Apex’s STEM Community Partnerships

Our partners are always seeking seasoned professionals interested in giving back. So, we're thrilled that so many Apex team members have stepped up and volunteered their time and knowledge to help the participants in the programs of our STEM community partnerships. Our staff has supported these organizations by being guest speakers and providing insight and tips about their career paths. Staff also partake in mentorships, give presentations, donate business clothes, host interns, host tours of our local offices throughout North America, and more. Most importantly, this support has been beneficial for addressing an increasing and challenging trend.

The trend is that the number of jobs far exceeds the number of workers, particularly in the tech industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Computer and IT careers will increase 13% between 2020 and 2030, a faster rate than any other profession." As such, the dilemma is a technology skill divide, which hinders opportunity for many. The high demand for IT professionals of all levels remains specifically in cybersecurity, cloud, programming, mobile, web development, data science, DevOps, and project management.

Luckily, there are incredible STEM-focused organizations with programs that help ALL individuals irrespective of their circumstances! Apex partners with these organizations, which gives individuals the ability to access education and experience in technology. Apex is excited about our partnerships as we strive to improve technology skills gaps and make a difference by preparing individuals for a prosperous career in IT.

Non-Profit Partnerships

Our partnership with Year Up dates back to 2017. Apex staff across the country have participated in career fairs, volunteered on panels, hosted career readiness events, mentored students, held business clothing drives, and more. For example, in 2020, Apex launched our first virtual Story Time fundraiser as part of our Quarter of Caring campaign, raising over $2,000 for Year Up. Overall, we've helped hundreds of Year Up graduates launch their careers.

• Director, Alliance Management, Year Up, "We've developed a great partnership with Apex, and their dedication to the young adults we serve can be seen across the network. We continue to be grateful for how Apex teams have leaned in, providing career opportunities, advice, coaching, and philanthropic support. The partnership between Year Up and Apex has added so much value to the Year Up graduate post-employment experience. They are truly a partner in closing the Opportunity Divide."

In many cities across the country, you can find another one of our partners, CompTIA, and Tech Career Academy's philanthropic program. They provide technology education to diverse groups such as Veterans, moms returning to the workforce, and at-risk young adults in low-income areas.

• The National Director of Career Services, CompTIA Tech Academy, said, "Apex has been instrumental in helping our graduates connect with employers to secure their first job opportunity in tech. They assist the students by providing a wealth of resources they can use during class, including guest speakers, mock interviewers, and long after they graduate as well." 

We also work with Per Scholas to help close the technical skills divide. Per Scholas provides a tuition-free program that combines professional skills development with hands-on technical training. We partner with Per Scholas on a national scale to bring value to learners through informational webinars, panel discussions, mock interviews, and access to our career readiness resources.

• The following is a quote from the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Student Experience for Per Scholas. "As we think about strategic partnerships, we always want to ensure that our partners are both invested with their time and efforts and capable of coming through with great service that helps to advance our mission. With Apex, we have both, and we are confident as this partnership continues to grow and develop, our learners will continue to benefit. For this, we are grateful!"

Veterans-Focused Partnerships

Through Apex's Veteran Redeployment Initiative, we have implemented philanthropy, strategies, and partnerships that provide upskilling and career opportunities specially focused on supporting Veterans, transitioning military, and military spouses. We've been awarded Military Friendly Employer and Military Spouse Friendly Employer for the past four years and are a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Certified Company. Below are some of our Veteran-focused partners and our support for the organizations and individuals seeking a career path.

We are a corporate partner with Vets2PM, an organization that helps Veterans interested in a Project Management career get their PMP. We support their students and alumni with getting additional project management, leadership, and soft skills training, give career readiness and job searching advice, and help with job placement.

We've partnered with Hire Heroes USA, one of the most effective Veteran employment non-profit organizations in the country, to support them with their mission to empower United States military members, Veterans, and military spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce. Together we accomplish this through employment assistance, mentorship, fundraisers, and special events.

Additional partnerships include Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) for Veterans and Microsoft Spouse Technology Academy (MSTA) for military spouses. We coordinate with MSSA, which provides training for high-demand careers in cloud development, cloud administration, cybersecurity administration, or database and business intelligence administration. Our coordination with MSTA includes their onsite training program designed to empower military spouses with in-demand digital skills leading to well-paying and meaningful careers.

Technical Community Involvement

Each Apex branch gets involved in their local tech communities through meetup groups or nearby IT schools and coding academies. With over 70 North American offices, it's evident our staff have the goodwill to cover such a fantastic amount of touchpoints. Because of the effects of the global pandemic, most organizations have moved to a virtual platform or remote environment, making it easier to expand our philanthropy by being connected! Below are a few highlights of our tech-community involvement.

Tech Elevator offers a software development track. We get involved with our partner's mission to help individuals and companies acquire in-demand technology skills for the modern workplace.

• Their Pathway Program Director had the following to say, "Apex Systems has been a key component in the support of our software development students. The team goes above and beyond as volunteers for mock interviews, hosting informational job search panels once a cohort, and serving as valuable hiring contacts in various geographic markets. This has been instrumental in the development of our students as they become professional programmers and as they navigate the job market."

Our tech-community partner, 2U, has a mission to bridge the digital skills gap by supporting their non-profit college and university partners and their students with boot camps that teach skills needed to succeed in today's technological age. They offer tracks in web development, data analytics, UX/UI design, cybersecurity, fintech, digital marketing, technology project management, and product management. Having a similar mission, our Tech-community partner, App Academy, provides access to a coding boot camp for software development with no tuition due until employment.

Overall, our continued philanthropy, partnerships, and approach to reducing the workforce opportunity divide present a sense of pride and accomplishment! Join us in this significant cause; we can always use your support. Are you interested in getting involved in our philanthropy? Are you interested in a new career path or expanding your IT skillsets? Get more information by sending an email to STEM@apexsystems.com.