A non-profit sales training program that helps minority candidates find jobs at Chicago tech companies has brought in a new CEO to help grow the organization.
Re:Work announced that it has named Shelton Banks as its next chief executive. Banks begins the new role on July 1, taking over for founder Harrison Horan. Horan, who launched program in 2016, will remain board chairman.
With the goal of helping improve diversity in tech, Re:Work set out to help Black and Hispanic Chicagoans land sales jobs at local tech companies. Working mostly with students who have little or no college experience, Re:Work's 10-week training program is held on the weekends and covers the basics of entry-level software sales. The program is free to applicants; Re:Work makes money from donations and companies that pay to connect with Re:Work's talent pool.
Re:Work has trained nearly 50 students and has a placement rate of almost 90 percent, Horan said. Some of the tech companies that have hired Re:Work graduates include Sprout Social, Groupon, Salesforce, Snapsheet, CDW and Active Campaign.
The program has accounted for a total of $1.5 million in earned income for its graduates to date, Horan said.
"It's gone better than we could have even imagined," Horan said.
To help take the organization to the next level, Horan has brought in Banks, an experienced sales executive who has worked at Groupon, Nordstrom and most recently Sprout Social. Having grown up in the Roseland neighborhood on 103rd and Michigan Ave. with no college degree, Banks has the ideal background to lead Re:Work, Horan said.
"I would have been a Re:Work candidate if the program was around 10 years ago," Banks said.
Banks said his goal will be to raise Re:Work's profile, and bring on more national employers to help expand the program's reach.
Re:Work isn't the only Chicago-based organization working to improve diversity in tech. Diversely is a new career development platform that aims to help diverse candidates get jobs at tech companies. Noirefy is an online platform that connects minority candidates with top companies to help diversify teams. And Ethos helps companies hire a diverse team and create retention and development plans for employees.
