There is a problem with the justice system in the United States. While many believe that a prison is a place for those who have committed crimes to be rehabilitated, there is typically very little rehabilitation work done.
Most of the time, prison simply becomes a place to stow away those that society has rejected. In fact, studies show that more than 60% of people released from prison are rearrested within a few years.
There are many reasons why this process, known as recidivism, happens. Often, it is difficult for previously incarcerated people to find jobs, either because employers are skeptical, or because they are lacking the skills they need to land a job in the current day and age.
Breaking the Cycle of Recidivism
Fortunately, there are many people and organizations who wish to make a change in the justice system. One of the best ways to do so is by providing training programs to incarcerated people so that they are job-ready upon release.
According to a recent report conducted by Udacity and IPSOS, over half of enterprise companies say they aren’t able to complete their goals for digital transformation due to a lack of digital talent. Millions of tech jobs are left unfilled because there just aren’t enough people being trained in technology.
Udacity’s mission is to change lives through digital upskilling and create job-ready digital skills that empower achievement. By providing training to currently incarcerated and previously incarcerated individuals, not only can the tech gap be closed, but the cycle of recidivism can end.
A Program Funded by AWS & Curriculum Developed by Udacity, Banyan Labs, & Persevere
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is providing $50,000 in Udacity training programs to 50 employees of Banyan Labs and graduates of the Persevere software development program. Persevere is a program that works to train currently incarcerated people with real-world employable skills, like coding and full stack development so that they can break the cycle of recidivism and poverty.
Banyan Labs is a Software Development and Design Agency with a social justice mission that hires graduates from the Persevere program, offering them a job, mentorship opportunities, and real-world experience to get them back on their feet.
Udacity’s role in the new program has been to work alongside Banyan Labs and Persevere to create a supplemental training program that works in conjunction with the coding bootcamps that Persevere provides.
“We are thrilled to be working with Banyan Labs to afford their constituents an opportunity to break the cycle of recidivism and dramatically increase their potential for a fair and equitable wage by using the Udacity upskilling platform combined with the Banyan systems and services,” said Todd Floyd, VP Global Societal Impact Teams at Udacity.
The training program will be six months long and offer two tracks: a React Javascript program and a React Developer program.
“We can’t thank AWS and Udacity enough for the life-changing opportunities these programs will provide,” said Eric Jacky, Director of Operations at Banyan Labs. “Our developers learn quite a lot while in prison, but this program will greatly expand their knowledge and provide an added measure of hope and confidence as they work to successfully re-enter society in a meaningful way.”
Learn More About the Program for Justice-Impacted Individuals
Udacity’s goal is to help narrow the digital skills gap in people looking for work by training all who want to learn, which is why Udacity is so excited for this opportunity to be involved in the AWS Banyan Program.
This program will not only work to break the cycle of poverty and recidivism that many formerly incarcerated folks face, but also help to fill the gap in hirable workers for tech companies around the globe.
To learn more about our different programs and scholarships, head over to Udacity’s scholarship page.
