Kapor Center is now an NPower Partner
Equitable access to tech career pathways is urgently needed following affirmative action’s dismantlement, the decline of four-year college enrollment, and the growing demand for rapid reskilling as automation and artificial intelligence shift the future of work.
Based on extensive labor market demand analysis, the Kapor Foundation seeks to increase Black, Latine, and Native job placements in durable, emerging tech career paths such as cyber security and software engineering with an eye towards intersections with artificial intelligence.
In response to this, today, the Kapor Foundation’s Tech Pathways Initiative is announcing funding commitments across an innovative set of partner organizations advancing Black, Latino, Native, and other underrepresented talent across our focal ecosystems of Oakland, California, Atlanta, Georgia, and Detroit, Michigan.
A significant talent gap exists in the US cybersecurity job market with an estimated 750K roles unfilled and demand growing exponentially as systems become automated. The field’s median salary of $117,058 is largely earned among white males, with only 24% of cyber workers identifying as women, 9% as Black, and 4% as Latino Since entry-level cybersecurity roles are accessible to talent without a bachelor’s degree, alternative education programs are uniquely positioned to help quickly bridge this gap.
NPower creates free, accelerated pathways to digital careers for underserved young adults (ages 18–26) and military veterans. NPower and the Kapor Foundation will partner on a Cyber Career Accelerator that will upskill and elevate women of color in Oakland and Detroit through hands-on lab work, wraparound support, career coaching, mentoring, and job placement services. NPower programs have a proven 80% job placement rate into roles such as cybersecurity analyst, info security risk analyst, and network administrator.
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Read more about the announcement from Kapor Center here
Highlights Across the NPower Network
Honoring Veterans: Recognizing Their Unique Contributions to the Tech Industry
NPower Maryland Feature on WMAR Baltimore: NPower provides low to no-cost IT and tech training to veterans and their spouses.
NPower’s Command Shift featured in Forbes: Increasing Women of Color in Tech: How Can Rhetoric Meet Reality?
NPower featured in United In Service: Comcast NBCUniversal Celebrates National Veterans & Military Families Month
Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Women of Color Making Their Mark in Cyber
NPower brings free tech training to Dayton
Beyond Cybersecurity Awareness: Solution-Driven Impact with KPMG
With over 600,000 cybersecurity job vacancies in the U.S., the state of the cybersecurity workforce continues to be an issue of national concern with concentrated efforts, focus, and much dialogue. Through our Advanced Training Cybersecurity Program, NPower is well-positioned to be part of the solution, with over 600 cybersecurity professionals ready to take on the challenges and demands of the industry.
Our partnership with KPMG U.S. enables us to increase the representation of underrepresented populations within cybersecurity through tech training and job placement while filling the ever-growing cyber talent gap. Since 2015, KPMG has partnered to place several Cybersecurity graduates, including Kenneth Zhen, who joined KPMG as an intern in January 2023 and quickly transitioned to a full-time role as a Security Architecture Associate by March.
Kenneth Zhen, an alumnus of NPower, is forging his own path and making his mark in cyber. After being recommended for an internship with KPMG, Kenneth was overjoyed when he received the news a week after interviewing that he had been selected as an intern. From the support of his KPMG team in various ways, coupled with the skills and knowledge he gained with NPower, Kenneth shined in his internship. Within three months, he transitioned to his current role as a Security Architecture Associate.
“NPower equipped me with essential technical skills and knowledge that are directly applicable to my job, propelling my career at KPMG and making the transition into my internship and current position smoother. The opportunity to connect with professionals and peers in the industry has been invaluable for building a strong professional network. Their support has been the cornerstone of my success in landing and excelling in this role.”
From mentoring and hiring our students to generously supporting our work, KPMG is helping to advance our mission of creating pathways to economic prosperity through digital careers while addressing the cybersecurity workforce shortage crisis.