YW Tech Lab trains underrepresented groups for living-wage STEM careers

July 17, 2023

It’s a fact that women, Blacks and Hispanics are the least likely to major in science and engineering in college. Even when they do, they aren’t as likely to remain on a STEM career path through graduation. Though women’s participation in STEM jobs saw gains between 1970 and 1990, those numbers have since declined. 

The YWCA USA created YW Tech Labs to expose underrepresented groups to tech education and careers. There are about 30 across the United States, and they all have one common challenge: retention.

Kris Machajewski, president and CEO of the YWCA Northwestern Illinois, recognized an opportunity to take these efforts further. Through a workforce grant awarded by the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in January 2022, the YW Tech Lab in Rockford now has a career pathway component that leads to higher education and stackable credentials focused on IT fields that pay a living wage.

Rockford launched its first cohort of 25 students last October. The program targets unemployed and underemployed women and minorities who live in zip codes highly impacted by COVID, encounter cultural barriers to employment and have experienced generational poverty. Often, literacy and soft skills training is necessary to prepare them for the workforce. Participants range in age from 18 to their 50s. Another advantage of the state funding is that it qualifies them for childcare and family support subsidies to help them stay on track, but retention remains an issue.   

“We already saw our first cohort of people dropping out because they needed some money coming in,” Machajewski said, adding the program is down to 17 students. “We talked to YW Tech Labs around the country, and they all said if we could give them a stipend to cover basic necessities while they’re going through this, it would be a game changer for some of these students.”

A $100,000 Impact Grant from Northern Illinois Community Initiatives will now enable the YWCA in Rockford to pay participants a stipend of between $150 to $300 a week. Over the course of three credentialing opportunities, students attend class five days a week, eight hours a day for three months. They learn baseline HTML and Java Script to earn a W3Schools credential that qualifies them for entry-level web development. They can also earn a Google IT security certificate, a precursor to a career in cybersecurity, and a CompTIA A+ that can pave the way to entry-level help desk jobs and tech support. 

“If you’re going through each one, there are on- and off-ramps depending on your focus,” she said.

Machajewski lauded NICI’s outreach efforts. NICI Executive Director Tovah McCord contacted the Rockford Chamber of Commerce and learned about the work the YWCA was doing and encouraged Machajewski to apply.

“When we learned about the YW Tech Lab at NICI, we really admired the intention that is built into this program and the potential for its students to achieve life-changing results,” McCord said. “It is our hope that the stipend made possible through the Impact Grant will prevent students from dropping out and allow the most vulnerable in the cohort to complete the program.”

The YWCA provides case management throughout, helps students obtain bank accounts and will pay the stipend via ACH. Once they complete a course, the YWCA assists with placing them in paid internships. 

“We wanted a workforce development program that pays people a living wage, not keep people perpetually low income,” Machajewski said. “We were ecstatic to learn NICI was funding it. It’s so gratifying when someone gets what you’re doing and understands the need for it.”