United Way Offers Marginalized Miami Residents Tech Training to Boost Job Prospects

Our Miami Pay It Forward Fund, officially known as the United Way Miami Workforce Project, was recently profiled in the Miami Herald. The innovative partnership enables people in Miami-Dade County—especially veterans, people of color, and single female heads of household—to enroll in high-quality, industry-recognized job training and move into family-sustaining careers in a matter of months. Coding school 4Geeks, the program’s inaugural training provider, will enroll and upskill 100 students in a pilot of the program. The program will expand to training programs in other industries in the coming months, such as transportation and health care.

Justin Bakule, Social Finance Vice President of Impact Investments, said providing tech training to individuals who can’t usually afford it will make a significant difference in the local tech economy. “The situation you see time and time again nationally is job opportunities where access to job financing is there, but if people have no good credit or are formerly incarcerated, you’re locked out of the opportunity,” Bakule said, explaining the impetus behind the program.

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