Here & Now

Program Trains Women, Minorities For Technology Careers

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IN EMPLOYMENT NEWS, EVEN THOUGH THAT’S WHERE MANY JOBS ARE, IT’S NOT EASY TO BREAK INTO THE TECH WORLD OF WEB DEVELOPMENT AND CODING, ESPECIALLY FOR UNDER-REPRESENTED POPULATIONS INCLUDING WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. TO THE RESCUE, THE MADISON YWCA NOW OFFERING SOMETHING CALLED THE Y-WEB CAREER ACADEMY. 400 HOURS OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING TRAINING AND JOB READINESS SKILLS WITH THE REAL PLUM BEING PAID INTERNSHIPS UPON COMPLETION. WE ARE JOINED NOW BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE Y’S EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, BRANDI GRAYSON. AND BRANDI THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

BRANDI GRAYSON:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW YOU BEST FOR YOUR WORK WITH THE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK COALITION AND NOW YOU HEAD UP THIS TRAINING PROGRAM. HOW REWARDING IS THIS FOR YOU?

BRANDI GRAYSON:

IT FEELS GOOD. IT ALIGNS RIGHT WITH MY OBJECTIVE AND MY PURPOSE AND MY JOURNEY IN LIFE, WHICH IS EMPOWERMENT AND UPLIFTING PEOPLE. ONE OF THE ICINGS ON THE CAKE AND ONE OF THE POSITIVES OR PLUSES FOR ME IS WORKING WITH THE SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHICS AND POPULATION THAT WE WORK WITH, THE MOST MARGINALIZED. THE MOST DISENFRANCHISED. SO IT’S VERY REWARDING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT ARE THESE PARTICIPANTS LEARNING TO DO?

BRANDI GRAYSON:

THEY’RE LEARNING TO DEVELOP FRONT END WEB DESIGNS. SO CODING AND DEVELOPING WEB SITES AND BLOGS AND APPS. IT’S A VERY INTENSIVE, INTENSIVE COURSE. AND THEY’RE ALSO LEARNING JOB READINESS SKILLS, WHAT WE REFER TO AS SOFT SKILLS, SUCH AS JOB ETIQUETTE, HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW TO NAVIGATE THROUGH AN INDUSTRY AND COMPANIES THAT ARE ROOTED IN WHITE PATRIARCHY AND MALE DOMINANCE. SO WE HAVE TO PROVIDE FOLKS WITH THE TOOLS AND SKILLS TO COPE WITH THAT SETTING AND DEAL WITH THAT TYPE OF PRESSURE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW FAR REMOVED IS THIS IDEA OF LIKE COMPUTER CODING FOR SOME OF THE POPULATION THAT ARE SITTING IN THESE ROOMS THAT YOU GUYS ARE TRAINING?

BRANDI GRAYSON:

WELL, WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IS THAT MOST OF THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE LITTLE COMPUTER EXPERIENCE. SOME JUST ARE ABLE TO LOG ON AND GO TO THE INTERNET. WHEREAS OTHERS HAVE NEVER LOGGED ONTO A COMPUTER. BUT THE ACTUAL HARD SKILLS OF DEVELOPING AND LEARNING THE SOFTWARE, SUCH AS HTML, CSS AND NODE AND JAVA SCRIPT, THAT’S ACTUALLY EASIER FOR THEM THAN THE JOB READINESS SKILLS. WHAT WE’VE FOUND IS A LOT OF THE TIME PEOPLE — INDIVIDUALS THAT’S IN OUR PROGRAMS LACK CONFIDENCE AND THEY FEEL TRIGGERED AND UNWANTED AND DISMISSED IN JOB SETTINGS. SO THE HARD SKILL IS LESS HARD THAN WE THINK VERSUS THE SOFT SKILLS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW DO YOU GET AT THAT FEELING THAT THEY HAVE?

