PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A well-known tech training and mentoring program based in Camden is expanding to Philadelphia.
Hopeworks will be setting up shop in Kensington by the end of 2022, and they want to make an impact on poverty. Although they’re excited about having an added location, Executive Director Dan Rhoton says the real win is getting more young people trained and into great tech jobs.
“Right now in Kensington and neighborhoods across Philly, you have some of the most ambitious residents that are sidelined,” said Rhoton.
“They’re not in the economy. They’re not filling these tech roles. Companies are looking for the best folks, and it turns out Philly has them. We've just been looking in the wrong place.”
Jasmin Velez, a community organizer for Kensington Corridor Trust, looks forward to working with Hopeworks and agrees that this can be a true game-changer for many.
“Having that physical location in Kensington, I think, is really vital. I think it will definitely change access to different programming that neighborhood youth could really succeed with,” Velez said, adding the higher wage potential will be very attractive for the neighborhood.
Related
“We’re seeing folks who are living off of maybe $22,000 a year… and having access to capital, $45,000 or even higher than that,” she said. “That is life-changing for many folks in the neighborhood.”
According to a recent analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy, the number of vacancies in computer occupations in America is well over 804,000.
With the new location in Kensington, Hopeworks hopes to fill some of those openings and get untapped talent out of poverty.
Related
“Last year we placed about 100 folks in jobs. That was a total of $4.3 million in additional wages. We think that year two in Philly will be able to match that number, so that’s $8.6 million in additional wages,” Rhoton noted.
The nonprofit is more than a tech training hub. Its unique mix of trauma-informed care and real-world experience is what they say gets results.
“We do the training, we do job placement, we do the career building, but having a place where young people can get that additional support is something that I’ve heard folks are looking forward to,” said Onna Jones, their assistant director of community partnerships.