Black Genius Academy: an app for aspiring Black tech talent
Tech Equity Collective (TEC) is an initiative started by Google to accelerate Black innovation in tech. TEC partners with industry partners and community organizations to develop aspiring Black technical talent by creating culturally-informed career pathway programs. Today, we’re launching Black Genius Academy (BGA), a tech career exploration app that provides resources and guidance to help people identify, enroll and succeed in technical education programs such as certificate programs and technical bootcamps.
Through audio interviews with Black tech leaders, personalized career action plans and coaching support, Black Genius Academy demystifies fast-growing career fields to help learners discover what a career in tech can look like for them.
Explore fast-growing tech career fields
Each learner on BGA receives a personalized action plan that walks them through various steps of the career discovery process. Throughout their action plan, they will gain an understanding of three fast-growing career fields — cybersecurity, software engineering, and UX (user experience) design — by listening to audio interviews with Black tech leaders from across the industry. They’ll also receive information about the necessary steps and qualifications to enter those careers.
Access a community of coaches and professionals
Learners are prompted to engage with a dedicated career coach in one-on-one and group coaching sessions to help them identify career goals and make informed decisions about their future. There are also opportunities for learners to build their network by connecting with a community of current and aspiring Black tech professionals.
Get matched to relevant technical education programs
Each action plan includes mini-lessons that allow learners to sample each career field and gain hands-on experience, before committing to a particular path. Once an action plan is completed, Black Genius Academy will recommend technical education programs that align with the learner’s chosen career pathway and learning style preference that will help them gain the necessary skills to qualify for roles.
Black Genius Academy is a free web application, and no prior experience is required to get started. Grant opportunities are available for qualifying learners to remove financial barriers to continuing education programs.
Black Genius Academy was developed in collaboration with Career Karma, a tech career development platform dedicated to helping people transition into fulfilling careers.
Get started today at BlackGeniusAcademy.com. And for more information about Tech Equity Collective, visit techequitycollective.com.
