Dive Brief:
- During a recent visit to Grand Circus, a computer coding firm in downtown Detroit, Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg advised that Facebook would be training 3,000 people in Michigan to become social media and digital marketing specialists, Crains reports. The programs will entail 10 weeks of training that will prepare individuals for careers with Facebook over the next two years.
- Grand Circus already has a track record of success with training coders, and has 650 graduates working for over 120 companies. This summer marks their 50th graduating class of tech talent.
- The Facebook program is expected to start enrolling in the fall.
Dive Insight:
The commitment of Facebook to fund a massive training campaign to train more workers in tech skills is a positive for Michigan, one of the states hit hardest by the recession. Michigan also has a strong manufacturing base that is being disrupted by the digitization, so having more technically savvy people in the job market is a win-win for area employers.
Other large firms can reach out to communities where there are higher percentages of unemployment and get involved with similar training initiatives. Private company investment in programs similar to Grand Circus has been increasing, as many companies are seeking ways to stabilize their talent pipelines. Tech is one industry that has a serious lack of skilled professionals compared to demand.
Companies must think outside of their immediate area and think more globally if they are to move forward in technology with the most capable talent at their disposal.
