Hispanic Federation Announces Over 10,000 People Trained to Tackle 21st Century Jobs, Close Digital Skills Gap in Latino Community
For Immediate Release: October 4, 2022
Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
Over 70% of jobs require technology skills, yet over half of Latino workers have limited or no digital skills
WASHINGTON — Hispanic Federation (HF) announced that their Latino Digital Accelerator Program–which is designed to support a network of Latino-led and -serving nonprofits providing Latino jobseekers the skills they need to secure meaningful jobs in the digital economy–has served 10,598 people in its first 18 months of operation. Over 85% of participants were Latino and nearly 60% were women. The program helped participants obtain more than 1,100 jobs. Hispanic Federation made this announcement at the 2022 Encuentro Digital: Latino Digital Skilling Symposium with partners Google.org and Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo. HF also released a detailed report–Closing the Latino Digital Divide: Lessons Learned from Community-Based Approaches to Latino Digital Skilling–which highlights the impact of their Digital Accelerator since its launch in 2019.
“The forecast is clear: without digital skills, Latinos will be disproportionately excluded from jobs that will advance their economic mobility. Hispanic Federation's Latino Digital Accelerator initiative empowers communities on the ground in a way that other programs cannot. Our trusted partners are providing services in the heart of Latino communities across the country, offering linguistically relevant programming, and accessible entry points for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO, Hispanic Federation.
Nearly three years since Hispanic Federation partnered with Google.org to kick start the Accelerator, the Encuentro Digital: Latino Digital Skilling Symposium, gathered over 100 Latino digital equity leaders, policy makers, and administration officials to discuss the path forward for empowering Latino workers with the critical skills required to participate in today’s digital workforce and how Latino nonprofits can connect to the historic federal investments being made to close the digital divide. This symposium included the official release of the report, and a discussion of the impact, lessons learned, and opportunities for further investment. Photos from the symposium can be found here.
Today, over 70% of jobs require technology skills. Yet more than half of Latino workers have limited or no digital skills, and one-fourth of Latinos have access to the internet only through smartphones. Latinos make up 18% of the overall U.S. labor market and will continue to account for one out of every two new workers that join the workforce by 2025. Yet Latinos also hold jobs that are at the highest risk of elimination due to automation of any identity group.
The report highlights that Latino-led and -serving community-based organizations play a pivotal role in workforce development and digital skilling for Latinos and immigrant communities. Interwoven into Latino communities, these organizations reduce service barriers by operating within Latino neighborhoods, providing education and training bilingually or in Spanish, and earning residents’ trust over years of service. Their leaders understand community needs and culture and are committed to serving those with the greatest need. Many are multi-service agencies, and either offer or refer for wraparound services, from literacy and GED classes to childcare, housing, and food assistance. They survive and thrive because they are adaptable and innovative, able to pivot quickly to meet changing needs.
“This is a topic that is deeply personal to me as a Latino in tech, and important to Google as a company that strives to create greater equity and access to opportunity particularly for underserved communities,” said Hector Mujica, Head of Economic Opportunity, Americas at Google.org. “When we first approached HF to discuss this concept, they were ready and willing to get into the trenches with us and that resulted in this work. Work that is firmly founded on the acknowledgement that Latino-led, Latino-serving nonprofits are central for educating and training the workforce of tomorrow.”
The Hispanic Federation Latino Digital Accelerator Program helps build the digital skills training capacity of Latino-led and -serving nonprofits engaged in workforce development by providing organizational capacity building, support for digital career centers housed in diverse partner nonprofits, and a long-term online Latino Digital Center of Excellence to share knowledge and resources through research, curriculum development and access, and dissemination of lessons learned.
With funding from Google.org, HF selected 24 partner sites in early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was forcing businesses, schools, and nonprofits to close or operate remotely. Despite numerous challenges the sites received their initial grants from HF and began providing training in July 2020, serving more than 10,000 people in its first 18 months. HF provided many types of assistance including but not limited to technical assistance, physical and virtual site visits, and more, culminating in the national Latino digital skilling symposium highlighting the program’s work. To date, thanks to Google.org’s continued support and new partner, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, HF has expanded its network of partner sites to 42 Latino-led and -serving organizations in 19 states, training over 17,000 individuals that have led to over 2,000 job placements.
“We are only able to move towards true equity and a better strong future for us all when everyone has the same access to the tools and resources they need for an equal shot at success. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Hispanic Federation to bring digital training and new opportunities to thousands of Latinos across the country,” said Gwyneth Gaul, Strategic Partnerships and Community Impact, Comcast NBCUniversal.
