Beyond Racial Justice to Economic Justice

In order to move past advocacy and support racial equity, GovCon IT companies must take active and intentional steps to address disparities within the industry and begin to dismantle systemic racism.

The times in which we find ourselves has many asking a lot of questions about diversity and inclusivity within their agencies and companies. It must be said that these words are not synonymous; diversity refers to those who are represented within your organization while inclusion refers to the access, opportunity, and treatment of those who are represented.

Simple Technology Solutions (STS) takes pride in living its ethos. Our commitment is to all people, but particularly black and brown people that are typically left behind the digital divide.

We value racial, economic, sexual orientation and gender diversity when it comes to our staff as we understand that input and guidance from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences tremendously enhance our ability to deliver value to our government customers.

Our commitment to creating an equitable organization has taken form in our apprenticeship and pre-employment programs — programs that equip those with non-traditional IT backgrounds to become cloud engineers, DevOps engineers, software developers and so much more. Our intentional and focused efforts over the last 3 years has empowered 9 people to traverse the current digital divide.

STS has trained competent and knowledgeable cloud engineers who are fully prepared to meet and exceed the demands of the industry. Our apprenticeship program has created development pathways for:

• a former social worker to achieve numerous advanced Google/AWS and DevSecOps certifications, and has been a driver for innovation in the area of cloud-based automation
• a former records clerk to achieve advanced Google cloud certifications, become a Serverless Python developer for both AWS and Google Cloud Environments and deliver innovative Cloud network automation solutions
• a former hospitality employee to achieve advanced Google cloud certifications, become a Serverless Python developer in both AWS and GCP, and a team of four cloud engineers on a major DHS engagement
• You can read these and other apprenticeship profiles at our website [www.keepitsts.com]

Our dedication to developing those who may otherwise be overlooked positively impacts our community, increases earning potential for hard-working people, and has allowed our company to provide exceptional technology-driven value to our clients.

In order to address, and ultimately dismantle, racism in our country, we must work together to overcome systemic, systematic, and institutional barriers. In collaboration with our government IT partners, STS is committed to innovation, automation, and digital transformation that is rooted in racial justice and equality.

So you ask, “what can you do?” Join us in creating opportunity on-ramps for those across the digital divide. Collaborate with STS to solve your agency’s cloud, DevOps and software development needs while continuing to tap into the diverse and dynamic human potential and value right in our own backyard.

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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.