5 Easy Ways (+ 1 Hard Way) Any Company Can Help Build the Tech Talent Pipeline

Students digging into their projects at the CSNYC Animal Rescue Hackathon

CSforALL recently announced the Call for Commitments for the 2019 CSforALL Summit. This is an opportunity for organizations, industry, government and others to step up and announce new and expanded efforts to bring computer science to all US students. I know what you are thinking — that is a job for Microsoft, Oracle, Facebook, Google and the like. Yes, it is. But it is also a job for any company that relies on IT and software, which, actually, is EVERY COMPANY.

So here is a rundown easy (and hard) things you can do RIGHT NOW to support rigorous, inclusive and sustainable #CSforALL students.

1. Leverage Core Competencies and Business Assets — For sustainable impact over the long run, align corporate citizenship efforts with your core business. Advertising platform? Great — provide free advertising to nonprofits working to bring #CSforALL opportunities to students. Device manufacturer? Great — donate product to schools and nonprofits. Have cool facilities that show technology in action? Great — host tours for students and teachers. The point is, do something that is already core to your business, not a distraction. Ask us, we will help you identify strategies that are a win-win!
2. Invest in the Grassroots #CSforALL Community — There is no shortage of local and national nonprofit organizations working on #CSforALL that need financial support. Before you build something new, consider investing in the organizations already working on this issue in your community. Trust me, they are there. Check out the CSforALL member list to find them or ask for recommendations. The #CSforALL hashtag is a great place to follow the national conversation and connect with organizations doing the work on the ground.
3. Hire a CS Teacher — Let’s face it, teacher salaries could be better. Nationally, the #CSforAll community is preparing 1000s of new computer science teachers with awesome tech skills each year. How about hiring a CS teacher as a summer developer or part time year-round? Pay them what you would pay an intern — say 20K for the summer — and put them to work on your tech team. This provides a nice salary bump for the teacher, but most importantly enables that teacher to ago back to their classroom with a fresh perspective on cutting edge technology and share that knowledge with 100s of students, year after year. Best ROI ever! Connect with your local CSTA chapter or reach out to @CSforALLTchrs to find a teacher near you.
4. Leverage Your Technical Workforce There are scores of nonprofits, schools and organizations working on this issue both in and out of school — step up and support their work. You can provide engineering time to support a technology project, send engineers to speak to students, host an event that shares your technology with local teachers, and more. The opportunities range from spending a Saturday supporting a student event, to co-teaching in a classroom for a whole semester with TEALS. The most important thing is that you ask the host organization what would be most helpful and additive to their mission.
5. Hire & Inspire High School Students There is nothing like real-world experience to inspire students to take the next step towards a tech career and equip them with the skills and social capital to succeed. Many companies hire high school students as interns and give them real technology development work to do. You’ll be surprised at how much value they contribute and the fresh perspectives they bring. There are many models for this around the country like the CSNYC approach. If you’d like to hire some top-notch high school young women, reach out to NCWIT Aspirations in Computing to share your opportunity with technical young women nationwide. Remote opportunities work too — especially for students in rural communities.

Now that you have a few ideas, consider making a stretch commitment to #CSforALL this year at the national CSforALL Summit in Detroit this October.

And now the hard thing...

Be a Better Workplace The next wave of young people entering the workforce will be the most diverse to date. Already today the US K-12 student population is majority-minority, with Latino students making up the fastest-growing group. The status-quo approaches will not be enough to recruit and retain the talent pipeline of the future. Get ready now by assessing where you are, and creating a strategic plan for building an inclusive corporate culture and make that a top business priority. Check out the resources from the National Center for Women & IT (NCWIT) and AnitaB.org to get started making good on those promises. Tomorrow’s competitive advantage will be talent, and that talent is diverse. Here is a resource to get you started…

10 Actionable Ways to Actually Increase Diversity in Tech