Bitwise Industries Awarded $350,000 By James Irvine Foundation to Support Tech Job Readiness Program

FRESNO, Calif., Dec. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bitwise Industries (www.bitwiseindustries.com), announced it is the recipient of a two-year grant of $350,000 from the James Irvine Foundation Board of Directors. The grant will support Geekwise Academy's Web Developer Job Readiness Programs, which train unemployed and underemployed workers in the San Joaquin Valley for middle-wage jobs in the tech industry.

"The assumption that to be successful in technology, you must be a computer scientist in the Silicon Valley with a degree from a high-profile university, is one that has kept people in the Central Valley from exploring computer programming as a career," said Irma Olguin Jr., co-founder and CEO, Bitwise Industries. "Geekwise is designed to empower people to become software developers. We know that, if given an opportunity, unexpected people and places have huge contributions to make to the technology industry."

One of the biggest problems facing the tech industry is the inability to find talent fast enough to keep up with demand. The purpose of Geekwise, the educational arm of Bitwise, is to train software developers in Fresno that will fuel the industry's growth. These efforts bring increased diversity to the technology industry and raise the lives of individuals in the Central Valley with higher-wage jobs.

To date, Geekwise has educated 3,500 students and intentionally cultivated a student population that is more than 50% female, 50% minority and 20% first generation immigrant. The organization is already one of the largest vocational educators of computer programmers in the U.S. and the grant funding will allow more people to receive the required training to work in the technology industry.

About Bitwise Industries

Bitwise Industries was founded in 2013 with the goal of activating human potential through the technology industry in Fresno, CA. Bitwise now operates three robust lines of business that sustain and support this objective. Geekwise Academy trains people to code, with a focus on marginalized groups, to give them the skills for today's job market. Bitwise's commercial real estate provides a physical home for aspiring technologists, many of the mission-aligned companies that hire out of Geekwise Academy and the co-workers that are revitalizing the downtown community of Fresno. And, Shift3 Technologies is a custom software development shop that pairs senior talent with entry-level programmers from Geekwise Academy to build and deliver world-class software to clients and enterprises. Learn more about Bitwise at www.bitwiseindustries.com.

SOURCE Bitwise Industries

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