Over the last several years, billions of dollars have been spent to diversify the tech workforce. This has resulted in only a 1% difference when it comes to employee demographics, with numbers actually showing a regression in recent years.
Bitwise Industries’ mission is to uplift people in disadvantaged communities by connecting people to the skills needed to succeed in the technology industry, while also building a place for community, innovation, and inclusion. By addressing the barriers to entry, as well as placing on six Best Workplaces lists in 2021, Bitwise is paving the way for the next generation of technologists that otherwise wouldn’t have seen themselves in the industry. In creating this innovative tech ecosystem centered on maximizing the human potential of all, Bitwise has been able to serve over 8,000 students, 80% of whom have acquired technical employment. This has been a gamechanger for each of these students: on average, they have tripled their salaries within one to two years after completing their training.
In this session, Bitwise Industries will discuss the imperative to address our historically biased and problematic hiring processes and share their insights on how the best workplaces foster inclusive environments for people of all backgrounds to be successful.
Bitwise’s direct investment in fueling systemic change via workforce programs has built a pipeline of overlooked but talented individuals – arguably building the fastest growing diverse workforce in the country.
In this session, attendees will learn:
- How to identify and address both internal and external barriers that gate out diverse hires
- How to directly invest in new and diverse developers from disadvantaged communities with paid apprenticeship programs that instil skills needed to succeed in technology
- How listening to employees and directly addressing feedback instills a culture of “Innovation by All” that leads to a company’s competitive advantage
