Interapt was a part of a big announcement in Chicago on Friday.
The Louisville-based tech services firm is partnering with CVS Health and Discovery Partners Institute (DPI), a part of the University of Illinois system, to offer a new program, Chicago/Skills.
The program will provide tuition-free technology training and paid apprenticeship opportunities to as many as 2,500 Chicagoans over five years, according to a news release.
At a news conference, Interapt founder and CEO Ankur Gopal appeared alongside Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen and CVS Health Chief Information Officer Roshan Navagamuwa.
An Owensboro, Kentucky, native, Gopal highlighted the guidance he received as a student at the University of Illinois, in his first job in Chicago, and later, as a graduate student at the University of Chicago. Without that intentional guidance, he never would have founded Interapt, which marked its 10th anniversary last year.
The company began offering workforce development services in 2015, looking to get people into high-paying tech jobs while also de-risking alternative talent pathways for large employers.
"For the past seven years, Interapt has been built on a vision where we intentionally guide people to skills and simultaneously help companies solve their talent, equity and community challenges," Gopal said during the announcement event. "We do this by building talent and creating jobs through rigorous technology training and focused technology apprenticeships.
"To date, the Interapt team has given guidance and opportunity to people of all ages and all backgrounds — people of color, women returning to the workforce, veterans and veterans spouses — in over 30 states and also provide a pathway to some of the world's largest companies. We've learned that with the right model, the right investment and the right drive, we're able to guide deserving people across our country to their American dream."
Individuals who pass the 12-week training curriculum and interview process will be offered a job, the release said. CVS Health has signed on to be an anchor employer of the effort, committing to hiring more than 200 successful participants over the next three years in the Chicago market.
Interapt has been working with CVS Health for three years, Gopal said.
"Much of what we do is enabled by technology. We believe in being digital-first and locally-based, so we're building new technology platforms that makes that seamless," Navagamuwa said. "We also know that technology is critical to making it easier for our colleagues to do their work, so we're investing in that. We also serve consumers in new and improved ways, so we're innovating with technology.
"And the key to all of this is access to talent with the skills, creativity and diversity, to build the future of health care. Working with Interapt helps us do that."
The partnership will give Chicago residents an opportunity to develop the technical skills needed to kickstart a new career in data science, software development, digital marketing, UX design, robotic process automation, information technology and other tech-related fields, the release continued.
The Friday announcement also included details about DPI's new headquarters along the Chicago riverfront that aims to be an "iconic, instantly recognizable symbol" of the city, Killeen said in his opening remarks.
Interapt, one of Louisville's largest minority-owned businesses, employs more than 100 people locally, and has been hiring nationwide. Gopal was recognized as one of Louisville Business First's Most Admired CEOs last year, and was also selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2020.
