NPower St. Louis Regional Advisory Board Established to Ensure Long Term Success of Workforce Development Initiatives
ST. LOUIS, MO (PRWEB) June 29, 2017 -- NPower St. Louis announces today the establishment of a regional advisory board. A regional chapter of the national nonprofit that provides free technology training, certification and job placement assistance, NPower St. Louis serves young adults from underserved communities across the greater St. Louis area. It is the newest regional office for NPower but also one of the most dynamic, having received a high level of support from local program partners and employers.
The board will meet quarterly with the objective of informing curriculum, connecting the nonprofit to potential partners and employers and providing high level guidance for NPower St. Louis’ sustainability and growth as an organization. While NPower St. Louis is not yet a year old, RAB Chairman Matt Horner, of WWT, has been working with NPower national for several years and serves as Vice-Chairman of NPower’s national board of directors.
“I have always believed that NPower’s training model would be a natural fit for the city and industry in St. Louis,” said Matt Horner, Vice President Global Market Development at WWT. “I’m incredibly proud of the work NPower has done in other regions and what we are beginning to do here in St. Louis. It is a proven program that benefits our most at-risk populations and employers alike and I’m thrilled to see the positive reception NPower St. Louis has already received. With this regional advisory board, we intend to ride that momentum and establish a permanent place for NPower here in St. Louis.”
The first cohort will graduate next month. Seventeen students have completed the training program and are currently completing the paid internship portion of the 22-week Tech Fundamentals program.
“We have a dynamic group of students in our inaugural class who are soon graduating and wanting to make their mark in the industry,” said Trina Clark James, Regional Director of NPower St. Louis. “They know they are the first to represent St. Louis in the NPower national alumni network and they are setting the bar for the students who will follow. They put their trust in NPower and we owe it to them to expand our network of professionals and employers so that we can offer them strong mentoring and pathways to tech careers. This is the goal of the RAB and I am very pleased with the interest and support we have already received from local IT industry leaders.”
Current members of the NPower St. Louis Regional Advisory Board include:
• Matt Horner, VP, Global Market Development, WWT
• Nicole Tate, Business Development Manager, WWT
• Patrick Munter, Director, Network Operations, KPMG
• Anju Gupta, Director, Digital Partnerships and Outreach, Monsanto
• Gerry Lewis, President and CEO, Ascension Information Services (AIS)
• Valerie Patton, SVP Inclusion and Talent Attraction, St Louis Business Diversity Initiative, GLF
• Lina Young, CIO and SVP Global Business, Peabody Energy
• Michael Rupinski, President, ZeroDay Technology Solutions
Learn more about the program at npower.org/stlouis.
About NPower
NPower creates pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities. We empower under-represented talent to pursue tech futures by teaching the digital and professional skills demanded by the marketplace, and engaging corporations, volunteers and nonprofits in the long-term success of our students. Over 80% of NPower graduates are employed full time or enrolled in higher education within one year of completing our program, which is offered at no cost to qualified students. NPower envisions a future where our domestic technology workforce is diverse, and clear pathways exist for all people regardless of ethnicity, gender, or socio-economic background to succeed in our digital economy. For more information, visit NPower.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Kathryn Harriman, NPower, http://npower.org, +1 212-444-7245, [email protected]
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