Infor and #YesWeCode Announce GenOne Initiative

Reaching Young People in Underrepresented Communities to Transform Tech into a more Diverse, Representative Industry

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Sep 25, 2018, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, a leading provider of industry-specific cloud applications, and #YesWeCode today announced the launch of GenOne, an Infor and #YesWeCode initiative to increase diversity of the tech workforce in one generation. This initiative, which is in coordination with the Infor Education Alliance Program, was unveilved from the main stage of Inforum, Infor's annual customer conference, and will continue to expand throughout 2019.

This groundbreaking partnership between #YesWeCode and Infor is being catalyzed by the leadership of Infor CEO Charles Phillips and Social Entrepreneur and Host of The Van Jones show on CNN, Van Jones to recruit, train, and place underrepresented talent in Technology. Participants in this partnership go through a highly-tuned industry and role-based training and support program in under 4 months with the aim of placing them in well-paying roles across the technology ecosystem.

"Technology is changing the way humans live, work, and interact and innovation will only accelerate. Companies like Infor can help define the future of work and develop talent for the new economy. To meet the needs of the industry and the economy, we need to include all communities ," said Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor. "At Infor we value diversity and believe in human potential. We are proud to partner with #YesWeCode to launch the GenOne initiative with the goal of arming young people today with the skills needed to be the tech leaders of tomorrow."

The GenOne Initiative is bringing together the talent of both entities, galvanizing the momentum of a national media campaign helping to reshape who we see as tech creators and contributors, focusing on the change management needed to not just place but also retain diverse talent and inviting other companies to join in the efforts so that collectively we are redefining technology together.

The initial phase is a NYC-based cohort of underrepresented students between the ages of 18-35 who will take part in a 3-month intensive training program in NYC to be ready for placement into technology jobs. Additional phases of this initiate will scale and expand the number of students and the geographic reach of this project over 2019.

"When we started #YesWeCode, we saw an opportunity to change the odds for success in STEM by encouraging candidates from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds to pursue careers in technology. The technology of tomorrow needs to be conceptualized, designed and created by a diverse workforce to meet the needs of a diverse world. We are thrilled to partner with Infor, one of the largest software companies in the world, on this mission. While most people are familiar with consumer technologies, by partnering with Infor, #YesWeCode can expose more people to employment opportunities in the large market for business computing. When companies step up and invest in talent, we all win," said Van Jones, founder of #YesWeCode.

About #YesWeCode
#YesWeCode, launched in 2014 is an initiative of The Dream Corps, to help 100,000 young women and men from underrepresented backgrounds find success in the tech sector. #YesWeCode accelerates access to training in high-demand technical and non-technical skills to prepare untapped talent to enter the tech-fueled economy. #YesWeCode is building a diverse pipeline of 'homegrown' tech talent to meet demand and boost local economies.

#YesWeCode honors Prince for his inspired vision for #YesWeCode. Prince's commitment to ensuring young people of color have a voice in the tech sector continues to impact the lives of future visionaries creating the tech of tomorrow. To learn more, please visit: www.yeswecode.org

About Infor
Infor builds business software for specific industries in the cloud. With 16,500 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com.

The Infor Education Alliance Program (EAP) provides member institutions access to innovative technologies, hands-on industry learning initiatives, and train-the-trainer training that can translate into sought-after marketable skills and experiences for students.

For more information:
Michelle Franco
Infor
(413) 433-8215
[email protected]

SOURCE Infor