Local nonprofit Chicago Scholars wants to help connect students with professional opportunities in a way that feels less like homework and more like a video game.
As the largest education nonprofit in Chicago, Chicago Scholars' goal is to get students not only to and through college, but into jobs.
One way the organization plans to do that is through Reach Pathways, an app that received the Future of Work Award at the 2023 SXSW Pitch competition this past week.
Jeffery Beckham Jr., Chicago Scholars CEO and Reach Pathways co-CEO, sees the app as a way to "gamify" career building to close the gap between talent and opportunity. Students earn badges and rewards for real-life tasks related to college and career success, such as applying for jobs and connecting with mentors.
Beckham thinks Reach Pathways, a for-profit entity owned by Chicago Scholars, will serve as an addendum to traditional recruitment models.
He said he decided to solve the talent gap and the pipeline problem by working on both ends of the funnel — with students on the front end and companies on the back end.
"They can see resumes, students profiles and search through the product to find the talent they are looking for," Beckham told Chicago Inno. "After the murder of George Floyd, so many companies came to us and said they need diverse talent. We started placing students at great firm opportunities all over the country, and we knew we had something. Our goal was to amplify it using technology."
The app will provide students with access to community support and insider knowledge for under-resourced students whose families and friends may not have experience with college and the careers students would like to pursue.
The Future of Work category that Reach Pathways won at the SXSW Pitch event focuses on technologies that enable, empower, change and expand capabilities in the future of work and the working experience. Reach Pathways was the only Chicago-based startup to be recognized as a finalist in the 2023 pitch competition.
"There's a lot of talent in our city and around our city, and so that poses a great opportunity," Beckham said.
