Adult Program
Bronx
363 Rider Avenue
Bronx, NY 10451
Intro to Tech
produced by
The Knowledge House
The Knowledge Houseās Intro to Tech is a featured program in the 2019 Report.
Who is served: Young adultsĀ
Number of participants served annually: 380Ā
Location: Multiple locations in the Bronx, Harlem, and Washington HeightsĀ Ā
Frequency/Duration: 3ā12 months. Evening and weekend courses availableĀ Ā
Eligibility Criteria: Must be a New York City residents 16ā30 years old who makes less than $50,000Ā
Application process: Attend info session, online applicationĀ
Curriculum: Web development, Digital skills trainingĀ Ā
Skill level: IntroĀ Ā
Outcomes: Bridge employment, internship, part time jobs, freelance opportunitiesĀ
Partnerships: Tech Talent Pipeline,Ā Bronx CUNY, Workforce1 Career Center, FWD.us, Petrie Foundation, JobsFirstNYC, Kapor Center, New York Community Trust, Siegel Family Foundation, REDF, Arbor Brothers, The Carroll and Milton Petrie FoundationĀ
Cost: FreeĀ
Sources of funding: Tech Talent Pipeline; corporate and philanthropic partnersĀ
What makes this program stand out? The Knowledge Houseāone of the few tech training programs located in the Bronxāwas founded in 2014 with a mission to create a sustainable tech talent pipeline for high school students and young adults. āA lot of tech training providers either live in the Kā12 space or they live in the workforce space. We straddle both fields,ā says co-founder Jerelyn Rodriguez. āThe way we intend to sustain the pipeline is to serve students from high school until they get their first job in tech.āĀ
Students participate in a 3- to 12-month program focused on software development skills. Rodriguez says they chose to build a program around software development to fill the gaps in the availability of nonprofit-run hard tech skills programs. The Knowledge House focuses on building stackable credentials that include project management skills and business software (i.e. Slack, Google Drive). It has also started offering a data science course that provides a foundation in Python.Ā Ā
Recently, Rodriguez launched the Bronx Digital Pipeline (BxDP) in partnership with all 3 Bronx-based CUNY schools. BxDP connects out-of-school young adults to training customized to employer needs, leading to entry-level tech jobs. BxDP operates as a referral system for Bronx residents receiving tech training.Ā
What do participants need to succeed? Students must learn Javascript in addition to other programming languages to succeed as a developer in the tech industry today, Rodriguez said.Ā Ā
What does the organization need? Stronger and clearer relationship with tech companies to scale the program. The organization notes that while corporate groups often volunteer or donate to their program, the Knowledge House lacks meaningful engagement that results in companies hiring students from the program.
Organization Type
Non-ProfitProgram Cost
FreeSkill Level
IntroPopulation Served
Young adults, low-income
Program Length
48 weeks
Partnerships
https://www.theknowledgehouse.org/get-involved/