White House chooses R.I. to be part of president’s TechHire initiative

PROVIDENCE – The White House has chosen Rhode Island to be a part of President Obama’s TechHire initiative, a multi-sector effort to empower Americans with the skills they need to succeed in today’s economy, according to Gov. Gina M. Raimondo.
Cities and states in the TechHire initiative work with employer partners on ways to recruit and place applicants based on their skills, create more accelerated tech-training opportunities and invest in innovative placement programs to connect trained workers with entrepreneurial opportunities and well-paying jobs, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
“I’m thrilled to see Rhode Island recognized by the White House for our innovative efforts to strengthen workforce development and prepare our workers with the tools they need to succeed in today’s economy and beyond,” Raimondo said in a statement. “Thanks to this recognition, we now are able to bring even more employers together to send a clear signal to the rest of the country that Rhode Island is cultivating talented, skilled workers and sparking a comeback.”
The state has assembled 18 employers, including CVS Health Corp., Citizens Bank, Fidelity Investments and Innovex, to recruit more than 2,000 candidates from fast-track tech training programs by 2018. The state Department of Labor and Training, Commerce RI and Opportunity@Work are working with Tech Collective to develop the state’s IT workforce pipeline and train individuals through bootcamp-style IT training programs, with a focus on low-income community members.
As a part of the TechHire initiative, Rhode Island will have the opportunity to compete for a portion of $100 million in federal grants to help job training programs.
“Rhode Island’s inclusion in this initiative will further accelerate efforts to train workers and connect them with the tech jobs that so many employers need to fill,” U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said. “It’s a big boost to our state’s job training efforts, and I thank the Obama Administration for including us.”
Said U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin, “This designation gives our state an edge on attracting and keeping talent and I believe it will be a catalyst for economic development.”
DLT Director Scott Jensen represented Rhode Island at the White House on Tuesday.
“The president’s TechHire initiative shows that our nation’s commitment to a sector-based, demand-driven workforce strategy starts at the very top. I look forward to working closely with the R.I. Commerce Corporation, Tech Collective, and some of our state’s top employers to quickly connect more applicants including women, minorities, veterans and at-risk and disconnected young adults to high-paying jobs in high-tech careers,” Jensen said.
Said Kathie Shields, executive director for Tech Collective, “The innovative, industry-led, and accessible programs recognized by TechHire are not only benchmarks of success nationally, but will also continue to foster Rhode Island’s IT industry as a significant 21st century employer and economic driver in our state.”

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  1. Ironic to see Citizens Bank in the list, when it was reported by PBN that Citizens recently laid off 100 or so IT employees. http://www.pbn.com/Consolidating-IT-functions-Citizens-trims-100-RI-jobs,105593