Technology has become a major vehicle of economic growth in the U.S. economy. With tech companies under growing pressure to diversify their workforces, Jelani Consulting Inc. is addressing tech disparities by pipelining women and minorities into tech sector careers.
“Research shows roughly 2 percent of tech workers in the top Silicon Valley companies are black. Just 4.5 percent of college graduates with degrees in computer science and engineering from research universities are black. We need to increase the number of blacks pursuing careers in tech disciplines and increase the number of students getting jobs,” said Meka Gerald Mofor, founder and CEO of Jelani Consulting Inc.
Jelani Consulting Inc. is a local information technology consulting firm offering accelerated training courses in Oracle Database Administration taught by Oracle experts. The program includes a strong mentorship component, which offers participants resume writing services and support in preparing for interviews.
“Our team works hard to help our students get jobs that can as much as double their annual salary. We train them and help them prepare for interviews. We provide them with job leads, and even sometimes we even liaise between them and prospective employers,” Mofor said.
Davis Williams was employed as a security guard before completing Jelani Consulting Inc.’s Oracle DBA training program. Within four weeks of completing the course, he landed a job with a federal agency, earning a six-figure annual salary.
“With more income, I’ve been able to provide a better quality of life for my family. You just have to be committed to putting the time in and utilizing the instructors. They are very knowledgeable, Williams said.”
Mofor started the company in 2009 in his living room. With the growing demand for certified database administrators in the D.C. metro area, Mofor realized a heightened interest in the program and quickly established the company’s headquarters in Greenbelt.
To date, Jelani Consulting Inc. has trained 207 participants. Eighty-six (42.5 percent) program alumni have secured jobs as Oracle database administrators with public agencies and companies including the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Homeland Security and a number of other agencies.
Mofor says he’s excited about the synergy around and the tech industry, especially the Obama administration’s commitment to providing more Americans with the training necessary to secure jobs in the tech industry.
In March, the Obama administration announced the TechHire Initiative, a $100 million program designed to bolster tech hiring nationwide. The program, which is already underway in 21 regions, unites businesses and schools to address the need for more software developers, cybersecurity experts and information technology engineers.
Mofor says Jelani Consulting Inc. supports TechHire and is committed to offering high-quality training to increase the supply of minority tech workers in the D.C. metro area.
Source:
http://washingtoninformer.com/news/2015/jul/22/jelani-consulting-funnels-blacks-tech-world/
