KC Tech Council’s apprenticeship program launches with job growth hopes from Davids, Cleaver
January 27, 2021 | Startland News Staff
A freshly launched partnership between KC Tech Council and Apprenti — designed to cultivate tech skills and offer first-hand experience for apprentices — is a solid fit for Kansas City’s talent needs, two members of the metro’s U.S. congressional delegation agreed.
“I truly believe that entrepreneurship is baked into the DNA of our region,” U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, told an online audience Tuesday. “I’m so glad that we have organizations like Apprenti recognizing that investing in the entrepreneurial spirit we have here is so important … I’m optimistic that this is going to be a big benefit not just for Kansans but for the employers in the third congressional district in the metro area.”
Davids, who represents Kansas’ third district, sits on the House Small Business Committee and previously founded an entrepreneur-focused podcast, “Starty Pants.”
Click here to read more about how the KC Tech Council hopes its partnership with Apprenti will help fill 4,000 vacant tech positions.
Erin Christensen, KC Tech Council, Apprenti
“We all know that two of the biggest challenges facing the tech industry are a lack of talent, but also a lack of diversity. … With over 70 percent of our apprentices being women, veterans and/or people of color, Apprenti has a proven model for diversifying tech talent across the country,” said Erin Christensen, KC Tech Council’s program manager for Apprenti, on Tuesday during the organization’s online “Tapping into Talent” event.
Joining Davids with a pre-recorded video, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, said the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession it caused mean Kansas City needs a strong tech workforce and innovative training programs more than ever.
“As the representative for Missouri’s fifth congressional district and as a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I’m always on the lookout for new and promising developments that demonstrate economic progress for my district,” Cleaver said. “Apprenti certainly seems to fit that bill.”
Bringing the program to Kansas City feels like a “homecoming,” said Jennifer Carlson, co-founder of Apprenti and an Overland Park native.
Click here to watch the full online event.
By Tuesday, Apprenti had already gathered 160 applicants for Kansas City’s tech market, Christensen said. Employers are excited to engage the potential apprentices in areas ranging from cybersecurity to software development, according to event speakers from such organizations as BARR Advisory and CertTech.
“Some of [the applicants] are from Kansas and Missouri. But a good chunk of them — because we are just now doing our official launch — are from other markets [and] are interested in coming to Kansas City,” she noted. “Imagine the opportunity to not only cultivate local talent but also relocate talent to Kansas City.”
For more information on how a businesses can partner with Apprenti, or how individuals can sign up for an apprenticeship, email Christensen at: Erin@kctechcouncil.com
Featured Business
2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
FanThreeSixty teams with national champs, turning data into actionable plays to boost revenue, KU fan experience
Another national championship title isn’t the only banner win the University of Kansas Athletics is adding to its rafters this year. Weeks after scoring the NCAA men’s basketball title, the university has partnered with Kansas City-dunked FanThreeSixty to better connect with its fanbase in seasons to come. “By partnering with FanThreeSixty, not only will Kansas…
Small biz could be solution to supply chain woes, says Children’s Mercy CEO; Why shared economic prosperity catalyzes innovation
Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity. It’s all about the ripple effect of outcomes, said Paul Kempinski, diagnosing the community health potential (and business case) for supplier diversity efforts. Corporate…
Mary Shannon’s two words to describe the complexity of supplier diversity: Competitive advantage
Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity. Don’t try to fake your way through diversity initiatives for optics, advised Mary Shannon, noting half-hearted commitment to efforts like supplier diversity — which…
Why a social network for basketball players bounced off court to recruit STEM, solar players
In an industry where connections can mean as much as talent, DeMarcus Weeks envisioned a LinkedIn-type network to create exposure for athletes — specifically basketball players from historically Black colleges and universities, as well as other small schools. Put in his words: to give the small guys a voice by providing them a network to connect…