NPower's Command Shift Coalition for Women of Color in Tech Celebrates One-Year Anniversary, Raises $3M in Support from Fortune 500 Companies & New Partners

Along with founding partner Citi Foundation and a robust steering committee of tech leaders, new members joining the movement include LinkedIn and Juniper;
Coalition focused on increasing women of color in tech from 5% to 10% in ten years

NEW YORK, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NPower's Command Shift Coalition, a consortium of partners, allies, and advocates focused on achieving workforce equity and equality in the tech sector, celebrates the one year anniversary of its launch in May 2021 and the Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit partners who have joined the movement to ensure the retention and advancement of women of color in the tech industry.

In its inaugural year, Command Shift has raised more than $3.27M to support ongoing work breaking down barriers for women of color in tech, which will provide an estimated $17.2 million back into the local economy.¹ Along with the continued support of the Coalition's founding member Citi Foundation and steering committee of tech leaders including Amazon Web Services, Comcast NBCUniversal, Guardian Life and World Wide Technology, Command Shift today also welcomes the official introduction of new partners joining the movement to diversify the tech talent pipeline, including LinkedIn and Juniper Networks.

Today, the full consortium of Command Shift partners to date includes:

• Coalition Steering Committee (Corporate Partners): Citi, Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Broadridge, Comcast NBCUniversal, Guardian Life Insurance Company, & World Wide Technologies
• Coalition Members (Corporate Partners): NETSCOUT, Vodafone Americas Foundation, TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), & Workday
• Coalition Members (Nonprofit Partners): Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Who Code, IT Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), & The Knowledge House
• New Coalition Members - May 2022: Juniper Networks, LinkedIn, Lisa Moore, Head of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Guardian Life), & Makada Henry-Nickie, Ph.D. (Economist, Researcher and Equity Champion)
• Coalition Community Leaders: Viola Maxwell-Thompson, Board Director of Insight Global (Steering Committee), Susanne Tedrick, Author of Women of Color in Tech, & Wendy Dowd, Global Human Resources and Digital Leader
• Coalition Research Partner: Emsi Burning Glass

"NPower's work is an essential driver of inclusivity in the tech industry," said Hillary Weingast, Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Juniper Networks. "Juniper is tremendously excited to partner with NPower as they continue to advance equitable access to a digital economy. We are proud to support NPower's life-changing programs. The Command Shift Coalition aligns with our commitments to racial and gender equity, and we are honored to join NPower in this work."

Beyond all the strides taken for advancing women of color in the tech industry, the launch of Command Shift has also positively impacted NPower's ongoing, free courses available to young adults, women of color and veterans – providing skill-based training, real life world experience and mentorship. Thanks to the efforts of Command Shift, NPower is also celebrating the following milestones:

• 1,215 women of color served since 2018 including 533 more women of color reached in the last year alone.
• Additionally, since the launch of Command Shift in May 2021, NPower has seen a major uptick in individuals registering for courses. From 2021 to 2022, the total number of women that served in NPower's spring classes increased by 61%.

Alongside all the partner support and milestones achieved this year, Command Shift was also proud to announce new game-changing research alongside Emsi Burning Glass called, "The Equation for Equality." Launched in March 2022 and based on an analysis of 10 U.S. markets, the report found that there are 250,000 qualified women of color currently missing from today's booming tech industry. Even further, there are about 2.6 million more women of color in the tech-eligible, skill-similar workforce around the country hiding in plain sight.

In order to move the needle and help millions of more women of color enter and thrive in today's tech careers, fueled by this original research, Command Shift and its partners moving forward are committing to increasing the number of nontraditional tech talent -- especially underserved women of color in the tech industry -- from 5% to 10% goal over the next ten years.

"Command Shift has received tremendous momentum from gaining new partner support to launching a ground-breaking research report only in its first inaugural year," says Candice Dixon, Coalition development Director for NPower's Command Shift. "We are so thankful to all our partners who have provided their continued support by harnessing their resources and power to break-down entrenched biases and barriers so women of color can have the stability and security they deserve in the tech field. This is only the beginning, we are only just getting started on working to achieve our goals."

To learn more about Command Shift, visit www.commandshift.org.

Command Shift, Accelerating More Women of Color in Tech, is a national consortium of women and allies that advocate for strategies that invest in and inspire the advancement of young women of color in tech careers—with particular focus on women from underrepresented communities and non-traditional pathways. The coalition is composed of business leaders, corporations, nonprofits, and community organizations, who will address the glaring inequalities of women of color in tech. To learn more and join Command Shift, visit https://www.npower.org/commandshift/

NPower is a national nonprofit, rooted in community, that is committed to advancing race and gender equity in the tech industry. Through skills training, real world experience, support and mentorship, NPower graduates launch burgeoning careers and a pathway to financial freedom for themselves and their families. Students who enter their free, six-month program, earn industry-recognized certifications and graduate with the competencies of an IT professional with one to two years of experience. Eighty-one percent of NPower graduates get a full-time job or continue their education. Not only is NPower changing life trajectories for individuals from vulnerable communities but they are also strengthening the overall competitiveness of U.S. businesses hamstrung by today's limited pool of IT talent. To learn more about NPower, visit http://www.npower.org.

¹ For every 100 NPower graduates placed in new jobs, $4 million in annual new salary is put back into the local economy. Number of women served is based on the $7500 cost per NPower student.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE NPower