Page 76 - Innovation Delaware 2019

students. Of that cohort, 94% identify as Black/African American, Latinx/ Hispanic or multi-racial. Fifty-four percent are female.
Past cohorts have done well, with 95% going on to either a job placement or post-secondary education. Those with jobs received an average wage of $19.18 an hour.
Currently, a cohort consists of
40 students, but this fall, Year Up Wilmington plans to double that num- ber to 80. “You have young adults with little or no work history and give them opportunities to grow,” says Lonie. “At the end of a year, they leave with 22 credits toward an associate’s degree from Wilmington University and have a job with benefits and a career path.”
A diverse tech workforce is also
an important goal for the Delaware Department of Technology & Information (DTI), a state agency. DTI’s efforts to plant the seeds of a cybersecurity career start with presenta- tions to fourth-graders in schools across the state, says Solomon Adote, DTI’s chief security officer. The presentations educate students about how to stay safe online and, ideally, get them to start thinking about the concepts involved in cybersecurity.
DTI’s work continues with DigiGirlz Day, a free day of programming aimed
at eighth- and ninth-grade girls. “At that age, there are already patterns that girls shy away from STEM-type careers,” says Sandra Ennis-Alexander, disaster recov- ery coordinator at DTI. “So nine years ago, we partnered with Microsoft to hold Delaware’s first DigiGirlz Day, and since then, it’s gone from 100 students to 200.” Through hands-on activities, DigiGirlz exposes girls to careers in fields such as robotics or application development.
For high-schoolers, DTI works with the Department of Education to encourage schools across Delaware to participate in Girls Go CyberStart,
a series of interactive challenges that allows teams from different schools to compete against each other.
STILL GOING STRONG
FAME Inc. has been in the business of diversifying Delaware’s STEM workforce for 43 years. Founded in the 1970s by DuPont, it was one of the nation’s first nonprofits focused on exposing under-rep- resented populations to science and math professions. FAME’s offerings include
DIVERSITY
by the Numbers
44
Percentage of Zip Code Wilmington students who identified as non-Caucasian, based on data collected between April 2017 and April 2018
10
Number of under-represented founders taking part in the first cohort of the First Founders accelerator program
76
Percentage of current Year Up Wilmington participants who identify as Black/African American
5,000
Number of cybersecurity career guides donated this April to Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay by FAME, a Wilmington nonprofit focused on increasing diversity in STEM professions
$1,000
Prize money available to
the winner of the annual “I Have a Dream” business pitch competition for African American boys
SOURCES: 1313 INNOVATION, FAME, ONE VILLAGE ALLIANCE, YEAR UP WILMINGTON, ZIP CODE WILMINGTON OUTCOMES REPORT
DON BAKER
project-based classes, inten- sive STEM- based courses and summer programs.
One im- portant part of FAME’s programming
is to expose students to STEM pioneers who were female or part of a minority population. “It’s important for our young ladies and for black and brown children to know their forefathers have made con- tributions, so they don’t feel like they’re not part of STEM history,” says Don Baker, FAME’s CEO.
FAME has served thousands of students across Delaware, but isn’t plan- ning on slowing down. The nonprofit recently announced a partnership with Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay and
is working with the Delaware Pathways program on an online platform called STEMulate Change Talent Engagement Connection (TEC, for short). The plat- form, which Baker expects to launch be- fore the end of the year, will allow young people in their late teens and early 20s
to create profiles that can help connect them with post-secondary education
or match them with employers such as Boeing and Corteva Agriscience.
In January, FAME purchased its first-ever piece of property, near down- town Wilmington. The nonprofit is embarking on a capital campaign to ren- ovate it with lab and classroom spaces. “The main focus is going to be around academics and innovation,” says Baker. “We’re super excited about showing both students and industry that we can marry education and innovation together.” ID
Additional reporting by Tina Irgang Leaderman
74 DelawareBusinessTimes.com
ENCOURAGING GIRLS TO CHOOSE
CYBERSECURITY