The Digital Upskilling Revolution Will Not Be Televised
How a Midwest startup accelerator is leveraging a cohort-based model to close the global digital skills gap, one city at a time.
gener8tor’s mission is simple: to be the best partner for a community to invest in its best and brightest. Exactly one year ago today that mission was tested with a call to solve a digital upskilling problem in middle America. Overnight, the company was thrust headfirst into a ‘third wave’ reality at the height of a global pandemic. The ‘third wave’ as defined by Steve Case is as follows:
“We are entering a new phase of technological evolution, a phase where the Internet will be fully integrated into every part of our lives — how we learn, how we heal, how we manage our finances, how we get around, how we work, even what we eat. As the Third Wave gains momentum, every industry leader in every economic sector is at risk of being disrupted. That’s the Third Wave…”
The spoiler is that the third wave is here; Virtual learning is now the new norm and the development of new ways to invest in the growth and success of entrepreneurs is the solution for the ages.
For most industry leaders, this solution presented a daunting challenge: How does a company invest in digital upskilling in a way that helps grow the business now and into the future? For gener8tor, this solution presented an opportunity: What would it take to leverage our current tech accelerator model to pilot a successful skills gap accelerator, specific to individuals who are currently under or unemployed, in our own backyard (Northeastern Wisconsin)?
In partnership with tech giants Microsoft and LinkedIn and regional partners such as New North, Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation and Thrivent, gener8tor embarked to do exactly that:
“We realized that instead of taking entrepreneurs to 50 investors, we could take 50 graduates to potential employers,” says Joe Kirgues, Co-founder of gener8tor.
The initial pilot in Northeastern Wisconsin received about 200 applications, 50 were interviewed and 24 were accepted into the Customer Service and Sales Representative upskilling program. Of the 24, 80% graduated. Most importantly, the program was free to all participants and included one-on-one coaching, resume counseling and a virtual job fair that helped participants leave the program with a job in hand.
Since its inception, the gener8tor Upskilling program has now served over 207 participants and has expanded to 6 additional states –Alaska, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Virginia, and Wyoming–and boasts a 78% graduation rate across all markets. Even more exciting is that the program graduates have not only landed life changing jobs, their stories have been featured in some of the biggest publications in the nation such as New York Times and Microsoft Features.
“Discovering talent where most don’t think to look is what makes our program special. Each expansion into a new community gives us the ability to prove that talented individuals exist in every city in America and the opportunity to directly empower more job seekers,“ says Cole Shearer, gener8tor Upskilling Director.
“Our business model is to hire a program manager with direct ties to the community. However, our gener8tor team, our network of career coaches and our industry partners continue to serve as the participant’s #1 cheerleader, chief goal setter and biggest advocate for career advancement.”- Cole Shearer
The gener8tor Upskilling program is currently tailored to individuals in overlooked markets looking to develop new skills, and those seeking to become proficient in a variety of top technologies and programs. Specifically, the Upskilling program uses interactive virtual modules created by Microsoft and powered by LinkedIn, which are targeted towards those seeking quality, full-time employment in a variety of sectors such as Web Development, Marketing, IT Help Desk Services and Sales.
The program utilizes a cohort-based model, 15–25 in each cohort, so while participants get an individualized schedule and curriculum, they are also welcomed into a shared community of alumni, mentors, career coaches and fellow cohort members— an invaluable component for those who are entering the digital economy for the first time.
“What makes our program unique is the heavy focus on soft skill enhancement. Not only is the program free, but each participant receives individualized career coaching, mentorship, resume guidance and interview practice from our dedicated gener8tor staff,” says Tia Toles, gener8tor Upskilling Product Manager.
Additional key highlights include:
· 41% of the program participants identify as people of color
· 51% of the program participants identify as women
· 77% graduation rate among all program participants
· 59% of graduates hired within 3 months of graduation
· 55% program graduates hired identify as women
· 330+ companies in the employee network
To learn more about the program and how you can join the gener8tor upskilling revolution: https://www.gener8torupskilling.com/
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About gener8tor:
gener8tor’s turnkey platform for the creative economy connects startup founders, investors, corporations, universities, job seekers, musicians and artists. The gener8tor platform includes accelerators, upskilling, corporate programming, and conferences with content on community growth, impact investing, diversity, equity and inclusion, and innovation across education, agriculture, insurance, healthcare, and more. Recently, gener8tor was named one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators.
