Everyone wants a piece of the American Dream: meaningful work that leads to positive economic outcomes. Unfortunately, that dream is still far off for many people. A part of the challenge is that people from underrepresented groups may not have the road maps to get in the door at certain employers. But even more broadly, there is a mismatch between the skills that our education system delivers and the skills that employers need.

In 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that there were 1.6 million software development jobs. That demand is only expected to trend upward. According to the Department of Labor Statistics, by 2029, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs will increase by 56%. In less than a generation, technology skills will become critical to future careers. And 70% of jobs will require some level of competency in computer science.

The Challenge

In some states, computer science courses can be tough to come by. College is one place where that skill deficit could be bridged, but the pipeline is already narrow by that point. For underrepresented groups, the impact is especially profound. According to a study by the College Board, Black and Latinx students are seven times more likely to major in computer science if they’ve already been exposed to STEM in high school.

For students who aren’t on a tech pathway, the impact of missing that on ramp can be significant. People who graduate high school, and even college, but haven’t majored in STEM have fewer work opportunities. Currently, we’re graduating a pool of people who want to work, but don’t have the skills needed to climb the workforce ladder. In other words, for much of the workforce, there’s a gap between education and employability. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that if the technology education gap is the problem, then technology training can be the solution. Still, tech training programs need to rise to the challenge of dovetailing into the complex modern economy. There are a lot of tech training programs out there right now, and yet there are still a lot of unemployed people! So, it’s important to go beyond low deliverables — some current training programs are seemingly no more than certificate mills — and outline what makes tech training effective.

The Solution

Prioritize focus and specialization.

College can be great for a general education on a range of subjects, but specific skills required for specialized jobs are often harder to come by. Even in a focused major such as math and statistics, half of the courses aren’t always relevant to any given career. With effective tech training, employers lay out what they want new employees to know when they arrive. The training is focused and prepares employees for a specific job role in tech.

This means that the traditional college path is not always needed – even for technology jobs that will soon dominate our economy. College is a great thing if you’re fortunate enough to make it possible, but it’s not the only path. Training that can teach employees the exact skills they need on the job is more likely to positively impact their career and future.

Offer wraparound support.

Not all learners have the resources needed in training. The mission of training should be to relieve every resource hurdle that could cause learners to stumble. For example, what if trainees didn’t accrue time, but instead, got paid in advance? Learning a new job without compensation is unfortunately just too much of a burden for some to handle.

But early compensation could allow candidates to put in their two weeks’ notice at their current jobs and intensely focus on their immediate task of learning their new skills. That’s exactly what trainees need – support to get them over whatever their resource hurdle is. People who don’t have child care, need child care. People who don’t have laptops, need laptops.

Provide representation.

A training program should be a safe space for people, no matter what their story is. That said, it’s very empowering for graduates to look up and see themselves in the company and the people they work with. That sense of belonging is important to promoting inclusivity in the workplace. A McKinsey report “Race in the Workplace,” noted that 67 Black employees surveyed did not have a sponsor, despite the fact that 87% of companies said that they had sponsorship programs in place.

It’s a critical component for success that employer partners lean into representation. An effective training program can use seasoned employees as mentors to entry-level workers. The more personable that relationship is, the better the impact. Imagine a trainee who has a master’s degree in India but has had trouble climbing the career ladder in the United States. Then imagine that person hired at a firm mentored by someone who looks like them, and who understands their story. That can be tremendously powerful.

The Bottom Line

The three keys of effective tech training outlined above aren’t always easy to deliver. But when they are, the solution can be life changing for entry-level tech workers, and it can open the talent pipeline for corporations seeking a diverse, qualified and available workforce. Upskilling workers by teaching them in-demand tech skills can allow them to become as successfully employed as those who take a more traditional path. Furthermore, it brings a diversity of experience into hiring organizations. Both entry-level tech workers and organizations can then succeed in ways that neither party might have dreamed possible.