Activate Work

Activatework's mission is to connect diverse, qualified talent to leading it employers through rigorous skills training, community resources, and professional and life skills coaching. The organization believes that employment is a key driver of economic mobility and that evidence-based training and upskilling programs are a highly effective counterpart to traditional educational pathways to help diverse individuals and families stabilize and advance. Four key elements differentiate activatework's mission-driven growth and success from similar workforce development organizations: (1) strong relationship-building and account management with more than 50 employer partners across business sectors; (2) a centralized, scalable, and diverse talent pipeline of job candidates who are pre-vetted, trained, and credentialed to fill entry- to mid-level it positions; (3) a robust in- course and post-placement coaching program; and (4) robust partnership with per scholas, a nationally recognized evidence-based nonprofit that has trained more than 25,000 it professionals and matched them to more than 650 companies in 23 cities. Activatework is focused on launching professional careers for underrepresented individuals 18-65 in the in-demand tech industry. The organization enrolls diverse learners who struggle to find career pathways for a variety of reasons, from lacking a college degree to being unable to find or afford childcare. As 84% of activatework's learners are low-income, the organization provides them with wraparound support such as employment coaching, financial coaching to navigate the cliff effect after they achieve employment and lose government support, and durable-skills training to help them overcome these barriers and enter the workforce long-term. Furthermore, the organization focuses on individuals who are under-skilled, underemployed, and unemployed and targets populations underrepresented in the it sector, including women, immigrants, people of color, and veterans.