ST. LOUIS — The tech industry continues to grow in St. Louis, technology and biological science hub, Cortex, just received $7 million from the state to train the next round of workers headed for thousands of open tech jobs in the metro area.
The Per Scholas program at Cortex is training the next generation of tech workers right here in St. Louis.
“No college required. They take an aptitude test to get into the program. It's free, no tuition. For 15 weeks full time, you work hard and they're going to train you to prepare you to enter the workforce for major employers, medium-sized companies, and even startups,” Cortex Innovation District President and CEO Sam Fiorello said.
The grant from the state of Missouri will help keep Cortex programs through nine different training partners free and accessible to anyone who wants a job in the technology field.
“There are thousands of unfilled tech jobs in our region alone, let alone the state, tens of thousands. There's no way we're going to get there if we just rely on a typical four-year college degree,” Fiorello said.
Jasmine Owens is a graduate of one of the programs, CyberUp, where she specialized in cyber security; something she realized she had a passion for.
“If you got technology running through your environment, you're going to need cybersecurity. So in order to do that, we need more talent in the pipeline. So that's what I'm passionate about. I'm passionate about keeping my organization safe, but also letting the community know this is an opportunity that could change our legacy if we are afforded the opportunity to get into it,” Owens said.
Students have a direct connection to employers and can get to work right away.
BJC Healthcare is one of several companies hiring through these programs.
“I got to work with the cohort from the beginning. They asked for input from companies locally to say, What are you looking for, Right? And what are those things that make sense? What are the things that we need to make sure we're teaching? How can we best prepare the learners for ultimately a good job?" Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Matthew Modica asked. "Then after the program was over and learners were placed at a company they’d spend time making sure it was the right fit and helping learners along the way."
You can learn more about these programs and apply here.