The Next-Gen Tech Talent Pipeline

Youth economic advancement

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Plainly stated, digital equity is a social, racial, and economic justice issue. AOT is acutely aware that while genius is equally distributed, opportunity is not. Among the myriad obstacles that hinder underrepresented students from achieving economic mobility is an educational system in which they have limited/no access to digital skills learning. Given the ubiquity of tech in our lives and work, this lack of access exacerbates disparities - regardless of industry. A UCLA/Pledge LA report finds that while the tech industry in LA has made efforts to increase workforce diversity, significant disparities in pay and representation persist. The report highlights that Black/Latinx workers earn less than their peers, and women earn an average of $20k less than men, regardless of role or experience.
In response, AOT launched its program continuum in LA in 2019, targeting students between 16–24-years-old who identify with under-represented backgrounds and are living at/below the poverty line.

Aligned with LA2050’s thematic pillars, AOT can drive comprehensive change in LA through its innovative technology skills and workforce development programs. Anchored by an established program delivery model with proven longitudinal economic impact, AOT is at a pivotal point in our strategic trajectory in which an investment from the LA2050 prize would have catalytic impact.
In the last five years, we have trained 900+ students in LA on in-demand tech skills and are in the process of revisiting our offerings to ensure our students and alumni are competitive in the future workforce. With support from LA2050, AOT will expand its curriculum to integrate emerging and growing technologies such as generative AI / AI, robotic process automation and block-chain. These integrations will help AOT maintain strong hiring relationships with our employer network and expand to sectors like climate, healthcare, agriculture, and government tech. Our curriculum expansion goals are: (1) meet the evolving talent needs of the LA tech workforce (2) cultivate a diverse pool of students positioned to drive innovation/influence in the development of our built world (3) Create real-world opportunities that empower young people of color to disrupt inequitable systems that have impacted families for generations. Curriculum augmentation will begin at the start of the 2024-25 academic year, addressing the immediate needs of today’s workforce, while fostering generational advancement.

AOT’s theory of change is that everyone, especially historically excluded students, should have the opportunity to compete fairly in today’s technology-driven workforce. When we think about the young Angelenos we serve, we know that when given the resources to succeed, they thrive, and not only create promising career pathways for themselves, but for others in their communities.
Over the next three years, to implement this change, AOT will engage 1,200 LA students, providing them with critical tech skills training and preparing them for careers that will yield a combined earning potential of nearly $159.5M (based on the average salary of $132,930 - software developers). We have already seen early success with improved longitudinal health determinants, including career mobility and wage growth in our programs. In 2023, we placed 30 LA students in paid internships with employers in the city, who generated almost $200k in cumulative wages during their 6-10 week contract.

AOT evaluates achieving the programmatic goals (skills development, professional development, and social emotional learning) through the following evaluation process:
AOT's Data Manager synthesizes and reports out all program outcomes and student data, which is collected through the following mechanisms:
Program staff collects/maintains data on attendance, assessments, project completion, program completion, and other relevant info within AOT's systems.
Pre- and post-program surveys assess perceived changes in participants' knowledge and skills, including technical and soft skills.
Algohythym's Hello Insight tool measures Social Emotional Learning impact. It uses predictive and prescriptive analytics for program design based on student need and provides real-time data and outcomes analysis.
An alumni survey is conducted annually to measure the program's long-term impact on participants' career and educational paths.
AOT maintains a minimum 80% graduation rate across programs.