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PepUp Tech, a New York-based not-for-profit aimed at getting women, minorities and people from low-income areas into tech jobs, announced it is launching the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Bootcamp and Virtual Academy in Indianapolis.
The first cohort of the program is starting this month and runs into November. Each class will consist of 20 to 30 participants selected through an application and interview process.
PepUp Tech plans to have a new cohort quarterly in Indianapolis.
“This will be the first of many cohorts in Indiana,” PepUp Tech co-founder Selina Suarez told IBJ. She added that she would like to see the enrollment in subsequent cohorts increase.
“We’re looking for students who need this program the most,” Suarez said. “That’s what our charter calls for.”
Qualified individuals will get financial assistance to take part in the training.
“Coding and tech training programs can be expensive,” Suarez said. “The cost can be prohibitive and we want to help clear that obstacle. We think this program can definitely have a generational impact.”
PepUp Tech, which has had programs in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, was attracted to Indianapolis because of its partnership with Salesforce—which has a major presence here—and because the region is a burgeoning tech hub, Suarez said.
“We were really impressed with how the community works together in Indianapolis,” said Suarez, a former Salesforce software engineer and one of four minority women co-founders of PepUp Tech. “We haven’t seen that level of cooperation in other cities. We see this as a way of becoming a part of a city that is becoming a tech hub.”
PepUp Tech’s local program is being held in conjunction with the local Salesforce office, which Suarez said gives it an extra measure of credibility. The initial meetings of the first class will take place in Salesforce Tower downtown. Some later meetings will take place virtually. The thrust of the local bootcamp and academy is to train students to create and manage databases that make it easier for companies to manage relationships with their customers, recruit new employees and find new clients.
Key to the program is connecting students early to the tech community and professionals within it. “We want to plug students in with industry professionals from day one,” Suarez said.
Overall, PepUp Tech aims to move the needle with diversity in tech and give underserved young people the chance to gain jobs in the tech industry, Suarez explained.
“It gives motivated, under-represented students access to skills, mentors and confidence needed to begin their careers. With the launch of the Marketing Cloud Bootcamp and Virtual Academy, Salesforce and PepUp Tech are working together to increase diversity in tech through opportunity and education,” Suarez said.
The overarching goal of the bootcamp is to make an economic impact by training under-represented minorities and low-income individuals in Indianapolis while creating a pipeline for corporate partners, Suarez added. Additionally, the Marketing Cloud Virtual Academy is designed to allow students to take a deep dive into subject areas and learn a variety of Marketing Cloud skill sets. Program participants will have access to industry experts, professionals and workforce placement opportunities upon completion of the program.
“Teaming up with Salesforce on this initiative speaks volumes of the work that we are able to accomplish in the city of Indianapolis. The generational impact that this will have on those that may not have known they could pursue careers in tech will have a lasting economic impact in this city, ” Suarez said.
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