Oakland Becomes TechHire Community, Charge Led by Congresswoman Lee
Oakland, CA – Today, President Obama announced 10 new TechHire Communities, including Oakland.
“I am pleased to see Oakland become a TechHire Community. The city’s commitment to empowering people with work based on their skill set and advance tech training is remarkable and vital to the continued economic growth of our community,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “I am proud to have been a part of this tremendous effort and I look forward to working with city officials to expand this program and others that link community members with resources, workforce training and good-paying jobs.”
The President’s TechHire Community program is a multi-sector, public-private partnership designed to ensure applicants find work based on their skill sets, as opposed to degrees. It is also designed to activate accelerated tech training opportunities while investing in innovative entrepreneurial and jobs programs that connect a diverse workforce, including women, people of color, veterans and at-risk and disconnected young people.
As a TechHire Community, Oakland has committed to placing 400 individuals in paid internships or full-time jobs by the end of 2015. The city will achieve this commitment through several accelerated pathways.
“I am committed to bringing tech-quity to Oakland which means providing equitable access to top-notch technology training and jobs for our residents and fostering our local technology sector’s growth so it leads to shared prosperity,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “The TechHire initiative will accelerate access to good-paying technology jobs, particularly for underserved communities, unlock new bastions of talent for those who do business in Oakland, and further guarantee that Oakland's growth will continue to be founded upon the relentless ingenuity and creativity of our residents. This partnership will help ensure that the rich diversity at the heart of cities like Oakland is better reflected in the halls of the technology companies that are driving our global economy.”
Oakland and the other new TechHire Communities announced today bring the program halfway to the goal set by President Obama earlier this year. The President’s goal was to double the number of communities to 40 by the end of the year.
Other new TechHire Communities announced today are Akron, OH; Birmingham, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Lynchburg, VA; Maine; New Orleans, LA; Pittsburgh, PA; Rhode Island; and San Jose, CA.
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.