i.c. Stars Is Training People For The Tech Industry From Diverse Backgrounds

Inner City Stars (i.c. stars) is working to create a more diverse workforce with career pathways in technology through a four-month job training program. PHOTO PROVIDED BY I.C. STARS.
Inner City Stars (i.c. stars) is working to create a more diverse workforce with career pathways in technology through a four-month job training program. PHOTO PROVIDED BY I.C. STARS.

i.c. Stars Is Training People For The Tech Industry From Diverse Backgrounds

By Tia Carol Jones

A nonprofit technical training program is ensuring people from underserved communities receive the kind of workforce development that can change their lives and give them access to careers.

i.c. stars (inner city stars) began 25 years ago as a vision to empower disenfran chised young people and provide access to career pathways in information technology (IT). Years later, the organization is still addressing equity through its technical skills training program. It also has expanded to Milwaukee and Kansas City, with plans to expand to Houston and Detroit. The goal is to look at where tech is booming and there are communities with people who can benefit from the training.

In the beginning, i.c. stars serviced people ages 18-25 years old. Now, it has been expanded to reach people in their 30s and even 40s, who might be changing careers or have an aptitude for IT, but not having the best educational experiences.

The program is four months of immersive training where participants learn to build web-based application and solve client challenges using coding, business and leadership instruction. Participants move into a residency and receive two years of support, along with wraparound support, including help with job placement and financial literacy help.

Each cycle has 20 people in the cohort, which i.c. stars CEO Karin Norington-Reaves said that number enables the participants to work together on group projects and receive the necessary comprehensive support. That support includes case managers who provide wraparound services, therapists who help heal past traumas and break down barriers that might prevent participants from being successful.

“It’s really not just the technical education, it’s also the larger leadership development and helping people to find their voice, if they haven’t had a voice before, helping them to stand up for themselves and helping them to understand the types of corporate environments they are going into and navigate the communities they will be working in,” Norington-Reaves said.

i.c. stars has been working to push back against people who are trying to end diversity, equity and inclusion within corporate space. Most of the participants in the training program are Black and brown, and i.c. stars is working to ensure companies understand the value of having a diverse workforce in the tech industry. i.c. stars is also working with companies on i.c. culture, which helps them understand how to take biases out of their hiring processes. The organization has been partnering with different companies throughout the Midwest and asking them to take a chance on the talent i.c. stars has. The success rate has been great.

An alum who was at Microsoft for 25 years is now on the i.c. stars board. There are also success stories of participants who have launched and gone to work at companies, which also helps change the trajectory of other alumni and helps the companies understand the value of the program. Microsoft, Molson Coors, Medline, United Airlines, Clarity Partners are just some of the companies that have employed alumni of the program, along with WinTrust and Accenture.

i.c. stars takes people for cohorts multiple times a year. People who are interested can visit icstars.org.



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