a quarter of the workforce is composed of women. At the same time, IT Support Specialist roles are among the top job openings and remote roles in the tech industry right now, largely due to a disparity of talent.
“Because the tech industry has been dominated by well-connected, affluent, mostly-white leaders and workers, Climb Hire’s new learning cohort presents a real opportunity to diversify the talent entering the industry–ultimately making new technology and cybersecurity more effective and fair,” said Sorby Grant, CEO of Climb Hire. “We can simultaneously diversify the tech industry while helping overlooked individuals gain the technical and relationship skills needed to land quality jobs and achieve economic mobility.”
IT support and cybersecurity roles are among the top job openings and remote positions in the tech industry right now. Climb Hire’s CompTIA certification will help job seekers gain the technical skills needed to break into the sector, and their professional networking and social capital training will help participants land good jobs after the course.
Because 85% of job seekers land positions through connections, the Climb Hire model is grounded in the belief that social capital – the relationships between individuals that facilitate social trust – is as important as technical skills for economic mobility, especially for individuals seeking to advance from blue-collar jobs into high-quality middle-class jobs.
In the six-month training course, participants will get hands-on experience troubleshooting PC hardware and networking equipment, and learn IT security principles. The technical course work prepares for the 1101 and 1102 exams, which must be passed to earn certification.
“Technical skills alone are not enough, so Climb Hire blends upskilling with professional networking opportunities and social capital building so participants have the human and relationship skills needed to land the job they now qualify for with their new certification,” said Grant.
Climb Hire is accepting applications for this newest IT support cohort through April 19. Rolling applications will also be accepted on an ongoing basis. To be eligible, applicants must be between the ages of 24 and 40 and currently making less than $30,000 a year. Apply at https://climbhire.co.
To request an interview with Sorby Grant, contact Blake Case at blake@emccommunications.com or (601) 832-6079.
About Climb Hire
Climb Hire is a national up-skilling nonprofit that helps low-income and overlooked working adults break into new careers. By blending relationships and social capital with in-demand skills, Climb Hire helps people learn the technical and soft skills they need to earn higher paying jobs and succeed in the workforce, and provides them with a community and network they can tap for expanded job opportunities. Because who you know matters as much as what you know. www.climbhire.co
