200 Harris County veterans, young adults can get free training for tech jobs
HOUSTON - 200 veterans and young adults in Harris County can now get free training for high-paying tech jobs.
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Harris County Commissioners approved funding for a program called NPower for two years. It provides free Information Technology (IT) and tech training for veterans and young adults from underserved communities.
Innocent Ehimegbe came to the United States from Nigeria to study. After joining the Army National Guard, he wanted to pursue a career in IT but feared it would take years and tens of thousands of dollars. That is, until he found NPower.
"It’s made a good impact on my life because it defined my path and my direction," he said.
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NPower is a national non-profit that offers free training in IT and tech fields to veterans, their spouses, and adults, ages 18 to 26, from underserved communities.
"Today I have five different professional certificates in IT," said Ehimegbe.
He now works in compliance for Citi Group, both from home and at its Dallas office.
"You have people who respect you, who want to teach you, who want to see you grow," he told us.
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Over the next two years, NPower hopes to train 200 local students through a free 16-week training program, followed by a seven-week paid internship or apprenticeship.
"We are able to place our students with an on-the-job training role with an employer-partner, for up to six months, where they can really learn the in's and out's of that business," said NPower Texas Executive Director Jonathan Pride.
NPower also teaches resume, interview, and communication skills to help students land high-paying, hard-to-fill jobs with local businesses.
"Our national average is about $60,000 per year," said Pride. "When you consider the income coming into our program at about $13,000, which you know are those on public assistance, that represents a 477% salary increase year over year."
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NPower has been training students for more than 20 years and has operated in cities including Dallas, Detroit, New York, and St. Louis.
Additionally, NPower reports that 97% of its students nationwide are veterans, 64% are Black, LatinX, or multi-racial, and 31% are women.
Ehimegbe says NPower has empowered him with a new life.
"It’s building me, and I'm learning fast, and I just want to keep going and keep going," he said. "I'm happy, that’s all."
To qualify students must have a high school diploma or GED. They're currently taking applications for Fall 2023. Students can learn more and apply here.