The Knowledge House

Adult Program

Bronx

363 Rider Avenue

Bronx, NY 10451

Intro to Tech

produced by

The Knowledge House

The Knowledge Houseā€™s Intro to Tech is a featured program in the 2019 Report.

View 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: 3ā€“12 months. Evening and weekend courses availableĀ Ā 

Eligibility Criteria: Must be a New York City residents 16ā€“30 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 Houseā€”one of the few tech training programs located in the Bronxā€”was founded in 2014 with a mission to create a sustainable tech talent pipeline for high school students and young adults. ā€œA lot of tech training providers either live in the Kā€“12 space or they live in the workforce space. We straddle both fields,ā€ says co-founder Jerelyn Rodriguez. ā€œThe way we intend to sustain the pipeline is to serve students from high school until they get their first job in tech.ā€Ā 

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-Profit
Program Cost
Free
Skill Level
Intro

Population Served

Young adults, low-income

Program Length

48 weeks

Partnerships

https://www.theknowledgehouse.org/get-involved/