This aspect of the Youngstown Technology Initiative has already been elaborated on a bit in the Business scope above. As stated, the area needs to have a population that is technologically-savvy and able to fill any high-tech jobs that would come to the area, particularly in the programming space. Going further, there needs to be such a skilled-population to make up a workforce that would even attract companies to the area. As explained in the article which makes a case as to why Youngstown is a place that tech start ups and companies should relocate to, there are many perks that would attract companies to make the Mahoning Valley their home, but there has to be a workforce that is educated and experienced, as well as cultured, to offer candidates for any jobs that companies would need filled.
There may be some semblance of this in the school systems, and some districts more intensely than others, but it’s largely missing. There just isn’t that wave of kids coming out of the city schools who are remarkable programmers writing innovative Python programs or even simple JavaScript. It’s just not the culture in Youngstown, and as a result there are no companies giving Youngstown closer look after seeing them on a map. Youngstown has a consumer-level of tech-savviness, that is they know how to work social media apps and music platforms, but how to manipulate them for commerce or to even build them from scratch — that’s just not what’s going on in Youngstown or the Mahoning Valley at any remarkable scale.
YTI Education Sub-Initiatives
Code Hearted
CodeHearted is a program that started off as a non-profit venture by Youngstown Forward founder Jay White. It’s focus and mission is to teach coding and programming skills to adults who are from economically disadvantaged areas and backgrounds, and how they can parley those skills into viable businesses or careers to lift them out of poverty or financial mediocrity. This program has now been incorporated into Youngstown Forward, specifically the Youngstown Technology Initiative, and will refocus to also include training for kids in the Mahoning Valley’s school districts.
We will seek to establish an on-site center where participants can come in physically for learning code by industry-experienced instructors. The center ideally will be inside the city limits, and will be totally free for participants. We’ll also seek to partner with area organizations that specify in employment and vocational training, and will also work closely with returning citizens (specifically those who are formerly incarcerated individuals) in order to address the recidivism problem that is prevalent in Youngstown and Warren. Helping formerly-incarcerated people, who can overcome the problem of employment discrimination easily with high-tech skills such as application and web programming, is a key tactic in building up a skilled, future-forward workforce in Youngstown.
Additionally, the CodeHearted program will work closely with employers (especially with the business we will create that operate on the Web and mobile, needing programmers to facilitate their operation) to provide a path to employment opportunities with CodeHearted participants. Companies and employers that allow remote-work are also options for participants that complete the program. This allows people to take jobs from companies that are not in Youngstown physically, without requiring them to leave the area. Of course, CodeHearted will teach skills that enable them to create their own digital products that result in businesses that can change not only their lives, but the community and even the world. CodeHearted will provide them with the insights and know-how to convert their newly acquired programming skills into businesses and products. It’s essential to have talented and skilled individuals in Youngstown of this caliber to be able to contribute to the furthering of a tech-savvy, innovation-oriented society that we aim to create in the Mahoning and Shenango Valley with the Youngstown Technology Initiative.