Overview
The Tech Sector Network is a partnership between workforce development agencies, community-based organizations, and employers that strengthens collaboration among nonprofits, colleges, and companies to improve skills training, leverage knowledge and resources across stakeholders, and increase access to high-quality, in-demand jobs in the tech sector.
The Challenge
The traditional way of acquiring tech skills—expensive and time-consuming—is out of reach for many New Yorkers, preventing them from embarking on lucrative tech careers. There is no unified strategy to prepare New York City’s workforce for in-demand tech jobs, despite rapid growth and an overwhelming need for tech workers. It is therefore vital to establish an innovative approach that aligns supply and demand, equipping jobseekers with the necessary skills and resources to thrive in this dynamic environment.
1 in 5
TECH SECTOR JOBS ARE HELD BY BLACK AND HISPANIC WORKERS DESPITE THIS POPULATION MAKING UP 43% OF NYC’S OVERALL WORKFORCE
19%
OF TECH TRAINING PROGRAMS EQUIP GRADS FOR ADVANCED-SKILL TECH JOBS, WHICH IS NOT ENOUGH TO MEET MARKET DEMAND
3RD-LARGEST
EMPLOYMENT SECTOR FOR YOUNGER NEW YORKERS
The Approach
The Tech Sector Network promotes skills-based hiring to meet labor demand in partnership with employers, and organizes and expands skilling and upskilling opportunities to increase New Yorkers’ access to high-wage jobs and advance their economic mobility.
By enabling employers to tell trainers what skills workers need today and in the future, collaborating on customized training to meet labor market demands, and providing a steady pipeline of qualified talent, the Network aims to forge an inclusive and thriving tech industry with accessible and market-driven training that leads to economic opportunity. The Tech Sector Network is committed to:
- Organizing and expanding customized training and upskilling across tech skills training providers.
- Strengthening collective mechanisms to negotiate with employers.
- Systematizing a Network referral system to bolster the talent pipeline.
- Advancing a skills-based (vs. degree-based) hiring approach as a more efficient, inclusive, and effective recruitment process.
Impact
The Network has completed the investigate, imagine, and incubate phases of JobsFirstNYC’s partnership development process and is currently in the implementation phase, which will impact technical career pathways and job quality, ultimately benefiting jobseekers and employers alike.
Our Partners
Further Reading
Investments in city tech startups tripled to $55B in 2021
Jan. 12, 2022 | Crain’s New York Business
$13B in 3 months: City tech startups raising money at record pace
Oct. 11, 2021 | Crain’s New York Business
Manhattan Emptied Out During the Pandemic. But Big Tech Is Moving In.
Oct. 13, 2020 | The New York Times
New Yorkers Face a Training Gap for Tech Jobs, but a Study Finds Hope
Feb. 12, 2020 | The New York Times
PLUGGING IN: BUILDING NYC’S TECH EDUCATION & TRAINING ECOSYSTEM
Feb. 2020 | Crain’s New York Business
Silicon Valley’s Newest Rival: The Banks of the Hudson
Jan. 5, 2020 | The New York Times
