Better job opportunities are life-changing, but the lack of accessible job training and placement opportunities can make landing the right opportunity very difficult, if not even impossible at times.
Generation is an economic mobility nonprofit working to prepare, place, and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible.
“The learners in our Generation programs are motivated, talented individuals who have overcome a series of obstacles—rooted in systemic inequities—to achieve the milestones of completing their profession-specific training, successfully finding employment among our company partners, and building better lives for them and their families,” said Mona Mourshed, founding global CEO of Generation.
By deploying a tested methodology with data insights at the center, Generation serves tens of thousands of people who are unemployed, underemployed, or need to learn new skills every year. Generation embodies our mission: using data to make what’s impossible today possible tomorrow.
Cloudera is proud to partner with Generation as our premier global partner to make meaningful employment in the technology sector a reality for more than 250 individuals in the United States, Ireland, and Australia.
“Cloudera’s partnership with Generation is aimed at transforming education to employment opportunities to improve access to digital skills, mentorship, and resources,” said Abhas Ricky, chief strategy officer at Cloudera and executive sponsor of our global social responsibility initiative. “Our program will accelerate democratizing employment prospects across the technology sector, drive sustainable careers and economic growth opportunities.”
Since its inception in 2015, Generation has supported more than 68,000 graduates across 43 professions and 17 countries. With an 81% job-placement rate within three months of program completion, and a three- to four-fold income increase per individual, their multifaceted approach to job training is working.
The Generation programs follow a proven seven-step approach that includes practice-based training, social support and mentorship, and connection to hiring employers. It is the intersection of the hard and soft skills training that positions Generation candidates well for high-growth careers. It was because of this methodology that we chose to partner with Generation to deliver on our social responsibility efforts. One of Cloudera’s four values is “We strive for equality,” collaborating to ensure diverse perspectives are represented in each conversation to understand how representation at all levels matters.
Abhas added, “We believe that high-quality, industry-informed, no-cost skilling opportunities can open doors for people with historically limited access to the technology sector and drive them toward sustainable careers. Moreover, we understand the importance of supplementing that classroom education with social and behavior skill building, which have been proven to be strong determinants of job placement and professional growth.”
We’ve chosen to support the United States, Ireland, and Australia as three pilot markets during our inaugural year working with Generation. We identified curriculum tracks in each of these markets based on business and market needs.
In the United States, those opportunities include sponsoring a 16-week cloud cohort in Atlanta for 50 learners, and in Ireland, Cloudera will support 20 to 25 learners in a 12-week cloud program starting in Q1 2023.
In Australia, Cloudera has committed to helping create and launch a new online data analyst program. The initial program will support 50 learners, with a goal of 250 learners by the end of the year.
“In addition to the critical skills Generation is providing, we also wanted to ensure this work was further integrated into the fabric of our culture,” Abhas added. To do this, Clouderans are encouraged to provide mentorship, career development opportunities, and consulting services to the organization and learners.
Cloudera Australia and New Zealand Solutions Engineering Manager Renee Dvir has been involved in developing the new program and its curriculum with her team.
“Every day, billions of gigabytes of new data are being produced, which is why data analysts are now among the fastest growing professions in the world. And countries, including Australia, are striving to keep pace with this growing volume to harness it fully for better outcomes. [Helping Generation Australia develop this new program] is an important step in achieving this.”
And our commitment and emphasis extend to our hiring practices as well. The Diversity Equality and Inclusion, Emerging Talent, and Talent Acquisition teams offer training to internal hiring managers on how best to interview, manage, and support nontraditional talent, and they partner closely with Generation to educate our people managers about the impact and business benefits of onboarding skilled Generation learners.
“We in Ireland are proud to be one of the pilot markets for our new strategy,” Olivia Keenaghan, director of business applications at Cloudera and sponsor of our partnership with Generation in Ireland, shared. “We want to democratize access to the tech sector of the future—and ensure this work is integrated into our culture as much as possible. As a first step, we hosted a lunch and learn with Generation Ireland and our Ireland-based people managers. We acutely understand that in order to move the needle on diversity in tech, and to set up non-traditional talent for success, we must all play a role in mentorship, skilling, and of course the education of our hiring managers.”
Cloudera and Generation’s shared goal is to enroll 100% of the available learner spots, graduate 80% of the participants, and secure jobs for 80% of those learners within 180 days of program completion.
“We are excited to partner with Cloudera to build on Generation’s track record of success in Australia, Ireland, and the US, and to provide opportunities for more people to start careers in high-growth tech professions,” said Mourshed.
This partnership with Generation is just one way Cloudera is working to create systemic change throughout the tech sector. Read about more of Cloudera’s philanthropic work here.
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