As breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and machine learning continue warping reality into a sci-fi blockbuster, the call for quality, digital ready talent has never been louder. Leaders everywhere are in the lurch for skilled workers, making the need for a “reconsideration of local economic development strategy” exceedingly salient, according to a recent Brookings commentary.
Although building a community-based skilling ecosystem can seem onerous on paper, the leaders of Virginia’s Arlington County have proven it can be quite simple. And they have just the prototype to prove it.
Spanning just under 26 square miles, Arlington is the small but mighty homestead of a thriving pipeline for technology talent. For several years now, Virginia has been making tremendous strides through its unprecedented investments in workforce development, university partnerships and local training programs. Part and parcel of the state’s success, Arlington has made its own investments in growing quality tech talent through its Talent Pilot Program; in partnership with software company Exelaration, the region’s economic and workforce development teams give residents the opportunity to kickstart their careers in software development through experiential learning.
Cultivating talent from the ground up
Today, talent concerns are a leading consideration behind organizations’ decisions to relocate and open new business sites. As such, establishing a robust talent pipeline can pay huge dividends for local economies down the road.
Propelled by Virginia’s billion-dollar Tech Talent Investment Program, Arlington’s leaders made the successful campaign to become the landing site of Amazon’s newest outpost, the east coast headquarters dubbed HQ2. Director of Arlington Economic Development Ryan Touhill says Amazon’s arrival really underscored the importance of building a scalable talent pipeline in the community.
From HQ2, explains Touhill, came the inspiration for a community-level talent program that “really focused on software development and helping people with non-technology backgrounds and limited or no education in technology or computer science, transition into technology jobs.” To lift this vision from the blueprints, Touhill’s team and its partners at Exelaration created the Arlington Talent Pilot Program, a 20-week training course that provides training in a combination of hard and soft skills, as well as valuable mentorship around charting STEM-related career pathways.
For its first cohort, the program took 12 leaders. Through the full-time, paid apprenticeship model, participants gained “a fast track to getting on-the-job training and certifications” alongside practical experience that they could then leverage for subsequent opportunities. Touhill says 80 percent of participants from that initial cohort landed full-time positions in software development, a strong testament to the efficacy of experiential learning models.
As Exelaration owner Steve Cooper writes over email, the program “helps motivated residents change their careers and lives through technology training, hands-on experience and career mentoring”— designed for individuals with a basic skills framework in software development, the program helps learners break into the tech industry and gain solid footing in a field they might otherwise have been unable to climb.
Cooper says the program trains learners in a breadth of professional skills ranging from standard “business etiquette” to more acute knowledge in “software best practices and Agile methodologies.” Following in-depth training with seasoned Exelarate engineers, participants engage with hands-on application through learning projects with real employers. At the program’s conclusion, these participating companies can hire their “vetted engineers” at no additional cost.
Homegrown talent makes for a healthy economy
By all accounts, the program is a huge boon to both the local economy and the residents within it. Touhill notes how the program is especially meaningful given the wealth of Arlington residents for whom traditional degree programs are an impossible expense. He notes how an overwhelming majority of applicants came from underserved communities; indeed, much of the program’s success surrounds its imperative to help historically marginalized populations get a running start.
After graduating from the program’s first cohort, Arlington resident Munira Tabassum became a Management Intern at the Arlington County Office of the Treasurer. Tabassum calls the program a “turning point” for her career; having previously struggled to find paid learning opportunities, Tabassum was thrilled to enter a program that allowed her to level-up her career with key skills in web development and networking while maintaining a steady income.
“What was truly exceptional about this program was the inclusive learning environment that welcomes individuals from all walks of life, whether you’re a first-generation professional, a woman of color, or an immigrant seeking a foothold in the tech industry,” Tabassum said in an email. Through the expert mentorship from Exelaration’s engineers, Tabassum acquired the skills and agency to build upon her background in telecommunications and electronics.
The program is also a huge win for businesses. For one, the program helps participating business leaders build diversity into their workplaces and promote equal opportunity. And in addition to championing equal opportunity, the program also helps businesses find a more sustainable stream of talent. “By upskilling Virginians and transforming them into proficient technologists, the program serves as a catalyst for tech workforce growth, fostering employment opportunities and overall economic prosperity,” Cooper says.
How heeding one community can propel an entire industry
For many business leaders, the benefits of helping economic policymakers develop skilling infrastructures aren’t quite as transparent. At least not yet. But Touhill nevertheless emphasizes how important a tool economic planning will be when it comes to closing the talent gap—hopeful the program will inspire other leaders to endorse talent-focused strategies for economic development.
That is, the pilot program—belonging to a much larger shift toward aligning workforce development with business needs—marks an inflection point in learning and development: With technology so clearly outpacing traditional skilling infrastructure, leaders need to open themselves to other learning modalities in order to meet runaway demands for tech talent.
Learning by example
Far from a one-off solution to this persistent workforce challenge, the pilot program is an exemplary step in the right direction for experiential learning models. “We need more employers to open the door to these individuals so that they can gain those experiential learning opportunities,” says Dave Remick, leader of the Alexandria-Arlington Regional Workforce Council. Experiential learning opportunities like internships and apprenticeships have been and will continue to be paramount for the future of L&D—a reality that, Remick says, still escapes too many business leaders.
“There are a good number of companies that provide experiential learning opportunities, but not nearly enough to help support the talent acquisition needs of our employers,” Remick says. Often, Remick reminds employers that practical experience is by and large the best metric for basing hiring decisions. He emphasizes how programs like the talent pilot offer a huge return on investment for participating employers.
“At the end of the day, we have too many jobs that are open,” Remick says. With traditional skilling methods proving insufficient for talent demands in a technology-centric workforce, learners “need that experiential learning so that they can be more competitive for the workplace and, more importantly, so employers can get the talent they need.”
Bottom line, “developing new skills helps people stay,” Cooper says. Borrowing from Pluralsight’s 2022 State of Upskilling report, he cites how one of the top factors behind tech workers’ decisions to switch jobs is a critical lack of “professional growth and learning opportunities.”
If the not-so-distant reality of flying cars is any indication, the market for tech-savvy talent is only ramping up. To bridge the talent gap and anchor their businesses at the bleeding edge, leaders need to keep an open mind.
Outstanding local talent is right here in your community,” Cooper says. “It just takes a little unconventional thinking and relaxing some of your traditional hiring constraints to take advantage of it.”
