On June 8, Meta Chicago formerly known as Facebook marked its 15 anniversary with a celebration in its new office space at 151 N. Franklin. Meta’s Head of office, Judy Toland shared the company’s plans to encourage more Black people into the tech arena.
Over the next two years, Meta plans to train one million people in software engineering nationally. As part of this plan, Meta announced at the 15th-anniversary celebration, the launch of five new software engineering certificates as part of their existing scholarship program, Meta Elevate. In 2020, Meta committed to 100,000 scholarships to Black learners on digital skills and certification training.
“These certificates are pathways to becoming a full-stack engineer which is a high-demand position vital in the tech industry, especially now as we work together to build the metaverse”, Toland said. “These efforts are going to help close the gap between talent and opportunity and empower Black learners to become leaders in the tech industry”, Toland continued.
The certifications will be offered through Meta’s partnership with the online course provider, Coursera. In a videotaped message to Meta employees, Mayor Lightfoot stressed the importance of Meta in Chicago’s tech sector saying, “Meta has been an important part of our tech ecosystem since 2007 and as we see from your incredible growth, Chicago has the tools, talent, and resources necessary to help a tech company strive.”
For more on Meta Elevate visit their website at https://www.facebook.com/fbelevate
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