ONE Microsoft Corp. The initiative to increase computer science education and digital job opportunities will expand beyond its northeastern roots in Wisconsin to all 50 states this year.
The company announced the expansion to a suspension this morning he notes that while talented people are everywhere, opportunities are not.
TechSpark launched in 2017 to help smaller metro areas develop IT courses for K-12 students and retrain existing workers for jobs in demand among local and national employers.
The company plans to take what it learned into pilot programs in northeastern Wisconsin. Southern Virginia; Central Washington? Cheyenne, Wyoming; Fargo, North Dakota; Jackson, Mississippi? and the El Paso, Texas-Ciudad Juarez, Mexico border area. and offer the same resources to communities across the United States.
What is TechSpark?
Information technology companies are concentrated in Silicon Valley or Seattle, but there are workers in Green Bay or Fargo who need digital skills and employers who need technically skilled workers.
TechSpark deploys customized support in smaller cities and metro areas. It brings together regional business, education and community leaders to identify digital skills gaps and an action plan to address the need. Microsoft hired a TechSpark manager in each pilot region to help drive the collaboration.
To date, it has generated $125 million in public and private investment in computer science education and workforce training in eight pilot areas, trained 50,000 people in a variety of digital skills, found jobs for 3,300 workers, trained 1,100 teachers in IT courses and supported hundreds of startups.
Communities can find a book and resources
Michelle Schuler, director of Northeast Wisconsin's TechSpark, said communities will find an introductory webinar, resources they can use and a sample “book” of how the pilot areas identified needs and developed programs to address them. From there, communities may hold in-person events and begin working with a TechSpark mentor for more extensive involvement.
“There's excitement for all of us community engagement managers to take the lessons we've learned and help other communities think through their journey,” Schuler said. “Every community matters.”
How will this work in different states?
What Schuler plans to share with communities is that they will need to work together and act together to address their needs. He said Microsoft can provide resources and help districts on their journey, but that leadership and action plan must come from the local level.
Microsoft plans to identify a local organization in each state to serve as a partner and provide a grant to fund a “TechSpark Fellow” to lead local partner-driven efforts. The national program will focus on four key issues:
- Improve digital access by building broadband infrastructure.
- Developing computer science education for local schools.
- Teach people digital skills.
- Help nonprofits, startups, and small businesses leverage technology.
How has it helped students, Northeast Wisconsin schools?
Northeastern Wisconsin is home to approx 1.2 million people with a focus on the Green Bay and Appleton areas and a variety of industries including healthcare and manufacturing. Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, spent his High School in Appleton. Local leaders identified computer science courses for K-12 students, more IT higher education opportunities and retraining programs for current workers to meet local workforce needs such as software developers and data analysts.
Local teachers and community leaders say the K-12 classes and mentoring programs have sent a clear message to students that “opportunities are available” here, that students don't have to leave their hometowns for well-paying tech jobs that support the family. The courses, teacher training and programs are now available in 38 school districts in the region and have raised $500,000 in grants from local businesses, Microsoft and community foundations.
On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers said his proposed 2023-25 budget includes $5 million a year in grants for school districts to increase access to computer science courses and require every Wisconsin high school to offer at least one course computer science.
“Already things that have started in the TechSpark areas have spread to other parts of Wisconsin and beyond,” Schuler said. “Wisconsin is also learning from other TechSpark regions.”
RELATED:How Microsoft TechSpark is bringing technology education to Northeast Wisconsin's schools and economy
How do workers get help finding tech jobs?
Microsoft partnered with the Milwaukee-based venture capital firm generator in 2020 to launch a skills-based retraining program now called the Skills Accelerator in Northeast Wisconsin.
The program paired people with a mentor and offered lessons in digital basics as well as more specialized learning modules. Participants do not have to pay for the training.
He worked with Black, Latino, and Asian community leaders to increase access to educational programming among the region's growing minority population, groups historically underrepresented in computer science and technology work fields.
By early 2022, 102 people in Northeast Wisconsin had enrolled in the program with 77% graduating and 66% moving on to tech-related jobs. 40% of these graduates are women and 35% were people of color.
As TechSpark goes national, so has gener8tor expanded Skill Accelerator programs in 21 cities and regions.
RELATED:'Northeast Wisconsin is our showroom': How a tech education program started here helps close the diversity gap
Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.