Blog / The Business Perspective
We're Up for the Challenge: Bridging L.A.'s Tech Talent Gap
September 12, 2018
by Maria S. Salinas
One of the Chamber’s most important roles is convening thought leaders around important topics to our regions. This week, Bixel Exchange, the Chamber’s Center for Innovation & Technology, hosted T3: The State of Tech Talent Today, a convening of business leaders, the tech community, educational institutions and elected officials.
While the Chamber has been deeply engaged in the tech community for many years, yesterday’s event was a first, held on Loyola Marymount University’s new Playa Vista Campus. The event coincided with the release of Deloitte’s report, Bridging the Los Angeles Tech Talent Gap.
The tech industry in this region is fast-paced, with an ever-changing set of skills and needs; and while L.A. has been making its mark in the tech world, the report cites, “The increase in the number of companies operating in L.A. translates to a rise in job opportunities and needs for tech positions.”
Local students have limited exposure to the tech sector -- limited awareness of the jobs available, as well as to the training and opportunities needed. Speakers like Linkedin Co-Founder Allen Blue, Upfront Ventures’ Managing Partner Mark Suster, mitú Founding Partner Beatriz Acevedo and California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, took a deep dive into the issues surrounding the tech talent pipeline and what we can do to solve that problem.
But the most powerful messages of the day came from the youngest of us in the room … from the very students who make up the talent pipeline. We heard from several students, mostly from community colleges in L.A., who were given an opportunity through several Bixel Exchange programs and have now successfully moved into either paid internships or full time jobs.
- Julio Quijada, a student at West L.A. College, who with the help of the Chamber’s Bixel Exchange was able to participate in the mitú accelerator program and eventually land a job at NBCUniversal.
- Tyroo West from L.A. Pierce College, who until recently believed that his dream of a career in tech was just a fantasy. Tyroo earned an internship at Headspace, exploring careers in business development and engineering, and says his fantasy is now a reality.
- Sami Sanchez, a former L.A. Trade-Tech student realized her dream of becoming a designer through her participation with Bixel’s Snap Design Academy.
The students' inspirational stories are possible when businesses go beyond the traditional employment models to seek out talent in the rich and diverse communities that exist throughout L.A. Through our Bixel Exchange, we will continue to convene and build coalitions so that the opportunities afforded to our young talent like Julio, Tyroo and Sami can multiply.
To hear them tell their stories and see a little of yesterday's event, watch the video.
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