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
KC native builds jumpsuits for all occasions — butt flap included
Party and potty in one easy piece. Literally. That’s the benefit of wearing a jumpsuit with a butt flap included: Users avoid the hassle of removing half the outfit to use the restroom, said Brittany Weltner. The Kansas City native just launched a crowdfunding campaign for her new business, Jomper, to build more functional jumpsuits…
‘Get a glimpse of your future’ — Investors want data with your pitch
Editor’s Note: This content is sponsored by Mid-Continent Public Library but independently produced by Startland News. For more on the tools discussed in this article, click here. Imagine this. Your wearable tech firm is thriving — so much, in fact, that you need an injection of investment capital to maintain sustainable growth. You’ve booked some…
Launch It Successfully hopes to reduce early stage frustration, struggle for startups
A new accelerator program produced by key leaders of software development firm Illumisoft is helping innovators start their businesses by “cutting through the nonsense,” said Tyler Prince. “We want to help entrepreneurs succeed,” he said. “I think we live in an age when change happens so rapidly.” Launch It Successfully’s goal is to assist early…
Is government helping startups enough? Founders feel isolated, Kauffman survey finds
Early stage entrepreneurs struggle with the technical steps to getting started, a new Kauffman survey found, and founders don’t believe the government is helping them. The prevailing sentiment that entrepreneurs view themselves as isolated from assistance is understandable, said Melissa Roberts, vice president of strategy and economic development at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County.…