According to the McKinsey‘s research about the underrepresented minorities in programing science, they found, there was great self-confidence about their own potential among Black and Hispanic learners despite their underrepresentation in the industry. 50% of Blacks and 42% of Hispanics say they would be good at working with computers, compared to 35% of Whites and 35% of Asians. However, because of the lower income and non-college graduation of parents and guardians approximately 83%, most of them said they have no idea how to help their child to pursue the computer science careers. Moreover, a congressperson Eddie Bernice Johnson, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a statement
“Underrepresented minorities, who by 2050 will comprise more than 50 percent of our population, are disproportionately lost at every transition point in their STEM, including computer science and programming, studies and careers. When so much of our present and our future is dependent on computer science and programming, we cannot afford to continue hemorrhaging so much talent. We must all work together to leverage our respective strengths and resources to tackle this issue.”
In responding to this issue, today, Facebook launched TechPrep, their new program. It’s a resource hub where the underrepresented people, the parents, and guardians can learn more about computer science and programming. TechPrep website is available in 2 languages: English and Spanish. This program provides everything you need to know about computer science, such as books, games, in-person opportunities and community events, and even the profile of people pursuing these careers to motivate them. No matter how old are you, what is your skill level, you have the same opportunity to learn more about computer science and programming. This website is dedicated to learners, parents, guardians, and those who are interested in tech and computer careers. At this moment, Facebook is focusing this program in places in the U.S, which have big Black and Latino communities.
Source: TechCrunch
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