It’s no secret that the tech sector lacks diversity, especially in higher level positions and in engineering. Now Facebook has a long-term plan for addressing the diversity challenges facing the industry.
This week, the social media leader launched a “Tech Prep” website, according to the Washington Post. The site aims to make educational information and resources on basic computer science and engineering more widely available, especially to young people and parents in low-income African American and Latino areas.
Facebook’s own research showed that African American and Latino parents strongly believe that their children would have the aptitude for computer science, if they had equal access.
Working with the educational software firm McKinsey and Company, Facebook’s Tech Prep site includes resources for ages eight to twenty-five and up, via a mobile-enabled platform and material in both English and Spanish. Some lessons can be downloaded for use offline, and resources can also be tailored by the user’s location.
Facebook is partnering with the Boys and Girls Club and other organizations to promote the site, and Facebook staff will travel to African-American and Latino neighborhoods to demonstrate the offerings. It will also be widely marketed to the one billion users on Facebook.
Facebook believes the site is important not only to foster diversity but also to anticipate a coming jobs crunch. Labor statistics forecast one million unfulfilled programming jobs in the U.S. by the year 2020.