The nonprofit NPower Texas is expanding its Tech Fundamentals training program to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
NPower’s program provides tuition-free tech and computer programming training to 18 to 26-year-olds and veterans and their spouses. The aim is to prepare individuals for the growing number of lucrative tech-related jobs in the region.
The application deadline for the next program is August 15.
Students in the program graduate with a basic knowledge of information technology and programming and have the option to pursue various certifications, according to NPower.
Recent NPower graduate Rasheda Walker told Dallas Innovates that the program provided her with instruction and support during her training.
“It’s okay to be a beginner at something because you can continue to learn and develop,” Walker said.
Walker earned numerous certificates during the five-month training program and now has an apprenticeship at CITI.
“I could not have imagined these accomplishments a short while ago,” she said. “With my new skills, I plan to work hard as an apprentice with the goal to obtain a full-time career in a specialized field, then move on to advanced training.”
NPower is a national nonprofit supported by private donations and corporate sponsorships. MacKenzie Scott, for instance, who was formerly married to Jeff Bezos, donated $15 million to the program last March.
The organization also receives support from a select group of donors called Pathway Builders. According to the NPower website, these individuals see donating to NPower as an investment in the country’s workforce.
Jonathan Pride, an executive director for NPower Texas, told Dallas Innovates that expanding into DFW gives the nonprofit access to “untapped potential in the form of underserved young adults and veterans.”
He added that the region has the fifth-largest tech labor force in the United States.
NPower claims that 80% of its graduates continue their education or get a full-time job, and many see a 384% salary hike on average, according to Dallas Innovates.
In addition to Texas, the nonprofit operates in New Jersey, New York, California, Maryland, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto.
“In today’s economy, over 50% of all jobs require some degree of technology and digital skill,” the NPower website states. “A recent Microsoft Data Science report estimates that digital job capacity—or the total number of new technology-oriented jobs—in the U.S. will grow to 13 million by 2025.”
Just south of downtown Dallas, NPower Texas is located inside Dallas College’s Bill J. Priest Small Business Innovation Center.