Demand for I.T. Workers May Offer a Way to Close Job Gap

The Twin Cities chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates runs weekend programs aimed at introducing disadvantaged kids to careers in I.T. About 75 students a year go through the program. Virtually all go on to study computer science in college.

The field of I.T. is a great field to close the employment gap in the state of Minnesota,” said Frederick Blocton, BDPA’s Twin Cities president and president of UpNet Technologies, Inc.

He said the group gives students a space where they can be as smart as they want, free from ridicule, and learn how I.T. careers can change their lives.

“These are very, very good jobs, good professional jobs to start out your career,” he said. “And the upside is huge, because of the knowledge that you gain and also the access to different corporations and people. It just opens up a whole new world for these kids.”

And the demand for people to populate that whole new world won’t slow down anytime soon.