Tech Impact expands training program to Nashville

Tech Impact will be expanding its 16-week IT training program to Nashville, Tenn., an area that is booming with technology jobs and roughly 60% of the population lacks a college degree. | DBT FILE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

WILMINGTON — Tech Impact, a nonprofit organization offering IT workforce training and support, is expanding its ITWorks program to another growing market: Nashville, Tenn.

The workforce development program trains young adults for IT careers through a 16-week program, offering certifications in Cisco and Comp TIA A+ as a foundation for people to build a career in tech support and beyond. ITWorks also offers training in PC hardware, IT networking and troubleshooting, and connects students to a paid internship at a local company or nonprofit, as well as job placement support.

The ITWorks cohort in Nashville is expected to launch in February, pending approvals from state officials. The nonprofit plans on hiring for its office at the Greater Nashville Tech Council in October.

This marks the Wilmington-based nonprofits fourth market, offering the IT Works program in Philadelphia and Las Vegas, as well. Cohorts from the three cities have graduated almost 1,000 students to date.

ITech Impact CEO Patrick Callihan told the Delaware Business Times that his team evaluates data like the unemployment rate for people between ages 16 and 24 without college degrees and available opportunities in the tech sector.

“We never want to train someone for a job that may not be there. And we look at other programs that may cover what we’re doing,” Callihan said. “One thay bubbled to the top was Nashville because it has a very fast growing tech sector and a 15% youth unemployment rate in a city that has a 3% unemployment rate. Looking at that, you see there’s quite a disparity there, particularly those from a diverse background.”

Nashville is becoming well-known for its corporate presence with health care, automotive, tech and financial sectors. Tennessee is also home to 10 Fortune 500 companies; Nashville has half of them. Roughly 60% of the city’s population lacks a college degree and 15% of young adults are unemployed or not in school.

Callihan also noted that the Greater Nashville Tech Council has been a key partner in this expansion, represents tech-based companies of any size and stage in their life cycle. That has helped open some doors with other employers that may want to partner up to hire some ITWorks graduates.

“Last week, we talked with a number of folks from organizations like HCA Healthcare, Amazon and even smaller employers,” said Callihan, who spoke to DBT while he was in Nashville. “The next few months will be about building the network.”

Tech Impact has been steadily growing its presence in Delaware and beyond in the last three years, including merging with the Delaware Data Innovation Lab (DDIL) and later  Philadelphia-based Message Agency. Last year, Tech Impact moved the DDIL to the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus and pivoted to contract on projects for government agencies and other nonprofits.

The ITWorks expansion to Nashville and the lab are the two main objectives in the foreseeable future, so that Tech Impact can continue to help nonprofits build out services and improve outcomes. Callihan said that the organization has Longwood Foundation funding to help analyze other nonprofits’ data, and train people on how to look at it and collect it.

“We have a whole lab that we’re going to run cohorts with in the next few years to do that,” he said. “So with the continued expansion, the goal is to grow 15% year over year. A lot of our participants actually come back to work with us, so that also gives us the depth in our strategic plan.”