15 New Communities Selected for TechHire Initiative

To celebrate the one year anniversary of the TechHire Initiative, the Obama administration announced an expansion of the program with the addition of 15 new communities. The administration also announced activities and commitments to help support career and technical education. 

Originally announced in March 2015, the TechHire initiative seeks to educate workers through universities, community colleges, high-quality online courses, and other nontraditional approaches such as a coding bootcamp. Now representing 50 communities throughout the United States, examples of successful partnerships under the TechHire initiative include the use of: data and innovative hiring practices to expand openness to non-traditional hiring; models for training that prepare students in months, rather than years; and, active local leadership to connect people to jobs with hiring on ramp programs. Detailed in a fact sheet celebrating the program’s anniversary, the newest TechHire communities are:

1. Atlanta, GA
2. Austin, TX
3. Burlington, VT
4. Riverside, CA
5. Flint, MI
6. State of Hawaii
7. Indianapolis, IN
8. Jackson, MS
9. Milwaukee, WI
10. Raleigh, NC
11. Jackson, TN
12. Seattle, WA
13. Tallahassee, FL
14. Commonwealth of Virginia
15. Miami, FL

The fact sheet also highlights several other related initiatives. For example, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule seeking to expand the existing Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for STEM graduates. This program gives international students who pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees in the U.S. an opportunity to supplement their classroom education with practical skills training, helping to support career transitions.  Under the new rule, which begins in May, certain international students earning STEM degrees from accredited U.S. universities can stay in the United States for an additional 24 months post-graduation to participate in on-the-job training within the STEM field. 

The administration also announced several commitments that support the advancement of the maker movement and career and technical education. The Department of Education announced the launch of the Career and Technical Education Makeover Challenge, where $200,000 in prizes will be distributed to 10 prize recipients from eligible high schools that design innovative models of makerspaces. The Department of Education also reaffirmed the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which provides middle schools, high schools, and higher education institutions more than $1.1 billion per year to support career and technical education.