HBCUs prove culturally relevant education can deliver career and mental success as they have produced 16% of Blacks with Bachelor’s degrees and 25% of Blacks with STEM degrees.
This same “Black Effect” occurs with Automation Workz, a cybersecurity reskilling firm in Detroit, specializing in IoT, network engineering, cybersecurity, software programming and soon data analytics.
Automation Workz learners, mainly Black front-liners, secure no-cost training funded by workforce development dollars. Normally, workforce development trainees have secured salaries averaging $38,000, according to a press release. “Automation Workz is turning the system on its head, assisting learners to secure positions earning an average salary of $67,250, often doubling their incomes. Just last week we had a learner begin a new job earning $130,000,” states Ida Byrd-Hill, CEO.
“Despite the many barriers our learners face, we achieve learner completion rates of 75%, a lot higher than the 15% rate of community colleges. We provide enormous support beginning with our personalized admissions process, weekend/evening instructor office hours and hands-on video gaming/digital simulation lessons.”
Ida Byrd-Hill declares, “Automation Workz secured the US Black Chamber of Commerce By Black certification to signal to potential learners we are utilizing the “Black effect” to provide a supportive HBCU- like environment for those pursuing tech certification. Front-liners no longer need to be afraid to pursue a tech career.”
“We coach them from basic tech skills through rigorous Cisco/Python/Linux certification training.”
“We are hoping the By Black certification is, also, a signal to corporations to hire our corp of highly credentialed Black tech workers as we create a real-life ‘Wakanda’ of emerging technology within the residential neighborhoods of inner cities, like Detroit,” states Ida Byrd-Hill, CEO.
About
Ida Byrd-Hill is a futurist, an urban economist, author of Invisible Talent Market and CEO of Automation Workz. She has 30+ years of professional business experience focused on growing revenue amongst diverse populations. Ida is a graduate of University of Michigan – Ann Arbor with a BA Economics and Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University with an MBA specializing in People Management/Strategy. She serves as a Detroit Regional Chamber Director and member of ACG, Automation Alley, Electric Vehicle Jobs Academy, German American Business Council, NMSDC and SHRM.
