Depth, Not Breadth: The Impact of Long-Term Industry Partnerships on Young Technologists and Companies

• In Event: Community, Industry, and Research Partnerships Can Shift the Science, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Workforce in Philadelphia

Abstract

Despite the fact that computer science and technology skills are in high and growing demand in the US job market, there continues to be a gap between the number of available positions and qualified people able to fill those roles. A contributing factor to this disparity is the “opportunity gap”-the fact that many students, “especially those from underserved and historically underrepresented communities…lack computer science learning opportunities in school and exposure to the field more broadly in their lives.” (Gallup, 2021) Coded by Kids (CBK) takes an intentional approach to address both of these challenges by not only offering technology and entrepreneurship education classes to young people ages 8-24 but by consistently connecting those same youth to mentors and professional development opportunities at every stage of their growth–starting with their first exposure to computer science during CBK Classroom and continuing with them as they pursue careers in technology and entrepreneurship via 1Philadelphia initiatives like the Early Validation Academy.
Coded by Kids’ focus on long-term industry partnerships is two-fold: from the young person’s perspective, “mentoring helps (middle-schoolers) build skills and gain knowledge related to career interests and exploration, whereas older youth, who are closer to entering the job market, benefit…from mentor support around career decision-making.” (National Mentoring Research Center). From the partner’s perspective, investing in a deeper relationship with the organization ensures that they have a clear understanding of Coded by Kids’ holistic approach to addressing tech equity but also allows them to be more bought in and connected to the mission, helping both parties achieve shared goals and outcomes.
Coded by Kids has continuously operated from a perspective of “depth, not breadth,” and the organization’s approach to industry partnerships is no exception. While CBK strives to engage as many stakeholders as possible in its important work, there is a continued emphasis on building deeper relationships with tech partners. Anchor companies in Philadelphia, like Comcast, Seer Interactive, Guru Technologies, and SEI Investments Company, play pivotal roles in the CBK ecosystem–representatives from these entities sit on the Advisory Board of 1Philadelphia, serve as mentors and coaches in innovation and coding competitions, host summer interns, and evaluate entrepreneurship pitches from underrepresented startup founders, giving each company multiple, and more intensive, opportunities to engage with CBK students.
During this session, Coded by Kids will introduce one industry partner to share their experience mentoring and collaborating with CBK participants in various capacities and how that ongoing engagement has shaped their relationship with the organization and their own work. CBK will also talk about its unique approach to relationship management and how that ultimately impacts Philadelphia’s collective tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Authors

• Danae Mobley, Coded by Kids

• Jesse McKevitt, Coded by Kids

• Eliza Erickson, Coded by Kids

• Regina Yorkgitis, Coded by Kids