The Blacks In Technology Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on putting an end to the discrimination of Black workers and aims to support and represent Black people in the IT industry.
They have partnered with The Linux Foundation to offer 200 scholarships this year, which are valued at up to $100,000. The scholarships will be offered to 50 individuals each quarter of the year, they will be provided training and certification at no cost.
If you are not familiar with The Linux Foundation, they are the front-runners for collaboration on open-source software, open standards, open data and open hardware. And, of course, they also act as the official organization behind Linux.
They are backed by more than 1,000 members from all around the globe including some big corporations like Facebook, Samsung, AT&T and more. Some of their most acclaimed projects include Kubernetes, Node.js, and more etc.
What is being offered?
The whole catalog of the Linux Foundation training and certification courses are on offer ranging from System Administration all the way to AI/Machine Learning. In addition to that, the scholars will be provided with one-on-one coaching from a Black In Technology mentor every month for helping them stay on track for their exam.
The examination process is conducted online with the presence of a proctor who will be monitoring every examinee via a webcam and screen share. Every examinee has one more attempt after they fail the first attempt.
After passing the exam, the scholar will be receiving an PDF certificate and a digital badge which can be used in digital resumes or social media profiles. Potential employers can also verify the provided info with The Linux Foundation.
On the launch of the partnership, The Linux Foundation SVP & GM of Training & Certification, Clyde Seepersad said:
We are extremely pleased to expand our partnership with Blacks in Technology to make quality open source education and certification more accessible to aspiring Black IT professionals.
Dennis Schultz, Executive Director of the Blacks In Technology Foundation also added:
By removing the financial barrier to entry for our members, The Linux Foundation has empowered a new wave of diverse technical experts.
If you are interested to get a scholarship through this program head to their official website and register yourself as a BIT member. You can also have a look at their featured programs if you want to go down a different path.
Closing Thoughts
This initiative is going to help many Black individuals who are limited by a financial barrier to receive training and certification that will help them in making a career in the IT industry.
What do you think? Will you be enrolling yourself or a friend in the program?
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