ANCHORAGE - Today, the Municipality of Anchorage joined the White House TechHire initiative in an effort to recruit and train local tech talent. The initiative is a multi-sector approach to sharpen the tech skills of Anchorage residents while filling the tech needs of local employers. The Municipality of Anchorage and its partners, including the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, University of Alaska Anchorage, and Code for Anchorage have set a goal to place 600 individuals in tech jobs by 2020.
“In order to compete and prosper in the knowledge based economy, we need to make sure our workforce has the skills needed to further diversify our local economy,” said Mayor Ethan Berkowitz.
The Mayor’s office will work with the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage Community Land Trust, Code for Anchorage, Future Coders of Alaska, Lynda.com, and Coursera to help train Anchorage residents for employment in tech fields. Once trainings such as coding boot camps are held, program graduates will fill the needs of public, private and non-profit employers.
“Forty percent of tech jobs don’t require a four-year degree, and we want to explore alternative training opportunities that can help job seekers, training programs and employers grow and employ our Anchorage workforce,” stated Brendan Babb, Anchorage Chief Innovation Officer.
For more information, please call Nora Morse at (907) 565-9836.
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