Austin has been announced as one of 15 new communities added to the White House’s TechHire Initiative. Designed to develop homegrown information technology workforce, TechHire communities are piloting programs to train lower-skill workers—often in just a few months—through nontraditional approaches like “coding bootcamps” and accelerated programs.
“The designation as a TechHire city by President Obama adds to our talent development ecosystem,” said Alan Miller, Workforce Solutions Capital Area Executive Director. “It will help in our efforts to prepare people with the skills employers need in the fastest growing sector in our economy.”
According to the Office of Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Austin received this designation because Microsoft, Google Fiber, Google, and IBM are advising and working with the City of Austin to provide opportunities for up to 200 graduates from accelerated training programs for veterans and low-income residents at Austin Community College, Texas State University, and Zenith Education Group to interview for paid internships or similar offerings when they complete their programs.
More information about the TechHire Initiative can be found at http://techhire.org/community/austin/.
