The National Urban League has served African Americans and others in underserved communities since our founding in 1910. The Urban Tech Jobs Program (UTJP) builds on this history and mission to connect workers to good-paying jobs in the Information Technology sector.

Our Approach

Too many American workers, upon losing employment, remain unemployed for months at a time, even as thousands of high-growth jobs in the Information Technology industry are available due to an inadequate supply of appropriately trained workers. The National Urban League, in partnership with national employers such as Comcast, AT&T, and Time Warner Cable, launched the Urban Tech Jobs Program (UTJP) to train these long-term unemployed individuals for various IT positions.

The UTJP targets the long-term unemployed and trains them for middle-skill occupations in the Information Technology (IT) sector. By placing unemployed participants into entry-level IT positions and coupling the work with training, participants can progress to higher-wage occupations.

The Need for Diversity in Tech

For all the currently available jobs and growth potential, diversity in the technology industry is still low across race, ethnicity, and gender. “Nationally, Black or African American workers represent 13% of the U.S. workforce and 8% of tech occupations. Nationally, Hispanic or Latino workers represent 16% of the U.S. workforce and 7% of tech occupations, and nationally, women represent approximately 49% of the U.S. workforce and 26% of tech occupations. This gap signals underrepresentation in the tech workforce (CompTIA, 2021). This disparity is supported by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This underrepresentation means that candidates who are members of minority groups are sought after as companies attempt to address diversity, equity, and inclusion disparities. However, hiring practices are still not equitable and members of minorities need to be prepared to work in a field where they may be further marginalized after they are hired.

Workforce and the Technology Industry

According to the 2022 CompTIA Cyberstates report, in 2022, the United States tech sector employed roughly 8.9 million workers. By 2030, the U.S. Department of Labor forecasts the number of employed U.S. tech workers will grow by 13%. In addition, these jobs are paid higher. Across all tech occupation categories, the median wage is an estimated 125% higher than the median wage across all occupations of the U.S. labor force. CompTIA also reports that “tech occupation employment is expected to grow at about twice the rate of overall employment across the economy, and many tech occupations will grow at 4x to 5x the national rate.

Our Impact

Through generous funding from Google/Tides, the National Urban League was able to implement the Urban Tech Job Program in the following affiliate locations:

Urban League of Greater Atlanta Urban League of Broward County Chicago Urban League Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Houston Area Urban League Urban League of Philadelphia

Urban Tech Jobs Program features a multi-layered approach that includes technology awareness, basic skill building, digital literacy, technology job training and upskilling for workers currently in the technology field.   Affiliates provide direct services to program participants that include integrated case management and financial support that allows those enrolled to fully participate in the program, career services, tech training and certification and job placement.