Nonprofit, local government and education leaders celebrate career pathway program
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Black Girls Code joined RiseUp with ServiceNow to launch a three-year initiative to create new career pathways for New York’s workforce. Cristina Jones, CEO of Black Girls Code, joined a panel discussion with Black Girls Code board member Selina Suarez, who is Global Head of NextGen at ServiceNow. Also on the panel were David Banks, Chancellor of New York City Public Schools; Donald Ruff, CEO of Eagle Academy; and John Herbert, CIO and EVP, Enterprise & Media Technology at Fox Corporation.
RiseUp with ServiceNow is a global talent movement to train one million people on the ServiceNow Platform. By unifying leaders from community-based organizations, academic institutions and local government, along with ServiceNow customers and partners, the ServiceNow ecosystem will be fueled with inspired, diverse, and job-ready talent. The opportunity is to develop untapped sources of talent in New York City and provide professional and career pathways.
Black Girls Code is working with ServiceNow to help groom the next generation of young women tech leaders on the Platform. The first cohort of participants began earlier this year, and the next cohort will begin in May 2024. Training programs will continue over the next three years, serving thousands of young women.
“Black Girls Code is on a mission to launch one million women of color into tech careers”, said Cristina Jones, CEO of Black Girls Code. “Our partnership with ServiceNow is a strong start to reaching that goal.” Black Girls Code serves girls as young as age 7, and recently expanded its focus to serve young women up to age 25. “Once we’ve sparked their curiosity as youngsters, we want to stay with them all the way through to adulthood and help them get started in their careers. This is so important because tech is at the center of everything we do, and Black girls absolutely have a lot to offer as the next generation of leaders.”
Karen Pavlin, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at ServiceNow, emphasized the importance of gathering a broad consortium of partners to meet the ongoing and future talent needs of the company. Employers posted more than 7,000 unique job openings for ServiceNow talent in the NYC metro area in 2023. “The demand is surging for ServiceNow skills, bringing excellent career opportunities for New York’s tech talent, and our partners on the ground bring direct connections to talent right here in New York”, said Pavlin. “We are proud to count Black Girls Code among our RiseUp with ServiceNow partners, and we are excited to unlock the potential of the talent they serve, together.”
