Matching Financial Support with Student Support to Help Learners Achieve Their Goals
By their nature, scholarships help reduce or eliminate the financial burden on recipients. Additional intrinsic value of Access Partnerships lies in priming learners for success from the start.
According to DU’s Jacob, it’s the support structures that make a notable difference. “The boot camp curriculum is rigorous to ensure students get the highest-quality education that translates into professional success,” she says. “Dedicated student success managers and community-building forums give scholarship recipients essential reinforcement, helping them break down barriers to learning along the way.”
UCF’s Rose agrees, and points to our Career Engagement Network as critical to providing the professional support learners need. “It’s the best employer network I’ve seen with our training providers,” he says. “Beyond the career fairs and Demo Days, the curriculum and live instruction have real-world examples and industry expertise baked in.”
To Worksystems’ Timper, value can be more personal in nature, equipping those facing hardships with skills that lead to more dignity and self-sufficiency. “Think of a struggling single mom, who otherwise couldn’t afford to train for a more empowering future,” she says. “That certificate with the university’s name on it adds credibility for employers, and confidence and pride for her.”
Ensuring Qualified Talent and Diverse Pipelines for Employers
For as many ways as they serve learners, businesses and regional economies can also reap the benefits of Access Partnerships. With the labor market the tightest it’s been in a generation, skilled tech talent attracts businesses and spurs investment, economic growth, and innovation.
“Qualified talent is one of the most valuable assets to companies,” Worksystems’ Timper explains. “COVID and the labor shortage have made this more evident. Yet, many companies are so busy putting out fires, they focus on immediate talent needs versus partnering to develop a predictable talent pipeline. We can help them reduce the cost of recruitment, screening, and training, and they can focus on demonstrating their commitment to the community in action.”
“For so much of Denver right now, it’s the equivalent of tech employers having signs in their windows saying they desperately need the help,” says DEDO’s Berthiaume. “In their search for talent, knowing that we’ll find the exact boot camp graduate to send their way, right away, is a huge plus to them.”
UCF’s Rose seconds this benefit of built-in employer confidence. “Companies can rest assured that our boot camps are teaching the most relevant technologies.,” he says. “They can see learners’ portfolios of work up close through small-group presentations, instead of throwing up a job post on social media and spending time vetting candidates.”
Transformational Impact for a Better Tomorrow
With the creativity, commitment, and care that’s helped establish our Access Partnerships so far, the future bodes bright for so many learners on the receiving end of these scholarships. For example, graduates from the University of Oregon’s inaugural boot camp cohort have already been hired in tech roles at Microsoft and Portland-headquartered Nike. But this work is easier said than done.
“Right now, some of our funding comes from the Recovery Act, but that won’t last forever,” Worksystems’ Timper says. “If more employers buy into a co-investment model, we can operate the program at scale and support even more underserved job seekers. Success in this initiative will need to come from a collaboration across government, business, education, and labor to meet these goals.”
Dedicating the time and effort to building these Access Partnerships is worth it, especially considering the lasting impact they can have on lifelong learning. “We are in a time of constant change, whether it’s technology, the workforce, or the pandemic,” DU’s Jacob says. “This partnership is helping us ignite that spark of continuous learning for those who may not have had the opportunity to see its value before.”
“With these kinds of partnerships,” UCF’s Rose adds, “we’re all better together for the sake of learners, rather than forging our individual paths.”
Ultimately, there’s nothing more inspiring than hearing about the transformational power of high-quality educational experiences, direct from learners. As one University of Utah graduate puts it, “Because of the scholarship, I was able to take the boot camp I had been planning for years. Only a month after graduating, I landed a new job—a direct result from what I learned and the resources provided. Now, I'm making more than twice what I was before and with better benefits. Plus, my job is more rewarding with plenty of opportunity for growth. I hope other people are able to have their lives changed, just as mine did.”