ST. LOUIS, April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- LaunchCode, a workforce development nonprofit connecting nontraditional technologists with companies in need of talent, is on a mission to revolutionize tech hiring. This week, the organization launched a national Public Service Announcement (PSA) produced by marketing firm VMLY&R in partnership with Spectrum Digital Education to shift the perception of tech hiring.
Code.org reports nearly 500,000 open computing jobs nationwide with only around 64,000 computer science graduates entering the workforce last year. Open tech jobs are simply outpacing the number of traditional candidates to fill them. LaunchCode believes that in order to close this widening gap, companies need to hire for passion, drive and aptitude instead of excluding valuable candidates by requiring outdated credentials like a four-year computer science degree.
LaunchCode, founded by Square's co-founder Jim McKelvey in 2013, provides free, skills-based tech education to individuals from all walks of life. Graduates are then matched with companies for paid apprenticeships, which provides employers a low-risk way to add non-traditional, homegrown talent to their team. The model has proven successful, as four out of five apprentices are converted into full-time roles and, once converted, the average LaunchCoder more than doubles their previous salary. LaunchCode is now the most prolific producer of tech talent in its hometown of St. Louis and has since expanded to several other cities across the nation.
To learn more about #NewCollarCoders and LaunchCode's pursuit to normalize hiring for drive over degree, go to launchcode.org/newcollarcoders.
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SOURCE LaunchCode
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