Statement from NPower: SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action

The recent ruling by the Supreme Court to strike down affirmative action programs in college admissions has not altered the mission of NPower.


NPower’s mission continues unwaveringly to move veterans and youth from under-resourced and underrepresented communities from poverty to the middle class through tech jobs by offering free tech training programs. Three years ago, we formed Command Shift, a consortium of Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and other organizations and individuals committed to increasing the representation of women of color in the tech sector.

Many of the students in our free tech training programs are not college graduates, or they finish their degrees after obtaining tech certifications. A skills-based approach to job placement in tech isn’t a replacement for college degrees for people of color, meaning, it doesn’t solve the new barriers created by the SCOTUS decision. However, it does represent an alternative pathway for Black and Brown people who would not otherwise have access to these kinds of opportunities. 

This isn’t the first time that America’s racial and social justice initiatives and civil rights movements have confronted major structural barriers. During those times– leaders from business, education, nonprofit, public policy, and other sectors, along with human rights advocates and activists, came together, united in their resolve to help maintain and expand access to economic advancement for all people. 

We see leaders across America from a variety of industries and specialties, backgrounds and regions, strengthening their commitments to help maintain diversity across every facet of our society. In fact, the SCOTUS decision makes the mission of organizations like NPower even more important. We provide a critical pathway for underserved communities to obtain critical skills and knowledge to help them further their careers, to the benefit of them, the communities in which they live and our country more broadly.    

Even with the SCOTUS decision, leaders from across academia are developing strategies to ensure their student populations at all levels remain diverse and we are heartened by this.  We believe that the business community can also leverage its leadership position and resources by resolving to accelerate their DEI commitments and ensure equitable opportunities for all people to be as productive as possible in America’s workforce. Countless studies have shown that a diverse workforce not only positively impacts a company’s bottom line, but also increases its ability to innovate and remain competitive in the long-term.

Now, more than ever, business leaders must step up their efforts to recruit the very individuals impacted by the SCOTUS decision —  the economic stability and prosperity of our country depends upon it.

Nonprofit empowers community with free tech courses

In a predominantly digitized world, the demand for skilled tech professionals continues to grow. However, there’s a significant talent gap in the industry, leaving many individuals lacking the necessary skills and opportunities to thrive in this sector.

Guardian Life: Supporting Skills to Succeed in Tech

Agile and Innovative Pivots

NPower is on a mission to diversify the tech workforce by empowering individuals from underrepresented communities with tech training to prosper from well-paying digital careers. Removing any barriers to ensure students succeed in gaining critical skills needed for a successful high-quality employment and careers in tech is a key component of the program. NPower consistently works to identify and harness new and innovative strategies to deliver best in-class instruction paired with industry-responsive curriculum. During the height of the pandemic, NPower expeditiously transitioned its classrooms into virtual learning environments for students and introduced learning modules into its curriculum that addressed some of the technology needs experienced by remote workforce, including virtual troubleshooting, computer network segmentation, cloud solutions, web-based email support, and trouble ticket communications.

Through generous support from dedicated partners like Guardian, NPower provided personal and professional skills building within a virtual environment.

To better serve students during that time, instructors pivoted and leaned into virtual project-based and interactive paid learning opportunities as an alternative to traditional in-person paid internship projects focused on technology training labs including: digital user experience, website analysis/ development, project management, cybersecurity, and data analysis. In addition to the project phase, students participated in mentoring and skills development sessions. Simulating “real-word” experiences, the hands-on learning projects enabled students to solve real business challenges aimed to prepare them for success in the workforce. This critical component allowed students to actively participate in their own learning process by connecting theoretical in-class concepts to real-world applications, further developing the confidence to showcase their skills when gainfully employed.

Students presented solutions to mid-senior level IT professionals, including over 30 Guardian volunteers serving as coaches who provided invaluable feedback and guidance.

“Guardian makes a difference in the lives of people when they need us most. One way we do this is by fostering a culture that celebrates volunteerism.“ said Francine Chew, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Guardian. “We strive to create a greater sense of community and belonging among our employees by empowering them to be active participants in our philanthropic endeavors.” Learn more about how Guardian stands behind the communities they serve at guardianlife.com/social-responsibility.

Measured Impact

With close to 300 students participating in this focused training approach, overall sentiment relayed the benefit and impact that these opportunities had in exploring new pathways to gaining experience and skills required to work in related fields. The wide range of viewpoints from mentors across various tech sectors provided students with an array of knowledge and information.

NPower graduate, Tiffany Wang’s virtual micro project focused on exposure in cybersecurity from threat assessment, design and implementation of security plans, to identifying vulnerabilities across security systems. This learning experience launched her tech career as an Operations Analyst with Bank of America and now as a Trading Support Senior Analyst, increasing her earning potential by 15% since joining NPower.

“NPower has given me confidence, motivation, and a better understanding of technology. I also learned how to be more confident in future interviews and when handling tough situations. With much excitement, I look forward to combining my IT skills with finance to build my professional career.”

Free tech training coming to Triangle

NPower is bringing free tech and IT training to the Raleigh area next month and will train streets the skills needed to start a career in the tech industry.