BRANDI GRAYSON:

WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT. WE HAVE TO TALK IT THROUGH. WE HAVE TO DEFINE WHAT RACISM IS. DEFINE WHERE THIS COMES FROM. WE PROVIDE HISTORICAL CONTEXT SO THAT PEOPLE CAN REMOVE THE INTERNAL TRIGGERS AND SO THAT IT BECOMES LESS ABOUT THEM AND THEIR CAPABILITIES AND MORE ABOUT JUST OUR CULTURE AND THE SOCIETY THAT WE LIVE IN, WHICH HELPS PEOPLE KIND OF THINK DIFFERENT AND REPROGRAMS THEIR MINDS AND THOUGHTS AROUND WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY’RE CAPABLE OF DOING.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WELL, THIS IS A SUPER HEAVY LIFT THEN, KIND OF ALL OF THAT KIND OF ALMOST CULTURAL INFORMATION COMBINED WITH THIS REALLY HARD KIND OF MATH SKILL STUFF, NOT TO MENTION FOLKS THAT HAVE NEVER TURNED A COMPUTER ON BEFORE.

BRANDI GRAYSON:

ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. BUT WE’VE HAD THE MOST SUCCESS WITH STUDENTS THAT HAVE NEVER TURNED ON A COMPUTER. I MEAN OUR STUDENTS GO THROUGH AN INTENSIVE ORIENTATION AND INTERVIEWING PROCESS AS WELL AS ASSESSMENTS TO SEE IF THEY’RE READY AND CAPABLE OF PERFORMING THE TASK AT HAND. AND I’M TELLING YOU THAT THEY EXCEL BECAUSE THEY’RE READY, THEY’RE ENGAGED, THEY’RE COMMITTED, THEY’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES. SO THE HARD SKILLS AGAIN IS EASY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT’S EASY TO TEACH. IT’S THE SOFT SKILLS AND HOW TO STAY FOCUSED IN THOSE ENVIRONMENTS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT KIND OF JOB PROSPECTS CAN PEOPLE EXPECT AFTER COMPLETING THIS TRAINING?

BRANDI GRAYSON:

AFTER THEY COMPLETE THE 400 HOURS OF TRAINING, THEY’RE PLACED IN INTERNSHIPS WITH ONE OF OUR IT PARTNERS. WE PARTNER WITH ABOUT 15 DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES, INCLUDING UW AND AMERICAN FAMILY AND ADORABLE

AND FLEXON. THEY’RE PLACED IN INTERNSHIPS FOR BETWEEN THREE TO SIX MONTHS TO CONTINUE THE TRAINING. AND THEY ARE PAID BETWEEN $15 AND $20 AN HOUR FOR THAT. SOME OF THE INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS IT’S PART-TIME. SOME IS 40 HOURS. ONCE THEY COMPLETE THE INTERNSHIP A LOT OF OUR STUDENTS ARE OFFERED PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT AT THESE COMPANIES. SO THEY GO FROM MAKING MAYBE SEVEN BUCKS AN HOUR TO MAKING LIVABLE WAGES. TWENTY DOLLARS AN HOUR.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THAT’S AWESOME. WHO’S AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE THAT WENT THROUGH THIS TRAINING THAT YOU COULDN’T HAVE IMAGINED FORMERLY HAVING THAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITY.

BRANDI GRAYSON:

A STUDENT, HER NAME IS ELIZABETH. SHE CAME INTO THE PROGRAM WITH A LOT OF BARRIERS AND A LOT OF JUST UNCERTAINTIES ABOUT HER ABILITY TO PERFORM THE TASK AT HAND. I HAVE TO TELL YOU SHE EXCELLED. SHE’S NOW BUILDING DRONES. THE COMPANY SHE’S INTERNING WITH OFFERED HER A FULL-TIME JOB. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE’RE LEARNING IN TERMS OF EMPOWERING PEOPLE IS THAT IT’S IMPORTANT NOT JUST TO PROVIDE JANITOR JOBS OR COOK JOBS, BUT JOBS THAT PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY SEE THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW, JUST EXPANDING IN AND FEELING LIKE VERY CONFIDENT IN THOSE POSITIONS, WHERE THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AND THAT IN ITSELF IS — IS HUGE. THEY BECOME A ROLE MODEL FOR THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WAY TO GO, ELIZABETH — BRANDI. THANKS VERY MUCH.

BRANDI GRAYSON:

THANK YOU.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AN IT COMPANY CALLED ADORABLE I-O PROVIDES THE TECHNICAL TRAINING. AND ITS FOUNDER HELPED LAUNCH THE PROGRAM, REALIZING THE INDUSTRY IS WHITE MALE DOMINATED.