How these 5 orgs support tech education in their communities

A tech ecosystem is only as strong as the technologists in it, and those technologists are only as strong as their knowledge and skills.

The best way to ensure a positive future for the ecosystem is to invest in the development of the workforce. That investment is increasingly coming from supporters like universities, law firms, accelerator programs, coding bootcamps and corporate partners. These organizations use a variety of initiatives to enhance education offerings in their communities, and together they bolster efforts to ensure both current and future technologists are educated and competitive.

For the month of July, Technical.ly’s reporting has explored the theme of tech education for our editorial calendar. For some additional perspectives, we asked our Technical.ly Ecosystem Builder organizations the following question:

How does your org support tech education in your community? 

This could include things like partnering with local schools, universities and education nonprofits; internal programs to help employees develop new skills; sponsoring academic scholarships; etc.

Here are their replies, and if you like what you see, follow the links to organizations’ directory pages to learn more.

Ballard Spahr

“The Ballard Academy for Student Entrepreneurs (BASE) is a program we founded to harness our resources to provide pro bono education to startup founders at the most nascent stage of developing new ventures. The heart of the program is our monthly academic sessions, in which experts on accounting, branding, finance and communications help young entrepreneurs through the tribulations of learning everything from startup lingo to how to bring a product to market. BASE has been heralded by institutions as a unique way to professionalize young startups, as many of the founders in the program get their first taste of managing professional service providers through the program.” — Kimberly Klayman, partner

Morgan Lewis

“We recognize that education is important to the tech community as it helps ensure knowledge of their industries and the business landscape. Morgan Lewis is committed to supporting the technology community in a variety of ways. We offer a monthly educational webinar series and library of webinars and articles for startups — Startup & Accelerate — which provides practical tips and addresses opportune topics that are invaluable to entrepreneurs and investors. We also provide ongoing content and education specific to the tech industry, including our annual Technology Marathon and our Tech & Sourcing blog. Additionally we support university startup education, accelerator and incubator programs locally and across the US and we are proud to sponsor and support a number of local organizations who are supporting the tech and startup community. Knowing how valuable connections can be, we are committed to connecting entrepreneurs and investors for potential financing arrangements and connecting founders with the resources they need to help them succeed.” — Jeffrey Bodle, partner

TEDCO

“TEDCO supports tech education by providing funding and business resources to early-stage Maryland businesses focused in edtech. TEDCO portfolio companies have developed innovative technologies to benefit school-aged youth in building emotional intelligence, vocabulary acquisition and critical thinking, applying for financial aid and scholarships, and much more. Learn more at tedcomd.com.” — Tammi Thomas, chief marketing & communications officer

Verizon 5G

“Verizon is committed to investing in the next generation of engineers, innovators and technologists, while creating a diverse tech workforce for today and the future. In addition to our five Verizon Innovative Learning Schools and affiliated 5G Labs throughout Baltimore that foster advanced tech education, our Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers program at Morgan State University offers a free, immersive, project-based STEM curriculum and learning program for middle-school students. These initiatives promote digital inclusion in our communities and classrooms — fostering student potential to improve economies, create pathways for professional success in the tech industry and position Baltimore and other cities to become innovation leaders and hubs for centuries to come.” — Eric Fitzgerald Reed, public policy and state government affairs, Pennsylvania and Delaware region

Zip Code Wilmington

“Zip Code Wilmington supports tech education in the community. Our bootcamp offers two immersive tracks to our students, software development and data engineering and analytics, which are taught by leading industry professionals. With seven years of operation and over 500 graduates, we give our students the training they need to double or triple their salaries in high paying tech careers. Average annual earnings of graduates before Zip Code: $33,697. After Zip Code: $76,068. Check out our stats at zipcodewilmington.com/outcomes.” — Danielle Greene, social media and events coordinator

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Want to help support education in your local tech scene? Check out all the Ecosystem Builders and Technical.ly Talent companies here, and learn more about their missions.

P.S. If you’re curious about Technical.ly Talent to help grow your own org, find more info here and connect with us.

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