Technolij is partnering with Florida Memorial University to match people of color with careers in technology and entrepreneurship.
The nonprofit opened the Technolij Innovation Center on Thursday at the university's Miami Gardens campus. It's part of a larger mission to promote upward economic mobility in underserved communities through technology education and training. In that spirit, the innovation center will be open to people from all Black and Brown communities in South Florida, including FMU students and local residents.
“This invaluable campus resource helps our university deliver on its mission of producing graduates with the knowledge and skills to be career-ready for the fastest growing industries," said Jaffus Hardrick, president of FMU, the only historically Black college or university in the region.
Technolij was started by Miami native Ted Lucas, a music industry veteran and founder of Slip-N-Slide Records. He appeared at a Thursday ribbon cutting ceremony along with Miami Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, Venture Miami's Keith Carswell, Brainstation co-founder Johanna Mikkola and FMU President Hardrick.
The 3,000-square foot center will feature educational workshops, discussions with local entrepreneurs and philanthropic events. Students also will be able to gain internships and entry level jobs in the tech industry through the Technolij Apprenticeship Program, a program that helps businesses diversify their talent pools.
BLK Men in Tech, a nonprofit that provides resources for Black men in the tech industry, is among the community partners supporting the Technolij Innovation Center.
"We're building programs that provide historically underrepresented communities with tools, equipment, and training that will provide opportunities for people to develop skills, create new businesses and start careers in emerging fields," CEO Kham Ward said.
About 60% of the Miami metro area's tech workforce consists of non-white employees, according to a 2022 report from CBRE Group, making it one of the most diverse in the country. But Black employees account for just 12% of the Miami-area's tech workforce. Nationally, only 7% of tech professionals are Black.
Black graduates often experience challenges finding tech jobs in Miami, Technolij reports. Part of that is because hiring demand in the region is coming from startups, instead of larger enterprise companies that are more likely to seek entry level candidates. And many recent graduates from underserved communities lack the network to find the open roles that are available.
Last year, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Miami Foundation, JPMorgan Chase and Aire Ventures formed Tech Equity Miami, an initiative that will deploy $100 million to close the racial wealth gap in Miami through tech education. Key areas of focus include creating defined pathways to tech careers for locals and bringing broadband internet access to 100,000 students in Miami Dade County.
For more stories like this one, sign up for Miami Inno newsletters from the South Florida Business Journal and the American Inno network.
