Major corporations are beginning to launch more initiatives geared toward upskilling underserved and overlooked workers in America. The latest to join the movement is SoftBank Group International, who’s backing data science market leader Correlation One’s newest initiative.
Today Correlation One announced that SoftBank is supporting their company’s Data Science for All / Empowerment (DS4A / Empowerment) program, a new ambitious effort designed to help prepare job-seekers from underserved communities to pursue data science careers.
The program was designed to directly address the talent and equity gaps that exist in STEM fields, which have been historically closed off for many minority groups. This snowball gatekeeping-effect has lead to significant underrepresentation of women and non-white individuals in science, but Correlation One is now looking to reverse that.
DS4A / Empowerment’s goal is to train at least 10,000 people from these underrepresented communities, prioritizing Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and U.S. military veterans, a press release reports. Over the next three years, this program will offer new career pathways that lead to economic opportunity in the world’s fastest-growing industries.
“We need talent with a deep understanding of data science to build the companies of the future,” said Marcelo Claure, CEO of SoftBank Group International, in a statement. “We’re proud to join this effort, continue to upskill our portfolio companies and train more than 10,000 people from underrepresented communities with critical technical skills.”
SoftBank is supporting Correlation One’s effort by way of its new AI Academy, which works to support programs acting as “theoretical training of traditional technical education courses with practical lessons,” a release shares.
As part of this initiative, DS4A / Empowerment will provide training for SoftBank Group International portfolio company employees — which includes portfolio companies of the Opportunity Fund and Latin America Fund — as well as external candidates from the U.S. and Latin America.
A press release shares that participants in the program will receive 13 weeks of data and analytics training in addition to experience working on case studies and projects, including projects submitted by SoftBank portfolio companies.
Throughout this program, participants will receive mentorship through professional development and career coaching, and at the conclusion of it, will be connected with employment opportunities at SoftBank and other leading enterprises across business, financial services, technology, healthcare, consulting, and consumer sectors.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has both accelerated demand for data science talent and exacerbated the access gaps that kept so many aspiring workers locked out of opportunity,” said Rasheed Sabar and Sham Mustafa – Co-CEOs and Co-Founders of Correlation One — in a statement. “We are grateful to work with innovative employers like SoftBank that are stepping up to play a more direct role in helping the workforce prepare themselves for jobs of the future.”
DS4A Empowerment’s 13-week online program kicks off April 17, 2021 and registration for interested participants ends on March 7, 2021.
To apply and learn more about Correlation One’s new initiative, click here.
