Technology has a big problem with diversity. Initiatives like Verizon’s Learning Program aim to address this

A few years ago, Kendra Roberson’s prospects looked bleak. At the time, then 38 years old, had difficulty finding work, except for a few short-term stays provided by a temp agency.

In the past, Roberson, who had graduated from high school and started, but not completed, a college degree, had always found a new job fairly quickly. This time it was different. “I did not receive any answers [to applications], she recalls. “I had two late car payments. I was sleeping on a friend’s couch again.

Fast forward to today and Roberson is renting his own apartment in Dallas, has a full-time job as a software developer at telecom giant Verizon, and is studying for a degree in business administration and IT management.

Roberson’s change in fortunes is a testament to her drive and determination, as well as the impact of a program she joined that was created by the IT team at Verizon, known as Global Technology Services. , to create more diversity in its recruitment pool. Originally dubbed Project Athena, Verizon is now using it as a model for a company-wide initiative known as the Verizon Thrive Apprenticeship Program, which aims to recruit many more people from under-represented and economically disadvantaged groups. .

Diversity initiatives are typically led by HR departments or dedicated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DCI) teams. But Verizon’s experience shows that initiatives created within IT departments can make a difference in an area where many more workers from diverse backgrounds are badly needed.

The power of partnerships

“Diversity in technology has been and continues to be a huge challenge,” said Shankar Arumugavelu, global CIO at Verizon. “In this context, we believe that we [have] has put together a learning program that can create strong, newbie developers from a group of people with little or no technical experience. “

Verizon’s program offers lessons to other technology leaders who are considering launching or expanding DCI initiatives. The first is that it can be useful to partner with other organizations to help identify candidates. Verizon’s tech team worked with a nonprofit that runs multi-week courses to spot people who can become tech workers, for its first class in 2019, which ended up enrolling 40 people.

The partner also helped market the opportunity. Roberson found out about the program from a flyer she received from an agency in Texas that helps job seekers find work. Maliah Taufiq, another graduate of the program, found out when his brother-in-law passed on details to him about the program he had received from a veterans organization.

Roberson and Taufiq say that once they started the six-month paid master’s apprenticeship, which Verizon held in locations in Texas and New Jersey, the pace was intense. Without any guarantee of employment at the end, the apprentices knew the stakes were high.

“I think the hardest thing, honestly, was feeling the impostor syndrome,” recalls Taufiq, who has a health care degree but wanted to explore opportunities in the tech industry. Roberson also sometimes asked if she was really suitable for a tech-oriented program: “You start to doubt your abilities, like you think other people know more than you because they go faster than you. “

Arumugavelu says the learning started with online learning and then the coaches were brought in to work on-site with the apprentices and help them learn the fundamental programming concepts as the pace picked up. Verizon’s IT team partnered with Multiverse, a company that helps design and deliver learning programs, and brought in some of their own employees to help with coaching.

New apprentices

This in-person work was seen as so essential to success that the IT team decided not to launch another program last year due to concerns about the health risks of Covid-19. Last month, however, he admitted a new group of apprentices, half of whom are women and three-quarters are people of color. They started the program, which has now been extended to a full year, working remotely before moving on to in-person learning in September.

Another reason the initial program worked well, says Arumugavelu, is that at a relatively early stage, the apprentices took on projects of real value to Verizon’s business. This helped them get a good idea of ​​the kind of work they might end up doing if they were hired and gave Verizon executives who acted as mentors the opportunity to see how they would fit in. existing teams.

Of the 40 people who started the 2019 program, 29 completed it and took a job with Verizon. Most of them were women. Taufiq, who worked on a network management project, was later hired by the networks oversight team at Verizon and has since been promoted there. Roberson creates software to support digital services used by customers, as well as to help create new development capabilities.

Their success and that of other graduates of the program is why Verizon’s HR team is now using it as a model for their company-wide learning program that is part of a larger commitment from the company to equip half a million people by 2030 with the necessary skills. succeed in what he calls the “jobs of the future”.

Industry watchers note that CIOs such as Arumugavelu are uniquely positioned to act as catalysts when it comes to launching broader DCI efforts. “Technology is everywhere. It drives innovation, collaboration and other activities, ”says Rob O’Donohue, who covers DCI and other leadership issues for research firm Gartner. “From this perspective, CIOs really have at their fingertips the ability to give underrepresented communities access to valuable skills and opportunities. “

Roberson certainly feels better prepared for the future thanks to his background at Verizon. “Here, I discover what it is to be passionate about something [at work], “she said.” It’s never too late to start something new.